Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1873-12-10
BLAINE'S COMMITTEES.
The Speaker Setting the AdmOnitiOns
of the Late Elections at Defiance.

The Speaker Setting the AdnnOnitiOns
of the Late Elections at Defiance.
From the Cincinnati Times, Republican.
Speaker Blaine is not Republican
reformer. He has SO shaped his CON-
mittees as TO make the present House
as much like the last one as possible
To him the late elections have not
borne any voice OF a4rcnition, or if
they have, he has set LIE w...alng u.
defiance. If he has not heard the loud
notes Of popular disapprobation over
the deeds and disclosures of the last
Congress, he is a more stohd and in
sensate individual than we have ever
taken him to be. If he has heard the
stern condemnation of the Credit Mo-
bilier and salary grab iniquities en-
phatically uttered by the masses of the
people from one side of the continent
to the other, then in appointing his
committees he has practically said, with
the plainestsutteranc possible, Z" What
are you going to do about itf' And
that we take to be really the spirit and
temper of Speaker Blaine at the pres
ent moment.
We abandon all hope of Mr.. Blaine.
We anticipate serious disasters to the
Republican party, whose confidence he
has abused. We expect this Congress
to run in the same old corrupt ruts as
the last. The only hope of the party
is an emphatic reputation of such
leaders by the great mass of its voters.
For our own part, we wash our hands of
Mr.. Blaine and the Credit Mobilier and
salary grab chairmen of the leading
committees.
Let us see more particularly what the
defiant Speaker has done. Nearly
every important Republican convention
held since the final adjournment of the
last Congress has emphatically de-
nounced all Congressional dabblers in
Credit Mobilier stock, and Indignantly
rebuked the salary-steal. Similar action
was taken by Democratic conventions
throughout the land.
Both these iniquities were emphati-
cally condemned, with great unanimity,
by the rank and file of both parties.
Of this there could be no doubt in any
intelligent mind. 1t was the misfor-
tuneof the Republican party--which suf-
fered ,forthat reason, serious losses every
where IN the last elections-that among
the members thus condemned were
several of the most prominent Repubh-
can leaders in Congress, some OF whom
were at the head of the most important
committees. Prompt and pointed re-
Dukes of the erring Congressman, and
and the honest pledges of reform made
in the name of the Republican party,
SO far gained public confidence as to
save that organization from utter and
overwhelming defeat-a fate which it
would certainly experience to-day IN
any State in an election coming right
after Mr.. Blaine's appointment of COM
mittees In spite of these earnest
hopes and Just expectations of radical
reform, the Speaker has bestowed the
chairmanships of the chief committees
as follows:
l. Ways and Means-Dawes, Credit
Mobilier, reappointed.
2. Appropriations Garfield, Credit
Mobilier, who voted for the salary grab
at the last moment, and cast the weight
of his influence and position on that
side, reappointed.
3. Banking and Currency-Maynard,
| of Tennessee, who voted for the salary
grab, and took the back-pay without
wincing-a new appointment.
4. Judiciary-Ben. Butler, father and
chief manager of the salary grab and
the defender of Credit-Mobilier
Ames on the floor of the HOuse-prO-
NOTED from a subordinate place on the
committee to the Craftsmanship.
). Naval Affairs-Scofield, Credit
Mobilier, reappointed.
6. Observation-Disclosures, of Misslssip-
pi, salary grabber, new appointment.
1t is needless to say that the six COM
mittees above named comprise those of
chief consequence in the House, and
those to which are entrusted the shap-
ing of nearly all its important leglsla-
| ton for the next two years.
Having thus placed on record an en-
phatic protest against the acceptance
of this work and these leaders by the
| Republican party as its own, and repu..
dating in its behalf, on the strength of
| its publicly-avowed sentiments through
its conventions and its press, all res
possibility for the perpetuation of the
disgrace of the last Congress, we ''re=
mand the question to the people of the
several Congressional districts. . The
present Congress was nearly al elected
before the Credit Mobilier scandal was
disclosed, and before salary grab was
ever conceived of as a possibility by
the people Another election OF Con-
gressmen will occur next year, and then
the constituencies may possibly give
verdict that Will be understood and ap-
1ornciatad even hY Sneaker Blaine.