Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-12-27
THE HOUSE COMMITTEES.
STRANGE AND INCONGRUOUS
FEATURES OF THE LIST.
An Analysis Showing the Speakers
Disregard of Precedent and State
RepresentatiOR-New York, Penn
syIVanIa and Ohio I'm the Lead.
Wdshinqto1a Post.

more lnc0ngruOQS JneY appear, ana Lne
criticisms which they have evoked when
concentrated into one article, make an
array which it must be formidable for
Speaker Keifer to contemplate. AS stated
yesterday these do not come from the
Democrats only, but are common among
Congressman of Mr.. Keifer's political
faith. The main weak points are two. The
first, and the one which is most hsgrant, is
the distribution Of State representation on
the committees. The second is the way In
which certain members have been treated,
their prominence, their qualifications and
their experience apparently going for
naught in Mr.. Keifer's estimation. In the
Committee on Elections the Speaker has
placed ten men who voted for him, Green
backer, who is interested in the Greenback
contest, and only four Democrats. OF Re-
publIcans, Mr.. Pettibone IS 3 Southern Re-
publican and Mr.. Paul Virginia Read
iuster, so that the Democrats from the
South whose seats are contested expect to
be made short work Of. In the Ways and
Means Committee the Speaker has left off
Messrs. Gibson, Phelps and Mills, placing
Mr.. Speer, of Georgia, instead of Mr.. Mills,
as the Southern representative. He has
placed three Pennsylvanians on the COM
mittee, while there is not single New York
member. The Democrats expected that
either Mr.. Cox or Mr.. Hewitt would be
ton and Cobb have been retired from the
Appropriations Committee; the new men,
bers are Messrs. Cox, LeFevre and Ellis.
Mr.. Holman, who was formerly Chairman
OF the committee, has not even been given
place on 1t. 1t was generally supposed
that If Mr.. Cobb was taken off Mr. Holman
would go on, but this was not done. Ex-
Speaker Randall, who was also formerly
Chairman of the committee, has also been
oil her
House and familiar with the duties of the
committee. There are three New York and
TWO Ohio men on this committee.
In regard to the Banking and Currency
Committee there is not much criticism to be
made. A Democratic Greenbacker, Mr..
Ladd. has been displaced, and Republican
Greenbacker, Mr.. Brumm, put on. There are
two New Yorkers on this committee, Messrs.
Cornell and Flower. There are three, prac-
tically, for Hardenbergh is from Jersey
City. In the Coinage, Weights and Measures
Committee, Messrs. Stephens and Bland
have been allowed to remain, while the
appointment OF Belford as one of the
members is considered good. Singleton,
who is one of the oldest members of the
House, and who has served, as stated on
the Appropriations Committee, is put
away down on this committee. Rosecrans,
too, should have been on the Mill
tary Committee, but, as stated yesterday, his
is believed to have been
the work OF Grants bitterness against him.
1t was generally supposed that Gen. McCook
would have been the Chairman of the COM
mittee. In the Committee on Naval Affairs
there are two men from Massachusetts,
Messrs. Harris and Morse, and two from
New Jersey, MessTs. Robson and Harris.
In the latter State there is not single navy
yard Congressman Whittborne, who has
been on the Naval Committee, and has
fought RobesOn's irregularities, is not on
the committee at all, while Robson is placed
second.
In the Committee on Post Offices and
Post Roads, the old Chairman, Mr.. Money,
has been jumped, and Mr.. Springer has been
put in ahead of him. In the Indian Affairs
Committee, the old Chairman, Mr.. Scales,
has been treated in like manner, Mr.. Hooker
having been placed ahead Of him.
In the Committee on Territories Speaker
Keifer has placed three members from New
York, Messrs. Van VCO his, Crowley and
Dugro, the improperly OF which is at once
evident. There are two men from Ohio,
Messrs. Butterworth and Dawes. There are
also two Ohio members, Messrs. Schultz
and Townsend, on the Railways and Canals
Committee, and two from Pennsyivanis,
Messrs. Campbell and Wise. There are also
two from Pennsylvania, Messrs. Campbell
and God chalk, on the vely next committee
Manufactures. There are also two from
New York, Messrs. Hammond and West,
aud two from New Jersey, Messrs. Jones
and Harris.
Another appointment that has called forth
the universal condemnation of the Demo
Gratis is the placing of Mr.. Hewitt on the
Committee on Public Buildings and
Grounds, place he cares nothing for, Of
course. Mr.. Herbert is also on this com
mttee, having been transferred from the
Judiciary Committee. There are two Penn
sylvanians on this committee, Messrs Shall
lenberger and Scranton, aud two New York
ers, Messrs. Smith and Hewitt. The Pacific
Railroad Committee has three New York
ers, Messrs. Hammond, Bliss and Nolan,
and two from Ohio, Messrs. Butterworth
and Robinson. Louisiana has two members,
Messrs. King and Darrell, on the Committee
on the Levees and improvements Of the
Mississippi River. L. is noticeable, too,
that the two first names on the Committee on
Patents should be those of OHIO members,
Young and Richie. There are also two
from New York, Skinner and ScoVllle.
The committee which excites the most
ridicue in its composition is that on Invalid
Pensions In this committee alone there
are three members, Messrs. Pettibone, 81
monitor and McMillin, from Tennessee, a
State which has little or no interest in pen
sions. Then there are two from Ohio,
Dawes and Rice, and two from New York,
Parker and Wa6sworth, making seven
members from three States, The Pensions
Committee has two members from Missouri,
Rice and Burrows. Robinson, of New York,
an old member of the House, and formerly
a prominent Journalist, Is put away on this
committee. The Claims Committee has
three from New York, Messrs. Crowley,
Mason aud Hulchins Two from Pennsyl-
vania appear on the War Claims, Smith
II IL II
Committee has two from Pennsylvania,
Klo!z and Barr, and two from Indiana, Hell
man and Pierce. Martin, who has been an
efficient member, Is left of. In the Com
mittee on the Revision of the Laws Pennsyl-
vania again has two representatives, ,Brumm
aud Jadwin, and New York has two on the
Committee of Accounts, Messrs. Skinner
and Hardy. In the Census Committee,
New York has again two, Messrs. Prescott
aud Cox; Indiana two, Messrs. Pierce and
Colerick, and Virginia two, Messrs. Fulker-
son aud Wise, making six members from
three States in a committee that Of all 9TH
ers it would seem should have a representa-
tion from all sections of the country.
The Civil Service Reform Committee has
two from Michigan, Messrs. Horr and Hub
bell, and two from Ohio, Messrs. Heal and
Butterworth. The committee on the law
respecting the election OF President and
'
Messrs Camp, Jacobs and Hewitt, while
Pennsylvania again has two. Messrs. Curtin
and Mosgrove, on the Committee on Pen
sions, Bounty and Back Pay.
1t needs but glance at the above to see
that Speaker Keifer evidently did not con-
struct his committees with any reference to
the geography of the country. He could
have followed with advantage eX Speaker
Randall's plan of having before him map
of the United States when arranging the
committees. 1t is g most unusual thing to
place two or three members from one State
on the same committee, but when the same
States are selected over and over again, as
Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York have |
been, the whole matter becomes still more
curious and open to explanation,
The number who have been badly treated |
is not small one. They are not confined |
to the minority, for among them is a. Herr |
Smith, Republican, and for ten years a
member of'the House. Mr. KassOn's treat |
ment is notorious. Among the Democrats
Messrs. Gibson, of Louisiana, Atkins, Cur
tin, QIbrell, Springer, Robertson, of Iiouisi-
ana, Singleton and Floyd King are q few
who have been treated uDjustly when their
experience and prominence are considered. |
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