Evening star., 1946-12-25
Tentative Selections
Fail 10 Solve 6. 0. P.
Committee Problems
Tobey, Dissenter, Chosen
For Bonking Post; White
Seeks Commerce Job

The Senate'S tangle over COM
mittee chairmanships and as
signments to be given when the
Republicans take over, remained
snarled today, with leaders home
for the holidays, though several
important posts had been filled
tentatively.
Senator Tobey of New Hampshire,
who challenged the authority of the
present Republican leaders in the
Senate to reorganize that body, was
slated for the Craftsmanship of the
Banking Committee, it was made
known.
After a closed meeting of the
Republican Committee on Commit
tees yesterday, Senator White Of
Maine, the forthcoming majority
floor leader, announced he woulo
accept also the Craftsmanship OF the
Interstate and Foreign Commerce
Committee If the post were offered
him.
Some Republican Senators, how
ever, have indicated they are op-
posed to having a member assigned
both as floor leader and chairman
of major committee. Should this
view prevail, Senator Tobey and
Senator Reed of Kansas may con-
test for the commerce Craftsmanship.
The tentative slate, meanwhile,
calls for Senator Tobey to head the
Banking Committee, despite his
opinion that all places should be
filed by the new Republican Com
mittee on Committees, not by the
present one.
Committee to Meet Friday.
The present committee will meet
again at 2 pm. Friday to make
further efforts to straighten out the
situation.
Another development is the posi-
bility that Senator Vandenbergs S
offer to accept only one committee
assignment may be be rejected by
his fellow Republicans with thanks.
Some Senators hold that the Con-
gressional Reorganization Act, max
ing the number of committees much
smaller, requires each Senator to
serve on two committees. The law
states that each shall serve on 1.-TWO
standing committees and no more
with the District Committee and the
Committees on Executive Expendi-
lures not included in this limitation.
Senator Vandenberg is slated to be
president protein of the Senate. He
has indicated that he feels that, with
this responsibility, one committee
would be enough for him.
While some Senators held that
every Senator should be required
to serve on two committees, Sena-
tor Taft of Ohio commented: 1--WE
can't force anybody to take a COM
mittee assignment"
1923 Instance Recalled.
Senator johnson, Democrat, OF
Colorado, made this facetious aside:
eff the Republican family fight
over key jobs get any hotter the
Senate may have to call on the
Democrats to take over some COM
mittee chairmanships."
This actually happened in 1928
oldtimers recalled, when the Re-
publicans had a narrow majority
in the Senate, as they will have in
the new Congress.
At that time, the Republicans
could not agree on a chairman fol
the Commerce Committee. The ap-
pointment remained in deadlock fol
nearly a month. The late Senator
Cummins of Iowa had been recon-
mended for the place, but group
of progressive Republicans" OBJ
jected, and majority could not be
mustered.
Finally the Senate compromised
by naming to the Craftsmanship 8
Democrat-Senator E. D. (Cottor
Ed Smith of South Carolina.
This is one of the few instances
ron record where Senator of the
minority was chairman of a com
mittee.