Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1883-12-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent,

To the Chronicle:
The representatives of fifty mill
ions of people are all here. am
looking down the gallery OF the
House of Representatives upon the
writhing mass-the statesman, the
demagogue, the men of ideas, and
the men OF schemes. The.hour has
not yet struck, that little tyrant,
the gavel, has not yet called the
House to order, and such confu-
sion of men and voices on the floor
has seldom been seen and heard
since Babel. 1t IS study in CO.
temporary history to see and know
| these men, they are representatives,
and representative of every dever-
sified interest of people and a
country, now known among states
men and philosophers, at home and
abroad, to be the greatest and the
most interesting experiment in the
annals of nations. They are also
representative of the political sue
cess or failure, hope or despair of
ten thousand individual or corpo-
rate interests. Never before in the
history OF this planet have so many
people, so much wealth, SO great a
hetrogenety of energy, thought,
and enterprise, assayed to live and
move and have their being in har-
mony under one government, and
that too not of the sword, or scep-
tire. 1t is remarkable and edifying
to those who are capable of think
ing of it. Now the sharp rat-a-tat
of the gavel breaks upon the con-
fusion of voices below and mira
Gle of silence pervades the chamber,
broken only by the voice of the
chaplain in prayer. The roll-call
follows, then the installation of the
new speaker and now the House is
ready for business.
The first thing that impresses an
old habitue of the House gallery is
the remarkable changes in the from
tier line that divides the Democrat
ic from the Republican members.
The Democratic line has been eX-
tended far over toward the right,
and the Republicans have the APP
pearance of being crowded into
corner. 1t is time indeed for the
Republican party to be crowded
out entirely. 1t has had its day;
has worked its ruin, and ruined its
work. 1t has stolen everything
from the Presidency to postage
stamps. 1t has tranped on the
constitution, packed the Supreme
Court, debauched the civil service,
demOralized the army, and wreck
ed the navy in a gulf of jobbery.
The youth and miraculous elastic
ity of the country has alone pre-
served it from the deathly grasp of
the destroyer. Great heavens to
think of the decline of a party
whose history must be that it COM
menced with Greedy and ended
with Malone. But to return to
Congress. The remnant of the Re-
publicans there will have to do
something more than wave shirt
with counterfeit crimson spots.
The House is overwhelmingly dem
Ocratic. Under the new apportion-
ment its total membership is 325 of
whom 1911 are democrats in good
and regular party standing. The
orthodox republican strength is on
ly lis, leaving a remnant of 10
without fixed party ties. Thus it
will be seen that on everything out
side of unanimous consent or two
thirds legislation, the democrats
have good working majority, and
therefore they will not labor under
the disadvantage which hampered
them when last in power, of trying
to rule by majority which was
generally less than quorum.
The larger part of the democratic
members represent the west and
south, and party measures will be
apt to reflect the prevailing views
of those sections. This will be
particularly so with Mr.. Carlisle in
the chair to make up the standing
committees, and direct the proceed
ings. Many Of these measures will
excite lively opposition on the re-
publican side, and hence we may
look for an interesting session, in
the course of which the issues in
the now approaching presidential
campaign will be clearly worked
out.
In making cOnjectures as to the
craftsmanship of important COM
mitteeS in the new House an ele-
ment of uncertainty enters into all
calculations, in conversation last
night Speaker Carlisle said that the
committees would be organized
with a view solely to the fitness of
the members for, the various SUBJ
jects of legislation that would COM
nand the attention of Congress,
and without undue regard to their
relations to him in the recent con-
test.
December 3, 1888.
Fancy Goods.
Frames in gold gilt, ebony, satin
and plush. Wall pockets, hand
painted broom holders, plush and