The New Orleans daily Democrat., 1877-05-02
THE NEXT SPEAKER.

The organization Of the House 0
Representatives of the Forty.fifth Con
gress. by the Democrats, IL no longer {
question of doubt. We have showr
by the roll made out by the clerk ane
published last Sunday that our MAORI
ty will be at least fifteen. and OF oil the
Democratic members elected there Is
not one known TO be doubtful or In
the slightest degree, inclined to evade
the caucus or act Independently of his
party. Hence the next Speaker will be
Democrat.
Just at this period OF our new political
life 1t is matter Of grave Importance
to our, State to secure for this high and
responsible position one who will, In
the administration of his Office, do full
Justice to the South, and see to it that
our material interests, alike with those
OF other sections OF the country, are
aided and protected In SO far as the
assistance Of the national government
may be invoked for such purposes.
The candidates thus far most promi-
nently mentioned are Sam. j. Randall,
of Pennsy lvania, and Milton Sayler, OF
Ohio. Unless the Southern Democrats
agree to put forward one OF their own
number. the contest will be between
the two gentlemen above named. All
the advantages of position are decid-
edly In favor of Randall, and but for
the determined stand taken by him
when Chairman of the Committee on
Appropriations, against every measure
In which the Southern States were
greatly interested, he would probably
find but little opposition to reelection.
In reviewing Mr.. Randall's record in
the Forty-fourth Congress, we find him
opposed to the re. opening of the Mint
ia this city. In the appropriations for
such institutions he was willing to allow
us only sum barely sufficient to pre-
vent the property from reyerting to the
city. In the next line of the bill, how
ever, he provided most lavishly for the
mint in his own city, Philadelphia, by
giving It over 100000. When it was
decided to reduce the number Of navy
yards and stations, those along the
Southern coast were the first to present
themselves to Mr.. Randall's mind as
being the least useful and important and
those to be the most conveniently and
profitably dispensed with. Nothing but
a bitter fight by the Louisiana, Texas,
Florida and some other Southern dele
cations saved these navy yards from
Randall's attack and effort to destroy
them. Finally. when our Congressman
Il. John Ellis attempted to bring up and
pass his bill at the first session of the
forty-fourth Congress for building the
Mississippi levees, he was met by the
determined opposition of Mr. Randall.
and through this opposition the bill
failed to come up in the House. although
unanimously reported upon favorably
10y large and intelligent committee.
at the second session assurances were
given that this bill should be acted upon
before adjournment, and notwithstand-
spg Mr.. Ellis moved TO pass it on the clos
ing days OF the session he met with no
assista nee from Speaker Randall, but on
the contrary was rather ignored than
otherwise.
As to the hearty support which it is
alleged Mr.. Randall gives TO the Texas
Pacific Railroad, 1t arises from the
simple fact that this enterprise is
eminently Pennsylvania in its nature
and inter ests, and is principally owned
and conducted by Pennsylvanians. But
we have card ii bruited about that Mr..
Randall 10 decidedly opposed to encun-
bering this gigantic railroad scheme