The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1877-09-13
THE SpEAKERSHIP.
THE CONTEST BETWEEN RANDALL
cox, sAYLER AND BLACKBURN.
The Chances Each Has OF success, ana the
Claims Each Makes to the votes OF
Democratic COngressnen.

Democratic congressman.
lspeeial Correspondence of the Democrit1
New YORK September @.
hava inst emerged from the woods where
have been for ten days as much to the delight
of the readers Of the DEMOCRAT. no doubt as to
nv own delectation. Probably the aforesaid
readers will heave o sigh when they read that
am ont of the woods refreshed and invigorated
far infinite taxes upon their patience again.
or course when arrived at the borders of civil
ization bought all the daily papers. learning
that old Theirs was dead-for which thanked
God in the belief that with the old owl of Mar
settles out Of the way, Gambetta would soon
smash tho Radical party in France and thus
render good government possible again
In that sorely bewildered land l learned
also that the Russians were still delay
ing their proposed easy promenade to
Adranople. and that the Turkish cause was
looking up-which was also q subject OF gratu-
lation with me. my sympathy for the Turks be-
ing mainly based upon the fact that they do not
pretend to be any better than they arc, while the
Russians champion tyrants and brutes of the
universe as they are. can give even Gladstone
or O New England Yankee points in the game OF
cant and hypocrisy and win every time. This |
learned In all the papers alike; even the New
York Herald having failed to whip the Turks of
topics nearer home / CLEANED variety of in
formation. As it was getting along towards the
18th of October | began to look for points on
The spcakership.
presuming that something new might have
turned UP iu that direction during my ten days
in the woods. But on scanning the papers |
found that II was about the same old sing-song
From one source learned that Randall had a
sure thing. The Washington correspondent of
the sam was the authority on this point. An
other paper informed me that Sam Cox was con-
fident Well did not doubt this statement. for
have known Samuel long time and am aware
that confidence Is his strong point. From q
third quarter | ascertained that Cox and Ran
dali were both out of the race and that the con-
test was narrowing down TO Sayler and Black
burn, with the chances In favor OF the Cincin-
NATHAN. Manifestly the man who reads all the
New York papers learns very little. for that
the second one he picks up will usually I'M
teach all he has learned from the first Just laid
down. So after had read them all knew just
Ems much about the Speakership as I knew In
s the beginning and. barring a few incidental
MscrapH Of information here and there. / was
I but the sum OF twenty-five cents which | had
paid for them.
But it is quite possible that know as much
about the Speakership as anybody l think |
do, and yet am ready to confess that | don't
know anything about Il to speak Of doubt If
there has been for twenty years such
Fair Prospect for n Free Fight
over this important place az there is now To |
begin with. it is by no means certain. albeit |
most probable. that the Democratic caucus will |
name the man. I say this by way Of a proviso |
for contingencies. There Is more feeling and |
sharper acrimony In the contest than have |
IL
are some men who will be in the Democratic |
caucus who will not vote for Randall on the
ballot In the House. know the fact because I |
know tho men: have heard them say SO. and
never knew them to say one thing and do an
other They may fool me this time and vote for /
Randall, but if they do 1t will be the first time |
they ever went back on their word. However, |
/ only know to an absolute certainty |
of -four men who are In this
position, and four will not break the majority;
but six would, and the four whom have heard
express themselves claim that they will not be
without associates when the tug comes. This
fact. which have Just stated. has been kept
quiet by the friends of Mr.. Randall. but they
have been aware Of 1t all the time and they
know who the malcontents are as we'll as do.
This fact. moreover. has been the most serious
stumbling block In the way of
Randalls Chances of success,
and has been the chief embarrassment TO his
canvass. have not seen it stated In any of the
press comments on the subjects, probably be-
cause 1t has been known only to such newspa-
per men as were friends of Randall II Is not
necessary to state in this connection who the |
men are though / may say that the four who
impaired their views to me. accompanied their | [
statements with permission to use them as l ,
saw fit II
for the Speakership can not begin until the :
members assemble In Washington. and then
the facts that l have stated above viii be Sc
riously used to damage Mr.. Randall before the
caucus. Just now the friends of that gentle
man claim that thoy have 1t all fixed up to put t
him through on the first ballot. This may be | q
true and it may be simply what the boys call | q
wind" What IL is can soon be ascertained
after the members get together. If il is discoy-
cred that Randall has fired the thing as he !
claims. then there will be trouble right away. :
and l confidently assert that the four Democrats
have alluded to. with probably several others.
will refuse to go into caucus. In this event the
caucus will be very unlikely to name the b
Speaker. This is full and fair sur a
yey of Randals chances. accord |
,ording to my information. We're everything
ovely and were it an absolute certainty that the
'tucuS Woulu Hdulc the opeahoI, L SHOULD say |
hat Randall would be chosen without much
rouble. for lam inclined to believe that he has
secured the call on enough to nominate: pro
'ided, that he can be elected after he is nomi- c
lated. But when it Is definitely ascertained y
hat he cannot be elected, 1t is not probable that I,
lis full caucus strength will stick t. him. The b
reasons for this detection are partly personal
md partly political. Randall has tried to dodge
IN issue that cannot be lodged He has tried to M
AIRY the Texas Pacific on one shoulder, and 81
he no subsidies policy of the Tilden or O
iramercy crowd on the other. 1t must be ad- y
nitted that he has succeeded tolerably we'll thus
ar. considering the difficulty of his undertake
ng Tor at this moment he is supported
by Northeastern newspapers because he !,
S opposed to subsidies on principle. and by 81