The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1883-12-06
OUR WASHINGTON LETTER.
The Speakership contest; Casey
Young on the Sltuation-The Three
CandidaJes-DOrn and Wintersmith
An Ex-senator in COntempt-


Reduction of Currency.
Special Correspondence to the Statesman.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 27.-Every mat
ter of public note is subordinated t,
the speakership. The recent elections
Mahone's address AMI Arthur's new
boom are not diligently discussed a.
they would be at any other time thar
on the evening of the opening OF Con
gress. The topics are in a measure
used in the speakership contest but
only in a speculative way as merits
eHecting the chances of candidates
By the time this is printed the caucus
will have done its work and the ex-
element will be over. The country
will know who are to control the
House, and Texas will know whether
Dorm or Wintersmith will carry off
one of the offices on the staff of the
House.
The best, and at the same time the
worst feature of the contest is the
courtesy the candidates show each
other by calling and paying respects
uninitiated this looks sweet and
on as condensed hypocrisy. The can
vass is not conducted by the leader
ship of the party. No procedure is
mapped out by farseeing wisdom to
help the party in the future. If
everything turns out well it will be
by main strength and awkwardness;
if mistake is made no wise man who
sees and reads will be surprised. In
MnfrArD1ifon
Young, of Tennessee, man of fine
sense, promptly gave me his view of
the situation thus: "The Democratic
party stands pledged to the coun-
try, by every form and method
known for the declaration of po-
litical principles, to secure proper
legislation in respect to two great mi
tial questions of party and political
policy that constitute the only broad
an distinctive issues which now d.
vide the two parties. These two are
monopolies and the tariff. Four-fifths
of the Democrats in the next house
were elected under direct or implied
instructions from their constituents
to use their best efforts to check the
growth of monopolies, and effect a
judicious and conservative revision of
the present revenue system. Unless
we respond promptly and fearlessly
to this demand the people, who have
been so long expecting something
from the Democracy, will lose faith
in it's professions. They will believe,
as the Republicans charge, that we
have no principles or policy; that we
are cowardly herd of place hunters,
with no higher aim than to turn the
out in order that we may
get in. If the Democracy put tariff
reform l.ank in their platform for the
race of 1884 the people
will ask why the house, with Demo-
cratic majority of siXty-four, did not
act when it had a chance.
The antecedents of the three can
didates for speaker, briefly sketched,
are as follows: John Griffin Carlisle,
born in Campbell county, KY,
in 1885, is forty-eight years old.
with a common school educa-
ton, he was admitted to the bar in
1858. His political career began with
two terms in his state legislature, fol-
lowed by two terms in the state SEN
ate. His next advance was lieutenant
governor, as which he served from
1874 till 1875. He held positions as
national convention delegate and
elector. He went to the
Forty-sixth and Forty
seventh congresses, in which, at diff
ferent times, he served on committees
of ways and means, on the law re-
speeding the election of president and
vice president and on Improvement of
the Mississippi river. He is authority
in the house on political economy and
constitutional law, and has at all
times, with force and eloquence, advo-
Gated revenue reform.
Samuel Sullivan Cox, born in Zanes-
vile, o., in 1922, comes of a political
family, his father having been men,
Der of the Ohio senate and promi-
nent politician, his grandfather gen.
eral in the war of the revolution and
member of the Tenth congress. and his
on his mothers side,
state treasurer of Ohio. Embracing,
after a liberal education, in law, he
soon abandoned it to become editor of
the Columbus Statesman, quitting
this to go to Peru as secretary of our
legation. He served in the Thirty fifth,
Thirty-sixth, Thirty-seventh and
congresses as men,
Der from Ohio. In 1856 he
settled in New York city and
in 1860 reentered congress and has
New York state ever since. He was
elected speaker for term of two
weeks in 1876, filling the vacancy
caused by the death of M. G. Kerr.
He was chairman of committee on
foreign affairs in the Forty-siXth Con-
gress is much travelled man and an
author.
Samuel J. Randall was born in Phil
adelphia in 1928, his father being a
lawyer of note, politician and an in
innate of Clay, Webster and Dallas.
After an academic education the sub
ject of this sketch tried mercantile
life, but became a member of the city
council, serving four years, after
ward going to the state senate for two
terms. He served in the army and
was elected TO Congress in 1868, and
has been a member ever since. He
comes next after W. d. Kelly in length
of service in the house. He has been
speaker three times, was a member of
committee on public buildings, bank
ing and currency, appropriations,
rules, ways and means, and public eX-
penditures. He was chairman of the
Committees on expenditures, appro-
priations and rules at different periods
of his service. He is regarded as
leading light in his party to-day, his
natural ability and adaptability for
politics being greater than those of
his competitors. He is distinguished
chiefly by his fight against the force
bill.
AS a matter connected with the Or
ganization of the house in which Tex
ans are generally most interested the
status of the canvass of J. G. Winter
smith, of Tyler, for doorkeeper and
A. j. Dorm, of Austin, for postmaster,
should be explained. Wintersmith,
whether from having been on the
ground longer or because he is person.
ally very popular in all circles, is more
favored by the Texas legislature.
Dorm conducts his canvass courteous
ly, but there is feeling among Win
tersmith's friends that Dorm by his
candidacy is endangering both his
own and the formers chances of sue
cess. When interviewed by me on
this matter of gossips, Dorm said he
felt no chidings of conscience, in view
of the fact that he had announced for
the Office as long ago as last spring.
AS the matter now looks the outcome
will be either a defeat of both the
Texas candidates or the success of
WinterSmith and generous provision