Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1881-01-03

permit no man to be Speaker OF the House
of Representatives whose views antagonlze
his own, particularly no man from his own
State. The Speakership in power and
is really the second Office IN
the Government; itcontrols adirect patron
age of $3.50, 900 year, andirdlrectly avastiy
Greater amount. The Vice Presidency is
nothing compared to it unless the President
dies and for this reason /: The Senate
is a continuous body, only one-thlrd OF It's
members being changed each alternate year,
and its committees remain composed OF the
same men, the new man slipping in at the
foot of his predecessors committee. The
Vice President in his function OF Chairman
of the Senate, has no control over the
formation of these staid self-perpetuatlng
committees. 1t is only change OF party
administration, or the dropping out OF old
leaders, that changes even the chairman
ships of the committees, and even then
it is not done by the presiding officer.
Hence the Vice President has little power
or Electromagnetic latter extending only
over the limited corps of employees in and
about the Senate Chamber. But in the
House of Representatives, in whose power
full committees starts all legislation that
involves money, these committees can be
changed in their entire personnel every two
years, and the Speaker has
ABSOLUTE POWER
To do it, limited only by the percentage of
Republicans ard Democrats demanded
upon each committee by each party, in
proportion to their relative representation
in the Congress. If you reflect that we
are becoming the richest nation in the
world, and that this great popular branch
of Congress has the outlay Of our vast
revenues, you can infer the power and
responsibility that enyelop the Speakers
chair like shining nimbus. 1t is MAIN
tanned that Senator Conkling would
manipulate to have this high Office pass
over into Western hands rather than to
have it filled by any New Yorker not sub
servient to his interests. Maine had 1T
twelve years. Pennsylvania of course has
it now but she has no Republican mem
Der strong enough to aspire successfully to
its inheritance, w. d. Kelley, of Phila-
delphia, the longest in consecutive service
of any member of the House coming the
nearest of his delegation to fill the bill
hdluc, III IuC RCiSOIi VI III HIAA
doubtless make fight for it, now that
Eugene Hale is practically determined
on as Hannibal Hamlin's successor In the
Senate, and Mr.. Frye therefore in the
lurch; but Mr.. Frye, while coming in the
van of stalwart Republicans, lacks the ju-
dicial traits to preside over parliamentary
body. New York in her anti Conkiing
wing has better material, in present and
prospective service, for the Speakership,
than either of these two States, notably
the Hon. Frank Hiscock of the Syracuse
District. He would be an eminently
popular speaker, somewhat after the type of
MIR. Blaine, in favor with both sides. He Is
a man of great ability, an excellent lawyer
and a good parliamentarian. The good
temper and fairness of his arguments upon
the floor have commended him to Demo-
Gratis and Republicans alike. He stands
foremost at the New York bar among law
yers of middle age and In Congress is a
power on the Appropriations Committee.
He is not candidate for the Speakership
in the ordinary sense, but may come in as
A COMPROMISE
Between other candidates possessing about
evenly divided strength. 1 dwell on this
possibility, because although of the belief
that the speakership might with more
safety to the body polite be left to the
region east of the Alleghanies. The middle
West is getting half drunken with power.
If the Mississippi valley States shall grasp
the Speakershlp, in addition to the other
high trumps they hold, their arrogance will
laugh to scorn the equality of the States
under the Constitution. OF the Western
candidates named, however, Hon.
Omar D. Conger of Michigan has perhaps
the best chances and is probably the safest
man. He is consistent Protectionist, and
thoroughly well-informed parliamenta-
rian IN the intricate code of the House OF
Representatives, the like of which was
never seen elsewhere, either in the heavens
above or in the earth beneath. He is also
a veteran in the service of the House, and
his yellow, dyspeptic, sarcastic, but not
ungenial face, sharp, rasping voice, and
spike tailed coat, are almost part OF the
palladium of our free institutions. There
is very kindly feeling toward " old Con-
ger, "in spite of his combatlvetemperame
He can feel the pulse of that House more
accurately than any other Republican there.
But, on the other hand, Senator Logan,
who aspires to dominate Illinois somewhat
as Conkling dominates New York, without
his gigantic brain-power, but with SPLEEN
did physical courage, is breathing out (po-
litical) threatenings and slaughter against
any member of the Illinois delegation in
the House who will vote for Mr.. Conger as
Speaker, and he has some show of reason
for it, for after General Logan had put his
shoulder to the wheel and helped make an
Illinois brother of Mr.. Conger Judge in
the Courts, Mr.. Conger came over into H.
linois, at the Chicago Convention, and
made sundry blighting remarks about Sen
ator Logan in that sarcastic way of his
which may cost him the Speakership. 1t
is surmised that the clement over which
General Logan has influence, which, how
ever does not embrace the strongest men,
bers of the Illinois delegation, combined
with the Conkliug element, and added to
the preference of Iowa, may possibly be
the means of handing over the Speaker
ship to John A. Kasson, now our Minister
to Austria. He was leading member of
the House in the former days of Republi-
can supremacy, but was defeated for the
Forty-fourth Congress at the time of the
Republican earthquake, the section of
the day of judgment" that occurred in
the autumn of 1874. He came from Aus.
tria this summer, long enough to run for
Congress again from his old district. and
was reelected.
HE Is A SLENDER, vIvACIoUs MAN,
AS rapid in his movements as Schuyler
Colfax, the lightning Speaker, as he is
sometimes called in recollection. He is
also a man of fine abilities in debate but
he has two disadvantages. He has two
sided tariff record, and he is unknown to
the younger generation of members OF the
House-those who have grown up since
1874 to be part of the pow
erful minority which has stood like
a gallant breastwork against the
encroachments of Democratic supremacy.
These men intend to have a very decided
voice in the selection of the Speaker, espe.
cially those now closing their first term
and re- elected for their second, who have
sat in silent agonies, like new boys in
school, unable to get the Speakers atten-
ton during the present term, for it Is not
customary for the Speaker to ''see new
man, no matter how conspicuously he may
rise in his seat to ask the attention of the
House. He must sit at the feet of the
Gamaliels until he has been here at least a
term and half before he can expect much
RECOGNITION. 1t is undeniable in this House
that The vounp men have more talent than