The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1924-01-10

washington, Jan. w. DeHlo'
crat, Ellison D. Smith, Of South Car
olina. was elected late yesterday by
the senate as chairman Of its inter
state commerce committee. one OF
the ranking committees of the new
Republican congress.
Four insufgent Republican and the
two FarmerLabor senator's from
Minnesota threw their support te
Smith, thus not only breaking q
deadlock which has existed since
Decem ber 10. but also giving the
country convincing manifestation
that their control of the balance OF
power in the senate is as complete as
is that of the Republican insurgents
in the house.
Smith Gets 80 Votes.
On the thirty-second and final bal.
lot of the deadlock, Albert b. Cum.
Minis of Iowa. who had the endorse
ment Of the Republican organization
for reelection received only 2e
votes as against 80 for Smith and q
for Senator Couzens. Republican
Michigan, who had been the third
choice of the insurgents.
Smith received only one vote more
than the necessary ajority of the
"a senators voting.
Organization Near Complete.
With the deadlock broken, organ
ization of the sixty-eighth congress
is complete, except for an expected
fight over the Office Of senate presi-
dent pro tenn. The situation as to
this matter was somewhat obscure =.
Senator Cummins is without the
endorsement Of the Republican par
ty conference for this place as party
leaders have held an election to be
unnecessary. With the Iowa sena-
tor deposed from the Craftsmanship
of the committee which handles rail
road legislation the insurgents have
indicated they would support him for
reelection as president pro tenn, but
there have been rumblings of some
opposition from the Republican or
ganization.
Whether Senator Cummins re-
mains as a member of the interstate
commerce committee which handled
railroad legislation, was questioned
in the senate, by some of the insur-
gents. Republican organization
leaders hold, however, that he is a
member despite his defeat for the
chairmanship:
Democrat for Cummins.
On the ballot which elected Sem
ator Smith, one Democrat, Bruce, Of
Maryland, voted for Senator Cum
Minis as he had done since early in
the deadlock when the insurgents
threw their strength to the South
Carolinian and failed to elect him by
a margin of one vote. Since that
time the insurgents had supported
in turn, La Toilette of Wisconsin,
their recognized leader; Senator
Howell of Nebraska, and Senator
Couzens.
The Republicans voting for Smith
were Brookhart. Iowa; Frazier and
Ladd. North Dakota, and LaFollette,
Wisconsin. Senator Norris, Nebras-
ka, another of the insurgents bloc,
continued to vote for Couzens as did
Senator Gooding, Idaho; Capper,
Kansas; Howell, Jones, Washington,
and Norbeck, South Dakota. On one
of the other two ballots taken during
the day the insurgents supported
Couzens.
If there are precedents for the
election by the senate of commit
tee chairman from the party op-
posite to that in control officials fail
to recall it and they have been un-
able to find 2 record of it in their
search of senate files.
Early organization of the inter-
state commerce committee is looked
for and pressure Immediately will
be brought for the approval of bills
amending if not repeating the trans
portation act. 1t would appear that
a majority Of the committee is
favorable to the appeal of the N"rate
section of that act and per-
haps some other charges, but
q. straight repeal measure
can be voted out seems doubtful.
Chairman Smith was one Of those
who fought the transportation act
botA in the committee and on the
hoor of the senate and It was be-
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