Bisbee Daily Review/1917/04/03/Champ Clark is Renamed Speaker of House
CHAMP CLARK IS RENAMED SPEAKER OF HOUSE WITH DEMOCRATS SUPREME IN ALL COMMITTEES
(By Review Leased Wire)
WASHINGTON, April 2.—The Democrats with the aid of four or five Independents, organized the house when the new congress assembled today, re-electing Champ Clark of Missouri as speaker, and sweeping into office with him all the other Democratic caucus nominees.
Mr. Clark received 217 votes against 205 for Representative Mann, the Republican choice for speaker, who not only failed to receive an independent vote but lost the support of five of his party colleagues.
All of the Democrats present voted for Mr. Clark, and were joined by Schall, Progressive in Minnesota; Martin, Progressive-Protectionist of Louisiana; London, Socialist of New York and Randall, Prohibitionist of California. The five Republicans who did not support Mr. Mann were Gardner of Massachusetts who voted for Representative Lenroot of Wisconsin, Gray of New Jersey, and Ballinger of Massachusetts, who voted for Gillett of Massachusetts, and Haskell of New York, and James of Michigan, who voted "present."
Representative Fuller, Independent of Massachusetts, voted for Mr. Lenroot.
Calling of the roll was replete with bursts of applause, but the lion's share went to Miss Jeanette Rankin of Montana, a Republican and the first woman to be elected to the house. She was given three separate ovations, once when she entered the chamber on the ar mof her colleague, Representative Evans of Montana, again when she responded to the call of members, and a third time when she voted for Mr. Mann. She was forced once to rise and bow before the applause could be checked. She was on the floor the greater part of the day: dressed plainly in a dark dress with a white collar, and carrying a bunch of flowers.
An effort by Representative Mann to prevent adoption of the rules which governed the last congress were futile. Representative Pou of North Carolina, named by the Democrats as head of the rules committee, announced however, that the committee would gladly consider proposed amendments at any future time.
At the organization of committees the house followed out the selections made by Democratic leaders. Although half a dozen chairmanships went to northern Democrats, Representative Gallivan, Democrat, of Massachusetts, who has persistently protested against southern domination of chairmanships, voted against the slate.