The News Democrat

SPEAKER CANNON
MUCH SOUGHT AFTER

Washington, Nov. 26.—Speaker Cannon is dividing his time these days between his dentist and the members of the house who are seeking committee assignments. The afternoons are given to the members, but while he listens carefully to all of them, he has not so far made any promises. The speaker is hopeful of completing his assignments before the Christmas holidays.

The Fifty-ninth congress had been in session only seven days when the speaker's announcement was made, the time being the briefest ever taken by a speaker in filling the committees, except in the Forty-third congress, when only four days were required. In the Fifty-eighth congress 26 days were required, but that congress convened early in November, leaving the speaker less time for preparation in advance of the meeting than he had in 1905, and will have this year.

Speaker Henderson took only eight days to form the committees for the Fifty-seventh congress. The longest time taken in recent years for this necessary preliminary work was 13½ days, which Speaker Reed allowed to elapse before naming the committees for the Fifty-fifth congress, the delay being due to the tariff fight of 1897. In the Forty-second congress Speaker Blaine consumed over nine months time after congress convened in selecting his committeemen. There was almost as much delay in the Fortieth, when the fight against President Johnson was in progress.