Atlanta tri-weekly journal. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1920-19??, 1923-08-28
Small Electoral Vote


Small Electoral Vote
Even before the hand of fate sent
Mr.. Coolidge from the task of pre-
siding over the senate 10 the higher
duty of presiding over the affairs
of the nation, there had been a cry
that New England was monopohzing
the center of the stage in Washing
ton. Now, of course, the elevation
of the man from Massachusetts has
lent more emphasis than ever to the
claim.
1t is claimed that New England,
with a total electoral vote one less
than that of New York alone, con-
trolls six of the most important COM
mittees in the senate.
Oddly enough the students Of sta
tistics have just discovered that
three other important senate COM
mittees are under the chairmanships
of three of the most sparsely set
tied states of the west.
Massachusetts,, of course, bulks
particularly large in the government
just now, with Mr.. Coolidge in the
White House, Mr.. Gillett as speaker
of the house of representatives, and
Mr.. Lodge as leader of the senate.
1t is said that Mr.. Lodge could be
named as president pro-tempore of
the senate if he desired the honor,
but the chances are that he will pre-
fer to retain his floor leadership and
the craftsmanship of the committee
on foreign relations.
Mr.. Chief Justice Taft, having
been appointed to the supreme
court bench from Connecticut, al
though born in Ohio, gives the Dem
ocrats the opportunity to claim that
New England dominates all three
of the constitutional branches of the
ernment-executive legislative,
and judicial
Head Senate Committees
In the senate not only is Mr..
Lodge the floor leader and head Of
the foreign relations committee, but
one finds that the banking and cur.
rency committee is presided over by
Senator Mclean, of Connecticut; the
immigration committee by Senator
Colt, of Rhode Island; the judiciary
committee by Senator Brandegee, of
Connecticut; the naval affairs COM
mittee on finance is just about to
and the public buildings and grounds
committee by Senator Fernald, of
Maine.
Through the seniority rule, Sena-
tor Mclean, of Connecticut, also is
eligible for the Craftsmanship of the
committee on territories and insular
possessions in the next senate, but
there is no doubt that he will prefer
to remain at the head Of banking
and currency, turning territories
over probably to Senator Hiram
Johnson of California
Mr.. Brandegee, of Connecticut, is
yet to be confirmed as chairman of
the committee on the judiciary, but
he naturally succeeds to the post
through the deaths of Senator Mel
son, of Minnesota, and Senator Dill
bingham, of Vermont, who were his
only superiors in rank.
Coupled with this dominance of
the senate committees by the small
states of New England, one finds
that the all powerful senate COM
mittee on finance is just about to
pass into the hands of Senator
Smoot, of Utah, state of four cleo
toral votes. The powerful senate
committee on appropriations is pre-
sided over by Senator Francis E.
Warren, of Wyoming, a state with
three electoral votes, and the DOW.
erful senate committee on postof-
,fices and postroads is to be presided
over by Senator Sterling, of South
Dakota, a state with five electoral
votes.
Senator Moses, of New Hamp.
shire, is to be ranking member of
the committee on postoffices and
postroads, and Senator Hale, of
Maine, is ranking member of the
committee on rules.
House Situation Different
In the house, New England has
nothing of the dominance that it
has in the senate. In fact, it is
outranked on nearly every commit
tee.
Naturally there is a lesson. in the
ascendancy of New England in the
senate. The New England states,
once they select a senator, seem
to have the habit, of sticking to him
so long as he can carry his party to
victory. In this way the New Eng
land senators simply push their way
from the bottom to the top of the