The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1875-12-30
The New Leader Of the House.

(
thing In the appointment Of the House
committees. regardless of consequences
and criticisms, meets the fate Of all
such attempts, and gives dissatisfaction
to the professional organizers and
schemers. The New York Herald,
which has private grief In the defeat
of Mr.. Randall 10 work off, is particu-
larly savage and not very accurate, in
grouping together the loose objections
Congress last Monday and have since
fitted through the columns Of factious
and partisan newspapers Thus:
Speaker Kerr seems 10 have been
animated by a variety Of motives, SO far
as his motives can appear from reading
the names OF the gentlemen selected.
First, and above oil things, he has
taken care Of his bosom friends Mr..
Morrison, as the champion bosom
friend, takes the most important com
mittee. Many years OF service In the
House have succeeded In convincing the
country that Mr.. Morrison is an or
dinary wooden headed Hoosier poiti-
clan, whose voice was never heard In
| debate or council, and who, II Mr.. Cox
or Mr., Randall had been speaker, would
have been Overjoyed with the Commit
tee on Revolutionary Pensions or some
such place. But he happened to be u
crony OF Mr.. Kerr, and he is given the
leadership Of the House, to defend his
party against perhaps the ablest minor.
ity ever seen In that body, headed by
men rs astute and experienced as
Blaine and Garfield, members Of his
own committee: The spectacle of Nor
rison actually being called upon to an
tagonize these men would be laughable,
II II were not u serious matter to il party
which tumbled into u rebel ditch before
IT was u day in power, and which has
only too many members dying for IN
opportunity to take 1t into another
one"
This method of dealing with public
man, whose chief offense consists In the
fact that he has not been blatherer. Is
characteristic OF q journal which was
SO poorly advised of the situation at
Washington that, on the very morning
Of the Democratic caucus, II declared
that neither Kerr nor Adams had u
ghost Of q chance for its nominations.
The selection OF Mr. Morrison for
chairman Of the Committee on Ways
and Means was not an Outgrowth of
crOnySbip, as the UcrnM represents,
but happy afterthought, brought
round by The contest for the post OF
leader between Mr. Wood and Mr.. Cox
Mr.. Wood discrcdited his capacity the
first day of the session when he fell
into the blunder described by the Hernid
as % rebel ditch, aud had TO be extri-
Gated by Mr.. Lamar. After that his APP
pointment TO the first place on the
Ways and Means was u thing not pos
sible.
Mr.. Cox, although n qualified man,
lacked the following necessary to the
position. Neither was precisely what
was wanted, and yet the two were in
volved in hot hunt, risking with the
appointment of the one or the other an
open guard i'm the party TO which both
belong. The Speaker had to set them
aside. II was not even case Of "sell-
er's option" 1t was Indispensable to
his purpose of putting chief power in
the hands OF u sound and reliable reve-
nue. rcformer This being The case,
where was he to go? He must take
Payne, OF Ohio, or Morrison, of Illinois
In taking the latter he was sure Of u
resolute, an industrious and u capable
committeeman. Mr.. Morrisons one
weak point was negative his absti-
Dence from debates.
He has been u counselor. u man Of
work rather than words, saying what
he has had TO say briefly, though with
sufficient vigor and point. On this ac-
count his nomination came as u surprise
W a. ptDRlt WIZ IfSdIu liIS DIS
an essential part of statesmanship, and
undcrvalue the agency Of the silent
powers. Undoubtedly the appointment
IS. in this respect, experimental but
we venture TO predict that Mr.. Morrison
will surprise the House as much as his
promotion has surprised it,
He is an informed and conscientious
POLITICAL economist Of the most enlight-
cned modern school. He is, ii not u
brilliant, at least u sensible and u brave
man. He has the courage not merely OF
his convictions but Of his person, and
it remains to be seen whether the ex
perts he will be required to battle with
are going to have an easy triumph, or
any triumph at all The gabble that
he is "a wooden headed Hoosicr" is
worthy to emanate from quarter which,
Notwithstanding its resources and It's
opportunities, Is perpetually moving
the laughter Of the public by its comic
interpretations and its gross perversions
of current history.
In this, as in other things, IL is likely
to find itself mistaken. At any rate, its
hippant handling Of the case, to say
nothing Of its rudeness, entities 1t to no
consideration, and goes far to confirm
the opinion OF thoughtful, fair. minded
people in the notion that Mr.. Kerr did
and means tangle by process at once
simple and direct, Kidding his party Of
a dangerous private wrangle, and CIV
ing the House leader trained in every
thing except in the art Of bluster and
intrigue.
Mr.. Morrison, we may state without
violation OF confidence, sought to es-
cape the responsibility and honor pro
posed to him. He desired to be chair
man Of the Committee Of Military AZ
fairs, which was the arrangement as
late as the day before the announce
ment He consented to the change,
distrustful of himself, but urged by per
sonal friends, including the Speaker
and he deserves, on that account, no
less than OH account OF his real abilities
and merits, a fair chance and fair
trial .-C Courier -.JOuy7,0i
The DE FactO.
From the Carroll WatchmanJ