Evening star., 1923-11-18
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.
y 9TH the republican and demo-
cratic caucuses for members
of the incoming Congress are

and intraparty fights for committee
places. The democrats, having much
less to do, will give way to the re-
publicans until after the caucus. The
: republican caucus has been called fol
pm. Saturday. December l, with
Congress opening the following Mon
day.
In spite of what you have read In
many newspapers. don't be misled for
n minute into believing that there
Is to be any row over the election of
leaders. Gillett will be chosen
Speaker, Longworth floor leader and
Garrett leader of the minority.
The republican committee on COM
mittees faces a hard and intricate
task, complicated by the fact that this
committee has as yet no chairman
and that there are thirteen states
which have not yet chosen their rep
resentative on this committee on COM
mittees-Idaho, with two votes;
Maine. with four; Maryland, three;
Minnesota. eight; Nebraska, three;
Ohio, sixteen; Oregon, two; Pennsyl-
vania, thirty; Rhode Island. three;
Douth bdhotd, NhACO' tSbiOSSSSb -"
Vermont, two. and Wisconsin, ten.
Heads Committees Committee.
With the election Of Longworth as
door leader. ipso facto. according to
longtime custom. he becomes chair
man of the committee on committees,
and. as he has for many years been
Ohio's representative on that COM
mittee, 1t is presumed that he will so
continue.
The other members of this i'm
portant organization committee who
have already been elected by their
state delegations are: California,
Kahn. nine votes; Colorado. Timber
lake. three; Connecticut, Tilson. four;
Illinois. Madden. twenty; Indiana,
Kansas, Anthony, seven; Kentucky,
Langley, three; Massachusetts. Wins
low, thirteen; Michigan, Mapes,
Twelve; Missouri, Faust, five; Mon
tana, Leavitt, one; New Hampshire,
Wason. one; New Jersey. Bachrach
six; New York. Parker, twenty; North
Dakota, Young, three; Oklahoma,
Garber, one; Texas, WurZbach, one;
Utah, Leatherwood, one: Washington.
HadIey. four; West Virginia, Rosen-
bloom, two, and Wyoming, Winter,
sne.
Now, while the democrats Will de-
rline to join with any wild-eyed or
recalcitrant group in making trouble
Tor the republicans in organizing the
House, they will deal with dis
gruntled republicans in making a
seathing fight over, committee ap-
continents.
VIII BE Scramble for Places.
With vacancies already existing in
The Craftsmanship of some twenty-siX
committees, several of them among
the most important, and with about
ten more chairmanships likely to be
vacated in the inevitable shifting.
the committee on committee faces
hard work. With twelve vacancies
existing on appropriations committee,
six on ways and means and seven on
rules, which are the most important
committees, It Is obvious that there
will be a bitter scramble for places.
The democrats are prepared to
make a fight for larger representa-
ton on all the important commit
tees-for example. on the ways and
means committee the republicans now
have seventeen members and the
democrats eight. The democrats want
. this changed to fourteen and eleven.
and on other committees where the
proportion IS now fifteen and six
they want It changed to twelve and
nine. This is due to the gains made
by the democrats In the last election,
which now brings both parties to
pretty nearly equal strength in the
, House. The republican leaders recog-
nize the force of this argument and
] are already figuring out what they
think would be a just proportion.
There is no doubt that the proportion
Will be amicably settled-after warm
partisan debate.
OF course, with many new men
, coming into Congress and many vet
srans gone, there will be a contest to
abolish the seniority rule which has
been operative for years in decision
on committee chairmanships. Under
tho seniority rule the ranking men,
Der is entitled to take the chairman
ship II q vacancy occurs. This rule
will give perhaps twelve members
pf tho House their choice OF two or
three committee chairmanships. This
Is a matter that the individual mem
Der must settle for himself and until
he does the work of the committee
on committees is delayed.
Look Over Committees.
Look over the vacancies on the va
rious more important committees.
both as regards chairmen and mem
bers:
Ways and means. craftsmanship and
i've other vacancies; appropriations,
twelve vacancies; rules. chairman
ship and six other places: judiciary,
craftsmanship and fve other places;
banking and currency, eight vacan-
cies; interstate and foreicA. commerce.
dve. vacancies; rivers and harbors
eight vacancies; agriculture, seven
vacancS<. Military affairs, four va
cancies; naval affairs, seven vacan-
cies: post office and post roads, chair
manship and SIX other vacancies; in
sular affairs. chairmanship and nine
other vacancies; labor. possibly va
cancy in the Craftsmanship and six
ether vacancies; invalid pensions, nine
vacancies: public buildings and
grounds. eight vacancies: education,
chairmsnship and four other vacsn-
oies; District Of Columbia, chairman