Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1879-03-22

THE NEW CONGRESS-

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THE NEW CONGRESS.
AT last the question of organizing
the new Congress has been decided
by the election of Mr.. Randall, the
Democratic nominee, over Mr.. Gar
field, the nominee OF the Republic
cans, by Ia to l25; the Greenback
nominee, Mr.. Hendricks B. Wright,
of Pennsylvania, obtaining Is votes
from the Greenback members,
among which was included one
vote from Mr.. Kelley, the Republi-
can member from Pennsylvania.
And thus vanish several bugaboos;
one was the fear of holly contested
and angry competition between
Messrs. Blackburn and Randall for
the Democratic nomination to the
Speakership. Happily this was set
aside by the decision of the contest
in enc ballot, after which Mr.. Black
burn made very manly and grace
full speech, congratulating the party
on the nomination of his competitor,
and was one of the committee to
conduct him to the chair. Another
fear was that the Greenbackers
might demonstrate force enough to
embarrass the Democratic party,
but they voted their fifteen without
effect. Still again, fears were enter
tanned that accident might lead TO
the election of Mr.. Garfield, as the
balance of parties is so near that a
very slight accidental arrangement
is sufficient to produce important
effects. This of course was set at
rest when il was found that Mr..
Randall was elected by a sufficient
majority without the Greenback
vote.
The Senate has already proceeded
so far in its organization as to have
appointed the Chairmen of its stand
ing committees. Among these Mr..
Thurman on the Judiciary Commit
tee, our Col. Bailey on that of Edu-
cation and Labor, Gov. Harris on
that of Epidemics, and Bayard on
the Finance Committee, are all eX-
cellent appointments. Mr.. Beck is
Chairman of the Select Committee
on Transportation Routes to the
Seaboard; a moreimpOrtant position
would have been better appOrtioned
to his abilities and services. Gen
orally speaking. the organization is
iudicious and looks like a deter
minatiOn to make business the order
of the day.
The House committees arenOt yet
announced.
Our only comment is upon the
nomination of Mr.. Randall by the
Democratic party in preference to
that of Mr.. Blackburn. We make
no secret of our preference for Mr..
Blackburn, while we acquiesce en-
tirely in the election of his compel
itor. Our preference for Mr.. B. is
in reference to no sectional cOnside-
rations; we are entirely indifferent
to the Speakers affiliations as q
Northern or Southern man, but we
do fear that Mr.. Randall's Occupa-
ton of the chair will be adverse tC
any serious modification of the
tariff. He is known to hold eX'
IRENE protective views himself, and
his making Mr.. Woods, of New
York, Chairman of the Committee
of Ways and Means last year effect
ually blocked all legislation looking
in that direction. We fear he will
make the same or a similar appoint
ment next week, with the pOssibil-
ity of a similar effect. If he should,
the true Democrats in the House
must mature as soon as possible q
tariff bill outside of that committee.
We are aware of the difficulty OF
doing so, of dispensing with the
preparatory manipulatiOns of that
committee, but all difficulties must
be surmounted and existing OBJ
structions to trade and commerce
removed in spite of them, or the
nation will derive but little satisfac-
ton or comfort from a Democratic
Congress. 1t is not only the great
body of the Democratic party which
demand this, but the more enlight-
ened members of the Republican
party are resolved upon it, and the
| Greenbackers are a unit there. But il
is not of parties or sections of parties
that the question is with us now
it is the nation which now de-
mands the cessation of sectional
chickering's, and facilities for com
mercial activity; and no party will
be prepared to face the next Presi-
Dental election which has stood in
the way of complete reversal OF
the fiscal policy which has fol
twenty years rested as an incubus
upon the industries of our people.
One thing is curious to note in the
election of the Speaker, and that is
that within the Democratic party
there has been a solid North on that
point, but not a solid South. No
Democrat north or east of the Poto-
mac voted for Mr.. Blackburn, while
several members from Tennessee
and the whole Georgia represen-
tatiOn voted for Mr.. Randall. We
speak of this simply as curious
phenomenon, not as practically in
teresting us; we find ourselves be-
coming less and less interested in
these sectional animosities every