New-York tribune., 1879-04-12
SPEAKER P.NpALL's COMMITTEES.
r,r nruoCrAT1c MAJORITY WELL GUARDED-lN-
r,,r,o>, rp,,-,.puAXT Of TIE FINANCIAL COM


r..
TrY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRrBUNEI
w.surxGrov April 1.-The House adjourned
ir,r,cdiotelv after the announcement of the COM
,o,.tcos this afternoon and the members VIII ne
obla IN sneak much more iutelhgently OF speaker
Randall. organization of the House tomorrow
,rLcn the lists are in print, than tonight.
Al the head Of the list stands the Committee on
Elections. which now contains fifteen members. 1t
is pondcrous and intensely partisan in Its charac-
tor The chairman Mr.. Springer, needs no intro
duction to the readers of THE TRIBUNE. He views
all oucstions through strong Democratic spec
toclcs and his party may depend on HIM ior the ue-
fence of its slim majority in the House from the
attacks of Republican contests. win lhe eNcep-
tiou of the chairman. not single member OF inc
NOW Committee on Elections served upon it In the
last Congress- and with three exceptions. the Demo
Gratis upon if are new members. none of whom are
distinguished for their legal ability The Speaker
has given the Republicans only five members of
tl,is committee. exactly one-third, although the
minority in the House is almost strong as the ma
iorjty. and would be in an actual majority but for
tissue ballots and fraudulent counting III few
Southern districts.
The Wavs and Means Committee certainly has
not been organized in the interest OF ultra free
trade if indeed il is not very strongly protection
ist. The free-traders upon IT are MeSSrs' Wood
Tucker Morrison, Mills, Carlisle and Feton-o'
The protcctionists are Messrs. Gibson, Phelps Car
field. Kelley ConCer, Frye and DunnelI-I. Mr.
Thicker in the last Congress advocated a high pro-
tective tariff on sumac, wild product OF Virginia
and Mr.. Gibson might consent to some modification
of the tariff not in the interests OF protection, pro-
yided Louisiana sugar was taken care OF. The fact
that General Garfield is an honorary member OF
the Golden Club docs not prove that he is free
u,
recognition of the learning and ability he dis
played some years ago In speech on the currency
question. In the appointment of Mcssrs. Morrison
and Mills TO places on this committee Speaker Ran
dali has extended the olive branch to the Black
burn element IN the Democratic party as both of
these gentlemen were earnest opponents OF the
Sneakers reelection. The committee is not one
over which Mr. Wood will find it especially pleas
ant to preside. Its members are men who have
minds of their own, and whose minds are by no
means likely to be in harmony with that Of the
chairman.
The Committee on Appropriations in the present
Congress Is much stronger, both on the Republican
and Democratic Sides than that of the ALNth
Congress. Mr.. Atkins remains as its chairman. and
Messrs Blount, Singleton and Clymcr, of the Dem
ocrats, are retained. The last three have distln-
gushed themselves by the parsimOnious spirit they
secure retrcnchment and reform in the expendi-
lures. Mr Blackburn, of Kentucky, an aggressive
antl-Randall man, who will not be easily governed
bv the chairman Of the committee; Mr.. Wells, OF
Missouri. who had long experience in former Con-
presses and is one of the very best business MEM
bers on the Democratic side; Mes,Ts. Cobb,
of Indiana, and FOTncy, Of Alabama both strong
men, and Mcmahon. one of the best debaters
in the House, make up the remainder of the major
ity. OF the Republicans Mr. Baker, Of Indiana,
who has served on this committee for two Con-
crosses is promoted to the head. He Is not a man
of very liberal views. but is exceedingly useful
member Messls MunrOe. of Ohio, llawley. OF Con-
necticut Hubbcn, of Michigan, Cannon, of Illinois,
and Hscocl, of New-YOrk, compose the remainder
of the minority Mr.. Munroe, although he has de-
voted much of his life to literary pursuits, was for
some SIX years in the consular service at Rio de Jan
ciro and showed a taste and capacity for business
which eminently fits him for this position. General
Hawley, although not member of the last Con-
gress, has had much experience in National lcgisa-
tion and is the night IN the right place on this
committee. TIE same may be said Of Mr.. Hiscock,
of New-YOrk who during his two wears service IN
Congress has won position which entities him to
rank amongst the ablest Of tine Republicans.
INFLATIONIsTs IN THE AsCENDANCY.
The two committees which are TO deal with the
currency, that on Banking and Currency, and that
on Coinage Weights and Measures, have been
formed in the interest of initiation, and the full re-
monetizatiOn OF silver. The Banking and Cur
rency committee Is undoubtedly sOit-nOney com
mttee, and must be entirely satisfactory to the
Greenbackers, although only one of their number
Mr. Ladd, Of Maine-has a place upon il. Only
two of the eleven have ever been known as uncOm-
promising unconditional hard-noney men, These
e at1C n
Massachusetts. who will undoubtedly feel lonesome
among 80 many pronounced inhationists. The
chairman MI Buckner, expressed the opinion this
evening that the committee would favor free coin
age OF silver the retirement of the National bank
circulation, and the substitution Of gTeenbacbs for
the present outstanding bank notes. If Speaker
Randall delayed the announcement OF the commit
tees as il has been reported in order that he might
make the Committee Banking and Currency
strongly i'll favor of hard money, he was not sue
cessful. The Speaker probably has held that the
majority Of the House must govern in the cOnstitu.
tion of the committees, and that majority being al
most sody III favor of initiation schemes of one
kind or another, he had no choice but TO make up
this committee i'll harmony withit
Mr. McLane, of Maryland, new member for this
geueratiOn-a although he tells the House twice
day that he was a member of Congress thirty years
ago--s chairman Of the Committee on Post Offices
and Post Roads. He is said to be an earnest oppo-
Hent of subsidies The friends of both the Northern
and Texas Pacific Roads say that the committee
has been organized TO oppose both Of these projects
but tins Is not 80 apparent to other people There
are some members of the committee whose
opinions have not been asceItained, but among its
members certainly three OF the most pronounced
advocates Of subs dies -Me,sTs. Chalmers, Clark
and Ellis Mr. Bliss, of New-lork, who stands
third on this committee and second on the Commit
Zee on Commerce, Is said to have been offered the
chairmauship Of one of the less important commit
tees of the House. but preferred these positions.
The Committees nm Claims Commerce. Publc