Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-04-19
SPEAKER CONTEST
TO START TUESDAY
TiIson and Smell Bid for Post
as G. o. P. Chiefs Enter
Fight to Control House.
BY WILL p. KENNEDY.

| The real fight for the speakership OF
the House in the coming Congress will
start here Tuesday. Representative
John @. Tilson of Connecticut, majority
leader in the House and heir apparent
to the speakership, Is coming back to
take personal charge of his campaign
and his friends say that he is preparing
to make a vigorous and determined fight
for advancement to the post.
In the meantime, Representative
Bertrand Smell of New York, chairman
of the important Rules Committee OF
the House is making an intensive cam
paign for the speakership.
The only sure thing about the
speakership contest that has developed
thus far is that the Middle West Is az
forded an opportunity 1t had not peen
looking forward to of taking the once
Of majority leader in the incoming Con-
gress. If Tilson is elected speaker the
prospects are good that Middle West
e-1l Representative viii be elected House
leader to fill the vacancy created BY
Mr.. Tilsons advancement and Repre-
sentative Fred S. Purnell OF Indiana
being mentioned as a possibility.
i.
elected speaker, Mr.. Purnell Is next In
line, under the seniority rule, to step
In as chairman of the dominant Rules
Committee, which carries out the poll
cies of the party in control. According
to this line of reasoning Representative
Purnell, with the Middle western fol-
lowing, would have decidedly greater
advantage by lining up with Tilson and
getting the House leadership in his own
lAx,~
ceeding him, in the event OF his victory,
as chairman of the Rules Committee.
G. o. p. Chiefs Join Fray.
But there Is still another angle to the
complex situation. The Republican
party leaders are going to take hand
In this campaign. 70 assure themselves
of a candidate who can be elected ana
House organized by the Republicans.
some Of the party chieftains doubt
whether either Mr.. Tilson or Mr.. Smell
could be elected, because the great tri-
unyirate of Longwortn, T1lson ana
Smell had become so offensive 20 Re-
publican Progressives. II neither could
b. elected without Progresslves' support
the situation would be confusion worse
COMPOUNDED" If they became emnrolied
in a bitter duel for the speakershlp'
Here would be another AMI larger op-
portunity for Representative Purnen: q
for some other champion from the Ma
die West who would be more acceptable
to the Republican insurgents, 10 ne put
forward as candidate for the speaker
ship and to win it in his own right, IN
stead of standing back hoping TO step
into Mr.. TilSon's or Mr.. Snells snoeS'
II and when they are advanced.
There are several other prospective
candidates: Representative Fred A.
Britten of Illinois, chairman OF the
House Naval Affairs Committee, who
ran the late Representative Madden as
candidate against the late speaker
! I,ongworth has announced himself as
a Candidate for Speaker. Friends of
Representative c. William Ram5eyer OF
Iowa are urging him to enter the lists
Representative Robert Luce OF
Massachusetts, chairman of the House
Committee on the Library and author
| Of a series OF standard works on legis-
/ lative procedure, has also been put
! forward as a promising candidate, on
/ the ground that his legislative expert
ence has been broad. AS an authority
| on parliamentary law and history, he IS
nationally and internationally recog-
| nized. and his influence is not from
| log-rolling and Wire-pulling but Is due
| to his study of questions which have
/ come before him and his fairness.
Trcadway Gives G. o. p. View.
Representative Allen T. Treadwsy Of
| Massachusetts,, one of the House veterans
| and ranking majority member on the
| Ways and Means Committee, sum-
| married. the situation as he and other
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