The New York herald., 1871-10-20


The announcement in the HERALD some
days ago in regard to the organization of the
leading committees of the present House OF
Representatives has evoked very general
discussion, and the programme laid down in
our special despatch has been controverted
by number Of newspapers and politicians.
A venerable contemporary declares that the
Committee of Ways and Means will have q
decided majority Of outspoken revenue re-
formers, while the journals in the protectionist
interest are equally clear that only high tariff
men will compose it. All are united in OPP
posing Mr.. Dawes appointment as Chairman,
some taking the ground that that gentleman
would hesitate in accepting the place because
he would thereby incur the enmity of Judge
Kelley and General Garfield, and others
assert that Mr.. Shellabarger, of Ohio, will
be the coming man. Pennsylvania is very
willing to sacrifice Mr.. Dickey's advancement
to the Craftsmanship Of the Committee on
Appropriations If she can thereby secure the
control of the revenue and the manipulation
of the tariff question, and Garfield would
stand In the shoes once filled by General
Schenck Nobody is satisfied, as it was not
to be expected anybody would be, and the
only effect of the quarrel, If it goes on as it
has begun, will be to make Speaker Blaine
adhere to his original determination.
Al least one journal is apparently satisfied
with the Speakers programme, and it, strange
to say, is the organ of General Butler Con-
soling itself for the fact that the Essex cham
pion is to be compelled to take back seat,
it boldly declares that ''where McGregor sits
Is at the head Of the table," This is such q
charming way Of making the best of an un-
pleasant situation that we commend it alike to
the revenue reformers and the protectionists,
and ask them to possess their souls in patience
while Mr.. Blaine is tempering the character
of the committee with non-committalism.
After seeing what he has seen in the past few
days he will be more likely than ever to
adhere to his original programme, and insist
upon making Mr.. Dawes the leader of the
House.
Looking at the matter calmly and carefully
we are brought to the conclusion that the
Speakers programme is a political necessity.
There are three vacancies in the committee as
before constituted, occasioned by the absence
of Schenck, of Ohio; Allison, of Iowa, and
Mccarthy, of New York, from the Forty
second Congress. As the committee now
stands Hooper, of Massachusetts,, has the
strongest claims to the Craftsmanship, but it
would be mere madness to put him at the head
of the committee. 1t is seriously questioned
whether Dawes has the ability to lead the
House, but Hoopsr's inability to do it is
scarcely matter of doubt. And, after all, this
idea of the leadership of the House
is, to great degree, fictitious. Who was
the leader when Mr.. Morrill,, of Vermont, was
Chairman of the Committee of Ways and Means
and Thaddeus Stevens Chairman Of the Com
mttee on Appropriations? What grounds are
there for assuming that Mr.. Shellabarger
would make better leader than Mr.. Dawes |?
The Massachusetts Congressman has filed
more important places than the venerable
member from Ohio. The one was for a long
time Chairman Of the Committee of Elections
and at Stevens death he succeeded to Stevens
place. The other has never been chairman Of
any important committee. Whe1 Mr.. Shella-
barger was in Congress before he was q
member of the Committee of Elections, and
now the absence of Mr.. Paine, of Wisconsin,
will open the way for him to become its
chairman; but argue it as we may, there
seems no escape from the conclusions at
which the Speaker has arrived, and which
have already been announced in the HERALD.
His programme is one that was forced upon
him by the existing state of the country and of
parties and interests in Congress, and should
he attempt a modification he would drift from
the waves of an open sea to the breakers upon
the shore.
the Forty-second Congress will be something
like this chairman of the Committee of
Elections, Mr.. Shellabarger; Chairman of the
Committee of Ways and Means, Mr.. Dawes !;
Chairman of the Com mittee on Appropriations,
Mr. Dickey; Chairman Of the Committee on
Banking and Currency, Mr.. Hooper; Chair
man of the Committee on Naval Affairs, Mr..
Sargent and Chairman of the Com
mittee on Commerce, Mr.. Lynch. Gar
field and Hooper, and not Dawes
and Shelabarger or Dawes and anybody else
are clearly Mr.. Blaine's Scylla and Charybdis,
and the best thing ho can do with them is to
compel them to ''swap horses" putting Gar
field in Hooper's place on the Committee Of
Ways and Means, and Hooper in Garfeld's
place as Chairman of the Committee on Bank
ing and Currency. BY this means he will
come as near harmonizing all the opposing ele-
ments with which he must contend as is pos
sible and be able to unite the Gordian knot of
organization without absolutely cutting it.
Tho ,xiaa orranizafion of tho com rniftnna Of