Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-04-21
THE NEW COMMITTEES.

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The following is list of Chairmen of
House Standing Committees:
Elections, Springer of ILL.,; Ways and
Means. Fernando Wood of N. Y; Ap-
preparations, Atkins of Tenn. Banking
and Currency. Buckner Of No.; Pacific
Railroads, McLane of Nd; Claims.
Bright of Tenn; Commerce, Reagan of
Texas; Public Lands, Converse of Ohio:
Post Office, Money of Miss; District of
Columbia, Hunton of Va; Judiciary.
Knott of KY; Militia. Ross of N. j.;
War Claims, Bragg of Wis. Public Ex-
penditures, Finley of Ohio; Private
Land Claims, Gunther of Ark; Manu-
features, Wise of Pa; Agriculture,
Covert of N. Y; Indian Affairs, Scales
of N. c.; Military, Sparks Of Iii. +; Naval
Affairs, Whitthone of Tenn; Foreign,
Cox of N. Y; Territories, Muldrow of
Miss. Revolutionary Pensions, White
acre of Oregon; Invalid Pensions, COT.
frath Of Pa; Railways and Canals, Ca
bell of Va; Mines and Mining, Steven
son of Ill. Education and Labor, Goode
of Va. Revision of Laws, Harris of Va.
Coinage, Stephens of Ga. Patents, Vance
of N. c.; Public Buildings, Cook of Ga.
Printing, Singleton of Miss; Census.
Cox of N. Y; Epidemic Diseases, Young
of Tenn; Expenditures in State Dept,
Clymer of Pa. Treasury, Morrison Of
ILL.,, War, Blackburn of KY, Navy,
Townsend of H., Post Office, Ladd of
Me-, Interior, Muller of N. Y, Public
Buildings. Deuster of Wis, Justice,
Blount of Ca; Mississippi Levees, Rob-
ertson of La; Reform in Civil Service,
Hostetter of Ind.
There are ffty-two committees in the
House of Representatives. A glance
shows that Speaker Randall has had the
numerical fairness to divide the chair
manships equally between the North and
South-a decided gain to the former over
last session. But as matter of fact,
though the chairmanships are equally d.
vided between the two sections, the con-
trolling power rests with the South just
as much as or more than before. There
are two ways of testing and proving this
truth. In the first place, three-q quarters
of the committees are of very small con-
sequence, and the bulk of legislation is
concentrated in the hands of few. We
suppose all will agree that the important
committees are Ways and Means, Appro-
priations, Elections, Banking and Cur
rency, Judiciary, Foreign Affairs, Mill
tary Affairs, Naval Affairs, Commerce,
Claims, Pacific Railroads, Post Offices,
Territories, Coinage, and few others.
Now, of these important committees the
South has two-thirds of the chairman
ships. The statement that the chair
manships are equally divided conveys a
wrong impression. 1t includes all Of
the third-rate committees that seldom
meet and never have anything to do
When we come to examine those which
really conduct the business of the House
we find that the South leads two to one
as compared with the North.
But there is another test-one that
considers not merely the chairmaDships
but the whole construction of the com
mittees. We find that even those tina
have Northern chairmen have majority
of Southern members. The Ways anG
Means has eight democratic members
five Southern and three Northern. TIL,
Elections Committee stands six from tn,
South and three from the North. Mr.
Randall is rightly commended for max
ing General Bragg chairman of Wa
Claims but when he got beyond thu
chairman he put on five Southern to ont
Northern democrat, so that Genera
Bragg. after all, counts but little. o.
Military Affairs the division chances t.
be equal. On Foreign Affairs it is fou
to three in favor of the South. Thes
are the important committees with North
ern chairmen and, with single excep
ton. the majority of the democrati
members on all live south of the Potomac
1t is so with committees under Southern
chairmen. On Appropriations the Sout
as against the North stands six to three
on Commerce seven to three; on Bank
ing and Currency four to three, and S
on through the whole list. These fact
show where the real control lies.
,
There is an end of all doubt, at las
Every sane man knows that the tempe