Carolina watchman. [volume] (Salisbury, N.C.) 1871-1937, 1931-11-20
DEMOCRATS FROM
SOUTH in SADDLE
WILL Nab PLUMS
Under Seniority Rule,
Southern Representa-
tives Will Receive Ma
jority Chairman Ap-
continents.

To get ready for the approaching
session of Congress, dust off the old
southern song book, revive your mem
cries of magnolia and mint and ia
miliarize yourself anew with the old
southern names. Congressman from
below the Mason and Dixon line will
take essential control if the Democrats
organize the House as indicated by the
results of elections held last week.
There is in prospect again a Dixie
Congress, for one of the few times
since the Civil War. In only three pc
Rod in the past 60-odd years have
there been southern speakers of the
House. al
John G. Carlisle of Kentucky was
speaker from 1888 to 1889; Charles
F. Crisp of Georgia from 1891 to
1895, and Champ Clark of Missouri
from 1911 to 1919. Now John N.
Garner of Texas, known to Congress,
correspondents and the world at large
as Jack, seems headed for the high
backed chair and the gavel to preside
over the deliberations of the House in
the I'D Congress.
In addition, gentlemen from the
southland, under the seniority tradi-
tons of the House, will come into the
chairmanships of the great bulk of
House committees, unless the Tam
many brethren from New York and
other northern Democrats can extract
concessions for a wider distribution of
the key places among the Democratic
membership from the northern states.
But they have been unable to &C
complish that in the past. Just before
the Republicans resumed control of
Congress following the 1918 elections,
since when there has been unlrAer-
rupted Republican control until this
week, the chairman of 43 out of a to-
tai of 81 House committees were
southerners.
Should seniority be strictly follow
ed in the forthcoming Congress, and
provided the Democrats control, out
of a total of 46 committees, "a would
have southern chairmen.
The reason, of course, is obvious.
1t is only in the south that Democ-
racy is continually victorious, and
with very few exceptions it is only
the southern states which send Dem
ocratic congressman back term after
term to accumulate seniority and so
head the Democratic membership of
committees.
The life of a Democratic congress-
man from a northern state is a haz-
ardous one at best, except in spots like
Tammany-controlled districts in New
York and scattered Democratic dis
tricts in states like Massachusetts,, New
Jersey, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Mon
tana, Nebraska and a few Others.
The vast majority of the continu-
GUS Democratic membership is south
ern, and so when the Democrats come
into power, it is the south which is
ready to go over the top with a rebel
veil and take the situation we'll in
hand.
Texas alone is in line for half a doz-
en- chairmanships if the Democrats
take charge. Under seniority, and as
Stunning a Democratic. organization
the craftsmanship of ways and means
would go to James w. Collier, Mis-
sissippi. The appropriations chairman
ship would fall to Joseph w. Byrns,
Tennessee, but should Byrns become
floor leader, then James P. Buchanan
Texas, would be next in the list.
The committee on World Wa vet
Grams legislation would have John E.:
Rankin, Mississippi, as chairman, and
Rankin fathered in the last Congress
a veterans bill bitterly fought by the
Hoover administration.
Agriculture would go to Marvin
Jones, Texas; banking and currency
to Henry B. Steagall, Alabama; for
eign affairs to ]. Charles Linthicum'
Maryland; interstate and foreign COM
merce, Sam Rayburn of Texas; judi
ciary to Hatton w. Summers, Texas;
military affairs to Percy E. Quin, Mis-
sissippi; naval affairs to Carl Vinson,
Georgia.; patents tt Fitz G. Lanham,
Texas; pensions to Allard H. Gasque,
South Carolina; postoffice and post
roads to Thomas M. Bell, Georgia, rlv-
ers and harbors to Joseph ]. Mansfield
Texas, and rules to Edward W. Pou,
North Carolina.
In the event the Democrats organ
ize, it will remain to be seen whether
the Tammany group and some OF the
other older Democrats from the north
can break down strict adherence to
Senioritv R,+ ,++,cLc ,,non the sacred