Caucuses

Both parties in Senate and House held their caucuses before Congress assembled.

Senate Republicans. Mr. Lodge of Massachusetts was re-elected as floor leader of his party in the Senate. Mr. Curtis of Kansas was chosen as Senate whip. The progressives--La Follette, Brookhart, Norris, Ladd and Frazier, were not present. The two Farmer Laborites, Shipstead and Johnson of Minnesota, did not attend, as they had contemplated doing, for fear such action might be misinterpreted in Minnesota. In half an hour, with small fuss, the conference was over.

House Republicans. The House caucus was not as perfunctory an affair as the Senate caucus. The progressive or insurgent group had held a conference previously under its leader, John M. Nelson of Wisconsin. Three men were nominated to be Republican candidate for Speaker: Frederic Gillett of Massachusetts, the candidate of the regulars; Henry A. Cooper of Wisconsin, the insurgent candidate; and Martin B. Madden of Illinois, the candidate of his admirers and a few insurgents. With eleven absentees, the vote was:

Gillett 190

Cooper 15

Madden 9

The insurgents moved for the abolition of the Steering Committee--a part of their tactics for revision of the rules. The entire object of their tactics was to revise the rules so that they can force discussion on the floor of any bill reported out of committee.

For floor leader, Nicholas Longworth of Ohio was elected viva voce with only a few scattered "Naes" sounding. Expected opposition from Representative Graham of Illinois did not materialize--the reason being that a compromise had been effected beforehand by which Mr. Graham withdrew and his group, "the Middle Western farmers," received a predominance on the all-important Steering Committee, which dictates what legislation shall come before Congress.

Senate Democrats. Receiving their caucus for Monday morning before the Senate assembled, were faced only with the reelection of their leader, Senator Robinson, of Arkansas, and the none too easy solution of rivalries in their own ranks for places later to be awarded on committees.

House Democrats. Representative Finis J. Garrett of Tennessee was named as the Democratic candidate for Speaker--which means, since it is not planned to elect him, that he will be minority floor leader.