Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-11-06
House Organization.

Organization of the House of Repre-
sentatives in the Seventy Con-
! gress has been a conundrum ever since
that House was elected in November,
1880. 1t continues to be conundrum,
although the Congress is to meet here
in a little over four weeks. Indeed,
the question is even more COMPOUNDED
since the Democrats took from the Re-
publicans the eighth Michigan congress
sional district in last Tuesdays cleo
tons, making it impossible-even II the
whole membership of the House were
present on December for the Repub-
licans to have that majority Of one to
which the elections of 1880 entitled
them. None knows today for sure
which party will have the majority on
the House floor when the time arrives
for an election Of Speaker and OF the
standing committees Of the House.
Death, illness or needful absence may
one or all play their parts in determin-
ing this matter. Only yesterday the
Republican ranks were still further re-
duced by the death Of Representative
Wurzbach of Texas.
1t appears certain, however, that the
Democratic party. II 1t shall have a ma
jority of the whole House at the open
ing session. will organize that body. It
might organize, too, If certain Progress
sive Republicans or the single Farmer
Labor member should join the Demo-
Gratis in this matter. The Republicans
may organize only by standing all to-
gether and obtaining the support Of the
Farmer-Labor member. or through the
death or absence of some Of the Demo-
Gratis.
Some of the Democrats are today
bordering whether it were better to or
ganize or not to organize. Rather fool
ishly, it seems. If. having majority in
the House, q party fails to organize that
body, it becomes at once cowardly in the
public eye, inept and unworthy Of re-
sponsibility. Those Democrats who are
hanging back argue that it would be to
the greater interest of their party in
the general election next year to allow
the Republicans to have complete sway
in the Congress during Che coming ses-
sion, so that If times do not improve the
whole blame may fall upon the @. o. p.
when the voters go TO the polls. They
ask why the Democrats should now as
sumo any part of the responsibility of
Government. the control of the House.
Suppose the Democratic effort in 1880
had been sufficient to carry the House
with majority Of ten or twenty over
the Republicans-what then? Would
not the same argument have been time
ly? If the Democrats do not wish to
assume responsibility they should have
kept out of the House election. Are they
to tell the people who elected them to
the House that the election was a mere
vain matter?
Any party in control of any part of
the Government must be willing to
make its record and submit it to the
people for approval at the next cleo
ton following. This stands for the
Democrats if they control either or
both houses of the Congress while the
Republicans control the executive
branch. In the past both the Repub-
lican and the Democratic parties have
won control of one or both houses in
the midst of an opposition admins
tration. And on each occasion the
majority has assumed control Of the
legislative body.
If the Democrats organize the House
it will be up to them to determine
| whether they will act constructively
in legislative matters and adopt recon-
mendations made by President Hoover
that seem wise, or whether they will
merely play politics and embarrass the
administration. To take the latter
course would be a risky thing, with
i the country in the midst of q depres-
sion amounting to an emergency. The
dence of the country If. controlling the
House, 1t acted sanely and for the best
| interests Of the whole people. The
! Democratic members, after all, were
elected not merely for the purpose of
raising hob with the Republican Presi-
! dent and his plans, but for the purpose
! of legislating wisely for the country
If the party leaders and the rank and
file keep this in their heads. there
will be no more talk about declining
to organize the House If the Democrats
! have a majority when that body meets
1t does not seem possible that the
Democrats think so poorly Of Demo-
cratic policies that they are not will
ing to put them to the touch on the
eve of an election. Why, then, back
away from the responsibility Of
legislation?
The most powerful minority possible