Daily Davenport gazette. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1854-1855, 1855-10-30

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The organization Of the House Of Rep
| rosentalives 10 the most important matter
considered @ . political movement, which
now occupies public sttention. II is = sub
ject ofsno less interest.to the country thar
TO polilicians. The party. or combinstion
Of PARIS, which. shall obtain possession o.
the House, will control the legislation Of
the next year, and will exercise powerful
influence on the Administration. The
Speaker, under the Rules, appoints all tine
Committees, and always composes them in
such = manner - TO give the party or policy
which he represents absolute mastery in
all Of them which are ofimportance. Thus,
il 10 the custom to place six Of the ruling
party tothsee Of the opposition on the Com.
mittee Of Ways and Means, on the Judi.
ciary, ON Elections, on the District Of Co.
lumbia, on the Territories, on Naval, Militia.
ry, Indian, and Foreign Affairs, on the Pub
lie Lands, on the Post Office, and on Roads
and Canals. These are the only Commit
tees from which any subject ofnational i'm
portance can be introduced into the House,
and the Standing Committees are the only
channels through which business Of any
character can Be regularly brought before
the House. Not only can no proposition be
entertained except by authority Of these
CO smittecs, but even should one by any
chance find its way into the House, distaste-
full to the Speaker and the party which sup
ports him, he can suppress discussion upon
it, by refusing to recognize any member
proposing to speak in its favor. | have
seen debate suppressed in this way hun
dred times; and as often have seen nearly
the whole House disfranchised by the re-
fusal Of the Speaker 10 recognize any men,
Der desiring to submit motion, except one
Of half dozen selected by him to conduct
the business of the day. Practically, the
legislation of Congress is transacted by
the Speaker and Chairmen Of three or four
principal committees. The House, it is
true, reserves to itself the privilege Of re-
jecting the proposition which this cabal
may agree upon: but then as no alternative
can be adopted, except such as they may
choose to submit, there remains at last bu;
the choice Of accepting what may be tend
cred or refusing to legislate at all upon the
subject matter.
These considerations show why it is that
when no party possesses a decided majority
of members, the election Of Speaker, and
other officers, is found to be matter Of
such difficulty. At the present time, no
party or faction has such majority, or ap-
proaches it, nor is it clear what arrange
ment can possibly be effected which shall
overcome the primary obstacle to an organi
zation. II appears to me that struggle
is impending which will try the strength of
the Government, for the assemblage OF the
entire representation Of the government,
without the ability to act or the power to
govern themselves, is anarchy. The form
of antagonism which appears most likely
to result from the struggle, is union of all
the Southern members with eleven North
ern Democrats, elected as partisans of the
Administration, opposed by all the remain
ing Northern members, with the exception
Of some ten or twelve independent Wings
and Know Nothings. This would leave the
Northern coalition in majority of eight or
ten.
But in view ofthe immense and excessive
power Of the Speaker under the present
system. l consider it probable that an agree
mene will be made, before the election, to
amend the rules by taking from him the pow
er Of appointing committees, and restricting
to some extent the overshadowing influence
OF the Committee of Ways and Means. Nor
have any doubt that the expedient Of lS49
will be again resorted to, by which the con-
currenee Of a majority in the choice of
sp, aker was dispensed with. In the memo
rable Struggle Of that year the device of a
secret pledge to constitute the committees
in manner favorable to the claims Of the
third or middle party, was adopted by one of
the candidates. The discovery of that plot
defeated Mr.. w. J. Brown, snd sent him in.
to Coventry, and at the same time brought
that method Of defining and securing posi-
lions into odium and disreP"te. Neverthe-
less understand that series of questions
has been prepared by political association
to be submitted. probably in an open and
public manner, to all candidates for the
Speakership, framed with the object of pro-
curing the construction Of the committees
according to the views OF the questioners.
Cor. Courier and Enquirer.