Evening star., 1942-07-19
Capital SideIights
By Will P. Kennedy.

Consideration of the pending tax bill
In the House of Representatives brings
into the headlines several members who
have made historic records. With the
single exception of Soreno Payne of New
York, who served II years as chairman
Of the Ways and Means Committee the
present chairman in charge of the bill
Representative Robert l.. Doughton of
North Carolina, has served longer as
chairman than any man since the COM
mittee was first set up in 1889. He Is
in his ninth term as member and tenth
year as chairman. But in spite of this
long service by Mr. Doughton, there are
two Republican members of the commit
tee whose service is still longer-Repre-
sentatives Allen T. Treadway of Massa-
chusetts and Frank Crowther Of New
York. Mr.. Treadway, now serving his
18th two-year term, has equaled the all
time record of Soreno Payne, and If
reelected, will make new record. Rep
resentative Crowther is completing 20
years of service on the committee. Rank
ing next to Mr.. Doughton on the Dem
ocratic side is Representative Thomas H.
Cullen of New York, rounding out IA
years of service on the committee. The
roster of all members who have ever
mittee-considered the most important
committee Of Congress-was prepared
two years ago by Bryce N. Harlow, assist
ant librarian of the House. First chair
man Of the committee was Thomas Fitz-
simons of Pennsylvania in 1889, when
there were only seven members and
there have been Is members for more
than 20 years.
The first vigorous Republican attack
on the revenue bill was made in a
minority report by Representative Har-
old Knutson of Minnesota, assailing the
corporation tax. He was supported by
Mr.. Treadway. Mr.. Knutson, now in
his tenth year on the committee, is the
sixth member from Minnesota and knew
personally each of his predecessors, in
cluding Mark H. Dunnell, who served
back in the early Dos, and the great
James A. Tawney. who after 10 years
on the Ways and Means, was shifted to
chairman of the Appropriations Com
mittee
That was the first time on record,
within the memory of those now in
service at the Capitol, when the time
honored seniority rule for succession to
the Craftsmanship was set aside. James
T. McCleary, also of Minnesota, was in
line for the Appropriations chairman
ship. When Mr.. Tawney was shifted by
Uncle Joe" Cannon, in the days when
the Speaker made all committee assign
ments, to be chairman of Appropriations,
Mr.. McCleary was named to succeed Mr..
Tawney on Ways and Means. 1t was
Mr.. Tawney who brought to Washington
Marcellus c. Shield, now clerk of the
committee, with record for length of
most efficient service. There is one other
instance where the seniority rule was
broken. In the fall Of 1921, when James
w. Good of Iowa, subsequently Secretary
of War was'retiring from the Appropria-
tions Craftsmanship, and Uncle Charlie"
Davis Of Minnesota was in line to sue
ceed him, Representative Martin B.
Madden of Illinois, veteran member of
the Post Once and Post Roads Commit
tee, who outranked Mr.. Davis in length
OF service in the House, though not on
the committee, was shifted over to Ap-
preparations. The most impressive ad-
herence to the seniority rule is shown in
the present craftsmanship of Appropria-
tions. Representative Clarence Cannon
OF Missouri and Representative Clifton
A. Woodrum of Virginia came to Con-
gress on the same day-March 4, 1928.
The only distinction between them on
the Appropriations Committee was that
Mr.. Cannons name begins with &C.
while Mr.. Woodrum's begins with 'W,"
and as they are listed in alphabetical
order, that is how Mr.. Cannon outranked
Mr.. Woodrum. The latter courteously
stood aside and made no contest against
his colleague for this important chair
nanship.