The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1883-11-24
The Speakership.

Congress will assemble week from next
Monday. 1t is the most numerous Con
gress that has ever met, a full House of Rep
resentatives under the new apportionment
containing 1925 members. The Democrats
have an immense majority, 191 regular
Democrats to l19 Republicans. The first
business, and in some respects as important
matter as any to be decided, is the choice
of speaker Of course Democrat will be
chosen and he will be named by the Demo
cratic caucus. But touching this matter
there is, and has been ever since the mem
bers were chosen, very lively contest in the
Democratic party. That is not an unusual
phenomenon. Whenever there is revolu-
ton in the control of the House there is a
more or less heated contest within the ranks
of the dominant party, for the speakership
of the House is one of the most coveted Of
fees in the land.
But the contest this year has an unusual
significance. 1t is not simply contest of
rival ambitions; i. involves the supre-
macy of rival policies, and the triumph
of one or the other will have an important
influence in determining the issues about
which the great national campaign of next
year will be fought. OF the candidates
who are prominent Mr.. Randall now seems
most likely to succeed. At all events the
people in this part t the country are gener-
ally of that opinion, perhaps because they
do not give due weight to the influences
that are working against him. He has sue
ceeded before when his future seemed du-
bious aud this has given him prestige.
Probably he possesses in a degree superior to
any other member of his party in the house
the qualifications for the place. Experience
in the office has tested and trained him land
he had, to begin with, excellent talents for
the duties.
The choice of Mr.. Randall would mean
that the Democratic party would have wise
and conservative leadership and the House
firm and capable presiding officer, an in
tense partisan to be sure, but one who well
understands how to restrain his party when
it would presume too much on its power.
But for Mr.. Randalrs pronounced views on
the tariff, there could be no effectual oppo-
sition to him; his election would be fore
gone conclusion. He is opposed to any
meddling with the tariff as it was estab
lished by the last Congress, and his opposi"
ton is both upon principle, as protectionist
by conviction, or by situation, and upon
grounds of policy as Democratic politician
If he is chosen Speaker, he will make it a
difficult matter for the tariff-for-revenue-
only Democracy to accomplish anything at
this session which will give them advantage
In the Democratic National Convention. They
will not have chance to indicate their pro-
gram by any actual legislation. The House
will be organized so as to crowd them
out aud suppress their purposes. He
does not mean that the next campaign shall
be waged with the Democrats committed to
the schemes of Watterson and Hurd.
Mr.. Carlisle of Kentucky is the candidate
who represents the anti-tariff sentiment of
the Democratic party, He is not SO accom-
plished politician as Mr. Randall, but he
has what Mr.. Randall has not, reputation
for distinguished ability in other fields. In
the last Congress he was generally recognized
as the ablest man on that side of the House.
He has not the temperament of a radical,
being conservative by nature and having
the faculty of comprehending the argument
of his opponents and respecting it. He is a
good parliamentarian, and in the Congress
before the last, when he sat in the speakers
chair for several weeks while the House
was in committee of the whole, his GOODNESS,
promptness and judicial fairness won him
much praise. The House respects him and
he can control it, If he becomes Speaker he
will perform the duties with distinguished
ability and dignity.
In this contest, however, he is not sup
ported so much on account of his ability as
parliamentarian as on account of his posi-
tion as the representative of the anti-protec-
tionists. He is put forward as the candi-
date of that portion of the Demo-
cratic party, which is committed to speedy
further revision and reduction of the tariff
He stands for that idea, and will be support
ed by those Democrats who are determined
on that policy, and who mean to have the
Democratic party SO committed to it by its
course in the coming session of Congress
that it cannot avoid going into the national
election next year on a platform of declared
hostility to protective tariff, He belongs
to the section of the Democratic party
which believes that policy is a winning one.
and that more will be lost than gained by
refusing to make positive, open, aggressive
anti-tariff fight. While there is little doubt
that his hostility to the policy of protection
is shared by large majority of the Demo-
cratic party, there is much doubt whether
they have courage to act up to their convlc-
lions. Some of the more cautiousaare not
sure the country is with them. As general
rule, the boldness of free traders is inversely
according to the accuracy of their knowl-
edge of the American people.
The other candidates of the Democratic
party are hardly deserving of consideration.
They have no chance unless it becomes nee
essarry to compromise. Mr.. Cox is the best
known and the most persistent of the lot.
He is weak, insincere, INSCRIPTIONS and
sour-minded Democrat.
Probably the Republicans will vote for
Mr.. Keifer. He is not a distinguished state
man and his career in the chair during the
last session did not escape criticism.
If, as reported, Mr.. Phelps has asked
him to withdraw, he has probably
made 1t certain that he will not
The compliment Of nomination under
the circumstances is SO cheap that it would
seem extremely ungracious to refuse it.
Gen. Butler is defendant in a suit where
in be is charged with not having accounted