Evening star., 1931-12-04
CAUCUS WILL FILL
COMMITTEE POSTS
Ways and Means Group Next
for Democratic Decision
After Choice of Leader.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

Next important after the nomination
OF Representative Garner of Texas as
candidate for Speaker and Representa-
tive Rainey of Illinois for floor leader
In the Democratic caucus tomorrow
night will be selection of Democratic
members of the Ways and Means Com
mittee. For they will act as the party's
Committee on Committees and tackle
the intricate Job of getting the members
agreeably placed on the various stand
ing committees.
Other important matters to come be-
fore the caucus are:
Liberalization of the rules, with q
program Of changes to be presented by
Representative Crisp OF Georgia, former
parliamentarian when his father was
Speaker and who during the past year
has been leading the fight for real
liberalization making action mandatory
after discharge of committee and with
safeguards against all dilatory tactics.
Bill Steering Committee Sought.
Proposal for creation of legislative
steering committee on party policy and
procedure, recommended by such out
standing leaders as Representative
Byrns of Tennessee, who becomes chair
man of the Appropriations Committee;
tive William A. Ayres of Kansas, who
will lead the fight for the new COM
mittee. This proposal Is opposed by
both Garner and Rainey. 1t will be
decided amicably by majority vote, but
the prospects are that 1t will be
defeated.
Election OF House officers, such as
clerk, sergeant at arms, door keeper and
postmaster.
Possibly the creation of patronage
committee to weed out the innumerable
applications for patronage positions.
The numerical strength and party
division on the Ways and Means Com
mittee will not be disturbed by the
closeness of the party division In the
House. The Ways and Means Com
mittee will have Is Democratic and 10
Republican members, this proportion
standing in view of the fact that with
many party policy matters coming up
it is essential to have a safe working
majority.
Ways and Means Vacancies.
On the Appropriations Committee
there will be 21 Democrats and IA Re
publicans. This is non-political COM
mittee and any change in this proper
ton would give the majority party
tWo-to-one standing in subcommittee
which handle the various appropriation
bills.
This means there will be seven new
Democrats to be elected to the Ways
and Means Committee, since Repre-
sentative Garner drops off to become
Speaker while Representative Rainey
as floor leader will continue on the COM
mittee. There already is one existing
vacancy caused by the election of Cor
dell Hull as Senator There are many
candidates, urged by their friends. for
these seven new committee places.
Representative AyreS is prominently
mentioned and can have most any,
thing he wants from his Democratic
colleagues. He is a veteran member Of
the Appropriations Committee
Among others from whom the seven
probably will be chosen are Representa-
tive Dickinson of Missouri formerly q
member of the Ways and Means Com
mittee; Representative Lewis Of Mary
land, former member. who for eight
years was member of the Tariff Com
mission; Representative Mccormack OF
Massachusetts,, Representative Sanders,
Texas; Representative Sullivan of New
York, who would be obliged to give up
the chairmanship Of either the District
Committee or the Committee ON IN
sular Affairs, which is understood to be
agreeable to him; Representative Fred
M. Vinson Of Kentucky. who can have
either Ways and Means or Appropria-
tionS; Representative Douglas, Arizona;
Representative Swank. Oklahoma; Rep
resentative Hare, South Ccrolina, and
Representative Eslick, Tennessee.
Appropriations Posts Open.
On the important Committee on Ap-
preparations, the largest in the House,
with 35 members, there will be seven
new places to be filled by Democrats
and eight If Representative Ayres trans
fers to the Ways and Means Committee.
Representative Vinson of Kentucky.
formerly a member of the Appropria-
tions Committee, is expected to decide
on that committee berth
Others who seem assured of being
placed on Appropriations are Repre-
sentative Bulwinkle, North Carolina,
and Representative Granfield. Massa-
chusetts. The appointments to the APP
preparations Committee, however, will
be taken up by the Democratic mem
berS of the Ways and Means Commit
tee acting IS Committee on Committees
and will be disposed of as soon as pos
sible, not only because this Is most
important committee for which selec-
ton should be made before the weed
ing-out process for other committees