Evening star., 1923-02-18
REPUBLICANS In HOUSE : :
TO FACE BIG HANDICAP
Majority Will Lack Parliamentarians.
While the Minority Will Have Many
Versed i'm the Rules.

that he was always master OF the
situation.
There are some members on both
the republican and democratic sides
and this applies especially to some
ambitious young republican members
who are trying to fit themselves to
be rliamentarians-who have a su-
perf1cial knowledge OF the rulings,
but they do not understand the par
liamentary reason on which they are
based. They know the precedents
and decisions in the particular matter.
But great many times questions
come up in which there are no prece-
dents. These ambitious but unframed
men are like cease lawyers" who sim
ply are not there" when 1t comes
to discussions involving general ju-
risprudence.
Democratic Parliamentarfans.
Now to get down to specific facts
about the democratic parliamentarian
strength In the next Congress: There
is Representative Charles r Crisp
OF Georgia, who was parliamentarian
to his father for four years while
the elder Crisp was speaker, and
parliamentarian with Speaker Clark
for two years before he came to
Congress himself. There Is Repre-
sentative Finis ]. Garrett OF Tennes-
see. the acting minority leader, who
will undoubtedly be minority leader
in his own right in the next Congress,
who is q very able parliamentarian.
There is Representative Otis Wingo
Of Arkansas, who through much
practice and regular attendance has
made himself pretty good parlia-
mentarian and a match for any on
the republican side now that Mann
is gone. There is Representative
Thomas L Blanton of Texas. gen
orally referred to as "obstreperous,"
but Blanton has learned the rules
and the exceptions and the reasons
therefor probably better than any
Of the younger members of the House
and has a peculiar quality OF per-
sistence and irrepressibility which
even in this Congress has caused end
less trouble for the republican lead
ers There Is Clarence Cannon. who
is coming into the next Congress as
successor from Champ Cark's old
district. Cannon was parliamentarian
to Speaker Clark for four years and
to Speaker Gillett for about one
year and has since been engaged in
revising the precedents Of Congress.
! There is also Representative John
! Garner, quondam democratic whip
| and always on guard for party ad-
| vantage on the floor. There is also
the veteran. Representative Henry r.
| Rainey of Illinois. who is coming
back in the next Congress.
Republican ParIiamentarians.
What have the republicans to Off
Set this group? Speaker Gillett, who
will undoubtedly succeed himself. has
a good knowledge of the rules and
precedents and exceptions-but this
| knowledge will really work to the
disadvantage of his republican col
ileagues because he will be in the chair
making decisions, rather than on the
! floor exercising generalship and
strategy. His knowledge of the rules
! will make him see the more quickly
| where the democratic parliament
tarians are right. which may not be
| as clear to other republican members
! Representative Nicholas Longworth
of Ohio and Representative William
j. Graham of Illinois. who are rivals
! for floor leader IN the next House.
are both fair parliamentarians. Rep
resentative William II. Stafford of
Wisconsin, who has been the most
active in parliamentary debate and
has for several years been a protege
| Of the late Representative Mann. will
not be in the next House. Repre-
sentative Horace NJ. Towner of Iowa
| Is a veteran member and has had con-
| siderable parliamentary experience.
but he is not a dominating person
ality. Besides It Is the general belief
that he is slated to be the next Gov
ernor of Porto Rico. When all Is said
and done the one republican member
in the next. House on whom the
slender majority will depend most in
parliamentary scrap is Representa-
tive John Q. Tilson of Connecticut.
former speaker of the state legisla-
| ture.