The Newberry herald. [volume] (Newberry, S.C.) 1865-1884, 1882-01-05
Washington Letter.
From our Regular Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, D. c.,
Dec. 20, 1881.


greater are the causes found to exist
for this universal disapproVal. Many
Republicans and all the Democrats
find abundant reason to denounce this
piece of work. 1t is not altogether
that this or that man has been fav-
ored or overlooked or that any par
ticular State has secured undue con
sideration, but it is the gross parti-
sanship manifested and the base
schemes advanced, against which there
is so much indignation. 1t is true
that certain interests in Pennsylvania
have such liberal representation Oh
the Committees as amounts almost to
control of legislation but when Don
Cameron swung the Keystone dele
CATION around by the tail and landed
it on the Kiefer side, it was expected
that unlimited pledges had been
made. So there was 90 surprise IN
that. But that the entire layout is an
Administration -StalWart organization,
there is DO reason to doubt. When
Kiefer's friends appealed to the Pres
ident for Administration support,
they promised everything; and when
Mr.. Arthur told them to see Cam
eroD,' it was a bargain. And in pur-
suance of this bargain the Commit
tees have been fixed. Neither Mr..
Kassou nor MIR. Hiscock would ever
have appealed to the President for aid,
and Mr.. Kiefer was the only candl-
date having any strength that the
President could have bought.
Few people not personally acqnalnt-
ed with the methods Of legislation
understand the full power Of CONT
tees or the importance Of their con-
ssruction. At present it may be said
that the standing Committees control
legislation. 1t is next to impossible to
get through the House or Senate any
bill tha: has not secured the approval
of the Committee to whom it properly
belongs. a bill may be introduced
and put on its passage without ref
erence to a Committee. But this al
most never happens to any measure OF
Importance. If the Committee to
whom it is referred report against 1t,
it is as good as dead. The in
stances of a successful defiance of a
Committees disapproval are 50 rare
that an escape of this kind becomes
historical. And it is, also, not COM
mon fos a Committees renommenda
tious to be disregarded. The weight
of Committee, for o. against bill,
is generally considered conclusive. 1t
will be seen that the power of the
standing Committees is wholly due to
what may be considered their moral
influence. It would be perfectly com.
petent for the House to vote down
any Committee, to disregard its re-
concentrations, to destroy the bills
which it has perfected, and to recon-
struct, in open House, the schemes of
law reported from the Committee
room 4; but this is almost never done.
Hence there is every reason why all
interests and all sides Of a question
should be fairly represented in the
make up of these Committees.
.. To illustrate the unparalleled par
.tisanship of the present organization
let US take the Committee on Elec.
tions, one which passes upon questions
to the highest privilege-the right OF
member to his seat. All parties
have a right to expect that such a
Committee vii! be so constituted as
to inspire confidence that it will give
at least some show for fair play; but
in this Congress that Committee has
been organized to convict to oust
several, Democratic Members from the
South whose cases are already pre-
judged. Two-tbirds of the Com
mittee are straight-out Republicans
and Of the other third one is Virginia
Readiuster. and another Greenbacker
with decided Republican affiliations:
The Committee has met during the
recess and already the Republican
Members are intimatiug that they
will make short work of certain DEM
ocratic Congressmen, though the con-
tests are mostly trumped up cases on
the old time carpet-bag 'order--oniy
thought of after it was found that Con-
gress would be Republican. And so
the case stands with other CON-
mittees. That on Ways and Means,
which controls the tariff and saosaies,
stands ten proteetionists and three
tariff reformess. 4 reasonable dispo-
sition for fair play, o. aVep desire