Oral History Interview with A. R. Schwartz, November 27, 1967 Page: 86

                                
Schwartz
86
he's on any other committee he wants to .be on. It's just that
his law practice...And I'm picking on Dorsey now. But if he
wants Oil and Gas Committee, he'll be on it. If he wants the
Banking Committee, he'll be on it. And no member can ever know
that he's going to be on a committee that he wants to serve
on unless he happens to get the fix-on with the Lieutenant
Governor. So you choose them by seniority, and then a committee
is designated to refer those bills. to the proper committee.
That's the congressional practice, essentially.   We're not
coming up with anything new; this is the rule in Congress.
And maybe it doesn't work so good that .it can be bragged about,
but it works a lot better than one-man rule, which is what
we have in Texas.
Well, interestingly enough, we had fifteen votes to adopt these
rules changes and we couldn't get the sixteenth vote. And
Bill Patman would not vote for these rule changes, and I only use
him as an example because Patman has been a liberal. His father
is a great populist. His political philosophy is that for the
Democratic process and the betterment of the society in which
we live. But Preston Smith was against this and Bill Patman was
for Preston Smith, instead of being for what was right. And
he decided that this was a Connally play.   Well, .it might well
have been.  I don't know.   I thought it was a liberal play and
maybe I was deluded.   You know, I'm not beyond being used.   But
if I'm being used for a cause that I espouse, then I don't mind