Cleveland daily leader. [volume] ([Cleveland, Ohio]) 1865-1873, 1865-12-12
DAILY LEADER.
TUESDAY, DECEMBER IL, 1865.
b~ For all Evening Edition
News see inside.
Bg For all Morning Edition
News see outside.
The TIon.s Cnmmiitea..

Inc names OF the members of the stand
lag Committees of the House of Repre-.
sentatives, as announced by Speaker Col
fax, are furnished us by to-day's tele-
graphic news. They form the most inn
pOrtant item in relation to Congressional
proceedings yet published. The re-elec-
tiOn of Messrs. Colfax and Mcpherson as
Speaker and Clerk was regarded as Ger
tain, but the struggle over the committees
was warm and doubtful one, and its is
sue has been awaited with eager impa-
tience. The chief contest has been over
the appointment of Thaddeus Stevens to
the Craftsmanship of the Committee on
Appropriations, which he held last ses-
sion, and which involves what is tech
nically called 'fhe leadership of the
House," / Q, the right to Introduce bills
in reference to appropriations and to have
the floor in reference to them at all times.
Against Mr.. Stevens were arrayed not only
all the Democratic and Conservative Union
members, who were opposed to his rad
ical views on the subject of reconstruction,
but the entire free-trade interest, the many
personal enemies whom Mr.. Stevens
brusqueness and dlseourtesy have made,
and many who thought that Mr.. Stevens
advancing years untitled him for the
place. We are glad to see that in spite of
all this opposition Mr. Stevens has been
reappointed- -glsd to see it because, with
all his faults, Mr. Stevens is not only the
most radical, but the ablest and most ex-
perienced legislator in Congress. And his
labor as chairman of this committee is
much increased by the fact that the last
Congress divided this committee, then
known as the Committee on WAYS and
Means, into three separate committees
on Approp iiations, on Revenue and on
Currency. The former committee con-
tains perhaps more legislative ability than
any other. Besides Mr. Stevens, its
Chairman, it has upon it our own repre-
sentative, Hon. r. P. Spalding, and Messrs.
Farnsworth, of Illinois, Kasson, of Iowa,
and Highly, Of California. The ablest |
Democrat in the House-Vorhees, of In
diana-is placed upon it. 1t is notice
able that the only new Union member |
placed upon it il Raymond, of New York,
whose ability as a fnancier and parlia-
mentarian is as high as the highest. 1t is
equally noticeable that six of the nine
members of this most important commit
tee are fr ON the West.
The craftsmanship of the Committee on
Revenue, technically called sthe Com
mittee on Ways aud Means, is
most appropriately given to Justin S.
Morrill,, of Vermont, the author of the
Morrill, tariff, and the most experienced
legislator on the subject of revenue in the
House. This committee is also very
strong one. It contains the practical and
able Hooper. of Massachusetts. the
shrewd Wentworth, of Illinois, the prac-
tised and hard-working Roscoe Conklin,
of New York, and James Brooks, of the
same State, the leader of the Democ-
racy on the floor of the House. The ap-
pointment of General Garfield to place
on this committee was made at the espe-
cial request of Secretary McCulloch, and
is deserved tribute to the brilliant abili-
ties of that gentleman.
We are glad to see Oh the Committee
on Banking and Currency-before whom
will come the most important financial
legislation of the sessiOn-the names of
such practical and successful business
men as Hooper, of Massachusetts,, Culver,
Of Pennsylvania, and Buckland, of Ohio.
The rest of the committees are very
similar to these of the last Congress.
Messrs. Schenck and Rice retain their re-
spective positions al the head of the Mill
tary and Naval committees, and Mr..
of Illinois, is at the head of
the Committee on Commerce. Mr..
Dawes, of Massachusetts, is still Chair
man of the Committee on Elections, but
the Stevens resolution which passed the
House on the first day of the session, for
a special committee on the rebel States
restricts his duties to the examination Of
contested election cases at the North.
We regret to see that Hon. John A.
Bingham, who pre-eminently distinguish
ed himself as Chairman of the judiciary
Committee in the Thirty-seventh Con-
gress, was not reappointed, in place of
Mr. Wilson, of Iowa, who held that posi-
ton in the last Congress. But as whole
the committees are very wisely selected,
and will prove able and useful.