Evening star., 1925-02-21
.LAFOLLETTE IS HIT
BY c. 0. P. PLANS
Committee Assignments tc
Be Taken AWay-Means
Loss of Chairmanship.

One of the reasons why administra- =
ton leaders in the Senate have de-
cided to deprive Senator Robert M
La Toilette and his followers of their
present committee rank in the new
Senate was to avoid the necessity OF
elevating Mr.. La Toilette to the
Craftsmanship of the powerful interstate
commerce committee under the seniority
rule.
This was disclosed today by Chair
man Watson of the Republican COM
mittee on committees.
Watson in Line for Post.
Senator Cummins of Iowa. out
ranks Senator La Toilette on the in
terstate commerce committee, the
body that will deal with important
railroad legislation in the next Con-
gress, but he already is the chairman
of one major committee. judiciary,
and under Senate practices would be
ineligible for the craftsmanship of two.
With Mr.. La Toilette removed from
consideration, Senator Watson will be
next in line for the interstate com
merce Craftsmanship next session.
Republican leaders expect some diff
ficulty in putting through their pro-
gram for giving the insurgents spe-
cial treatment in committee assign
ments and that is one reason why
they will undertake complete re-
organization of Senate machinery at
the special session called March 4.
Four to Lose Out.
The four insurgent Senators. La
Toilette, Frazier, Ladd and Brook
hart recently read out of party
councils by the Republican conference
Of the Senate, are to be deprived OF
their present committee assignments
as Republicans in the next Congress
II the plans of party leaders are
carried out
La Toilette was read out of the
party at Republican Senate confer
ence before the beginning of this
session because of his action in run
ming as an Independent presidential
candidate against the nominee of the
Republican party. The other Senators
were excluded from further party
conferences because of their support
of the Wisconsin Senator.
House tp Act Also.
Republican leaders in the House, in
determining the personnel of COM
mittees in the new Congress, plan, in
the treatment of the insurgents, to
follow along the line mapped out by
administration leaders in the Senate.
OF the dozen La Toilette followers
who are to be barred from future Re-
publican House conferences those
who hold chairmanships will lose
those posts.
While the insurgents probably will
be reassigned in most instances to
committees on which they are now
serving, they will be classed as a mi
nority distinct from the Democrats
and placed at the foot of committee
lists. with all opportunity for advance
ment removed.
Under this plan Senator La Fol-
lette also would lose the chairmanshir
OF the manufactures committee and his
position as the ranking Republican
on the powerful finance as well as inter
state commerce committees. He also
would lose his rank on the Indian
affairs committee.
Senator Ladd of North Dakota
would be removed from the chair
manship of the public lands commit
tee-the famous Teapot Dome inves-
tigating body-and his rank on ltfe
agriculture, commerce and territories
committees.
Row Is Threatened. .
Because of their comparatively re.
cent advent into the Senate, neither
Senator Brookhart nor Senator Fra
zier has high rank on committees, bu,
the Iowa Senator would lose promo
ton on the claims. education and
labor and military committees, made
possible through the retirement OF
Senators now outranking him. Sena-
tor Frazier similarly would lose pro
motion on the mines and pensions
committees.
Chairman Watson of the Senate
committee on committees said the
contemplated action in the Senate
would be in line with the resolution
adopted at the conference last No
vember, but some Senators, taking a
different view of the meaning of the
resolution, indicated that there prob
ably would be a row on the subject
when the committee assignments are
taken up at a republican conference
soon to be called to perfect the slate
of officers for the new Senate.