Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1860-02-17
The Men Behind tho Scenes at wash
ingS0Rs

angeons
In one of Mr.. Bulwers last and best novel
he lifts the veil from the innermost secrets o
En- ysh Craftsmanship, and shows how offer
the ablcst of the political leaders Of that coun
try indebted TO the unknown and unheraI
ded skill, labor and learning of others. What
is true in that country is singularly true in
this. We see the prominent figures playing
their p,rts on the stage, but we never see or
hear of those behind the scencs--without
whom they would be sorry actors indeed. We
see the hands on the face of the clock, but not
the machinery that moves them. / have often
/ thought it might repay the investigation if a
! list Of hardworking, and obscure intellects en-
gagged in Washington aud elsewhere, in supply
ing brains and materials 10 our great men could
ne prepared and prlnte.i. .slf 5aag
Take the single case of the Committee Of
Ways and Means in the House of Represen-
tatives. This is the most important Of all the
committees. Init the whole financial policy OF
the Government is annually and constantly de-
ve!oped and ventilated. All the estimates OF
all the departments are sent into this financial
mill, where they are picked and Winnowed, and
prepared for the action Of the Represent ltives
of the people. The details are vast and com
plicated calling for an immense amount of re-
flection, arrangement and toll. The chairman
of this committee is to the III )use of Repre-
sentatives what the Chancellor Of Exchequer
is to the English Parliament and next TO the
Speaker, the most important man in Congress
The House is compelled to take his report up
on faith, and therefore, the selection of the
chairman is one of the most delicate and im-
portant duties of the Speaker. Every dollar
appropriated must first receive the sanction of
the Committee of Ways and Means. The Ar
my, the Navy, the Indian department the gen.
eral postofice, the Iandoffice, the judiciary, in
all its various ramifications the officers of the
customs, the foreign agents of the Government,
in every part of the world /; indeed, the entire
Administration of this Conlederacy comes to
this committee, seeking the means for its con
tinuance and its operations.
Imagine such a parsonage a John @. Jones
at the head Of the Committee of Ways and
Means, Utterly unskilled in the science of
government, unblest in intellect, an inferior
lawyer, very awkward pariamcntarian, he
could no more master the labor or comprehend
the details of that position than blacksmith
could understand the machinery of watch
Even the most accomplished statesman is com
PEELED, when placed in the chairmarShip, to
rely upon the efforts of others. The brains of
the committee OF Ways and Mean5 are suppli-
ed by Mr.. Cochran, clerk, "a modest, quiet,
unassuming man, who has served in that ca
pacity number of years. who dcvotes him
self at all times to the preparation of data and
information from the various departments of
~ L:
of him as an extraordinary intellectual ma
chine. His knowledge of figures is so accurate,
his integrity so unquestionahle, that his cal
culations are accepted and adopted at once
He may be said, indeed to be counsellor, ad-
wiser and director in reference to the most i'm
portant appropriations. No scheme, h0wev-
er craftily concealed, can pass unchallenged by
this sentinel at the door of the national treas
ury. / understand that he has already prepar-
ed all the bills for the action of Congress, and
when the Speaker is elected, and the Commit
tee of Ways and Means appointed, they will
be Immediately presented to the House And
yet who ever hears of Mr.. Cochran, except
those who care to inquire into the secrets of
the business i'll this great political centre?
! Another of these unknown vet indispensa-
! BILE public servants, is Mr.. John NJ Barclay,
of Indiana, journal Clerk of the House of
Representatives. Mr.. Barclay is as thorough
| ly vclsed in the parliamentary secrets and de-
tails as Cochran is in the expenditures and
revenues of Government. AS you enter the
! House, when it is fully organized. you will see
standing on the right of the speaker young
gentleman, Thlddeus Maurice, who may be
called the prompter of the presiding officer
He began his service as page, and think it
was Mr. Cobb who first took advantage Of
his skill and talent, and from that day he
has been consulted by all the Speakers
When new Congress assemblies it is curl
Gus to observe how rapidly he becomes ac-
qusinted with the names and appearance of
the members, and those who applaud the
! Speaker for his readiness and proficiency do
not know that the quiet, Hnpretcnding young
mar by his side frequently puts the words into
/ tie pcakcr's mouth PHILADELPHIA Press.