Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-04-08
THE SPEAKERSHIP.
The Contest for 1t Waxing Warm-Ran'
dalPs Tactics and Chances-Car-
Isle the Man to Beat.
Atkins, OF Tennessee, the Candidate for
Clerk OF the House, Can Solve
the Problem to Suit Himself.


New York Herald says that the SpeaEership OF
the next House is he prize much more thought
about snd much more iDdustriously worksd
Tor, at this poini, than the president al nomI-
nation next year. That Is as yet too distant,
snd the shrewdest candidates prefer to keep
themselves in the background and let the
papers talk their rivals, such IS Mcdonald
and Butler on the Democratic side and Lo-
gan and Allison on the Republican, to po-
litical ruin. NOBODY who is now conspicu-
ously mentioned for the presidency on either
side stands the least chance OF getting the
nomination" said a shrewd politician OF
long experience. Lincoln was dark horse;
Hayes was a dark horse Garfield was very
dark horse, and you'll see tina, no one now
spoken of will be nominated by either party
next year"
But the Speakership is Imminent, and the
friends OF the several candidates are vigor-
ously, though quietly, at work. For such =
canvass as this Washington is the most con-
venient headquarters, and here one may
learn most about the "inside" prospects.
Mr.. RiEDALL's WORK.
There is no doubt that Mr.. Randall has
been more industriously and skillfully at
work than any of his opponents. He began,
an intimate OF his saya, early in the last ses-
sion CT Congress He laid his plans and
secured good deal of his support while
Congress was sittiog. He is an extremely
skillful aud astute worker, and, if the tale
told by his friends is correct, he has some
reason to count bis election ALMOST certain.
The Democrats will have in the next
House 1872 members. Ofthes. Mr.. Randall.
friends claim now foriy-6ge or fortY-seyen
votes as cert ain for him. II will need only
eighty-seven in full caucus to elect a
Speaker, and if Mr.. Randall has even forty
five votes secured he needs only forty-two
more to achieve his purpose. 1t is claimed
that he has lour votes from New York, all
the Penusylvania Democrat, several from
Ohio and Indiana, two or three, or perhaps
more, from Louisiana; the New England
Democrats, few in number, except Morse,
and scattering following through the West,
including all the districts, as in Missouri,
where protectionist opinions are strong or
loudly expressed in the Democratic party.
WHERE THE OTHER PLACES COME IN.
OF course a man whe has forty FIVE or for
ty-seven votes but still lacks forty or forty
two may not be even a strong candidate,
and Mr.. Carlisle's friends claim for him
quite as many votes now certain as Mr.. Ran
dall's friends claim for him. But in the
calculations of the politicians, other places
the clerkship, the sergeant-at-srms, the
doorkeeper and the postm sster form part
of any arrangement which is successful, and
it is by the skillfui combination of these
places that the successful candidate Tor the
Speakership generally wins.
In the present case such combinations will
| play an incisiye aud i'm portsnt part, aud the
candidate who can make the most effective
"slate" will get a majority in caucus. 1t is
taken for granted that Gen. Field, who " as
| doorkeeper in the last ;mocratic House,
| and a very excellent ard effective door
| keeper, will be replaced. Now, Mr.. Ran
dali's friends shrewdly point out that Gen.
| Field is a SoutheIl mani they add that Mr..
Atkins; OF Terur-see. also Southern m1n, is
perhaps the Strongest pretender or candidate
for the Gle kship, both because OF his high
| character, uncommon qualifications for the
| place, and because ne is We , generally liked.
But, saw the Randall men, If you are going
to give the clerk and the dooykeeper 10 the
| South, how can you al'o make Southern
msn-Carlisle, namelv-Speaker7 1t is not
vice nor polite nor pc -sible 10 give every
thing to the south. The North would moi
like it and ought not to be Satisfied. Ii you
ask whether, lien, Mr.. Atkins is for Randall
undouO ted fact that Mr.. Atkins WAS a par.
ticuiar friend and ally OF Mr.. Randall while
the latter was Speaker, aud they say that
they would be very well pleased TO see Mr.
| Atkins clerk iof the House. They add that
| he is very DESTROYS Of the place, and that
being a sensible and sensitive man, be must
understand that if the Speaker is from the
South the clerk OF the House will naturally
be from the North.
Such of Mr.. Atkins's friends as one can
meet, however, do not commit him 10 Mr.
Randall as fully as the Randall men would
wish. They say cautiously that there is
/ g. -
game; that whoever is Speaker they mean to
have Mr.. Atkins in the clerkship, and that
there are other Northern candidates besides
Mr.. Randall.
OTHER cANDIDATEs-THE COMMITTEES.
That is true enough. There are quite 8
number of Northern candidates for The
| Speakership. To ta.s thsm ID the Older oil
the States, there are Gen. Rosecrans, OF Cali
fornia; William w. Eaton, of Connecticut
Springer and Morrison, OF Illinois; Holman
| of Indiana; Cox, Dorsheimer and Hutchins
of New York; Hurd, of Ohio, besides Ran.
dali, of Pennsylvania. Each of these can.
didates lie, through friends, either row al
work 10 secure supporters and make comb.
nations or else room will be; old Mr.. Eaton
OF Connecticut, not behind any OF the others
The Speaker frames the committees of the
House, and here also candidates have op.
poItunity to m AXE com bin alton and to secure
support by promises of the chairmahships oil
important committees. The Ways and
Means, the Appropriations, the Judiciary
are places eagerly sohgtt by rient who want
to make career in Congress. Now, in tbie
kind OF management there is no doubt that
Mr.. Randall is tie superior of most of his
rivals. He has been Speaker and has framed
committees, and lie framed them with very
great skill 10 do his will and carry out the
policy, or lack of policy, which he desired
From this standpoint, in fsct, Mr.. Randall
appears to have the inside track IN the race
and his friends are, not without reason, very
we'll Satisfied with the state of his canvass.
Still, there is real obstacle ih the way
which he may not be able 10 overcome The
Western part of the Democratic party is ag
gressive, demands action on the tariff and
remembers that when Mr.. Randall wa.
made Speaker by their votes before, he with
very great skill 80 formed the WAYS and
Means Committee that while it seemed TO be
always OIL the point of doing something in
the way of tariff and tax reform ii, in fact
never did anything. The common and very
just retort of Republicans when Democra al
blames them Tor resisting tax reform in the
last Congress, is that the Democrats had the
House Tor several years and did nothing
But whenever that answer is made the re.
form Democrat lays on Mr. Randall, very
justly too, the blame for this inglorious 10.
action. In the West, therefore, except III
Missouri, Mr.. Randall is not popular With
the Western reformers, and he has evidently
been aware Of this; for his friends admit th al
he has been looking TO Louisisna and other
Southern States, rather than to the West, fol
the votes he needs.
On the whole, it is yet very uncertain who
will be Speaker of the next House; but those
who do not desire to zee Mr.. Randall in that
place have need to work indusiriously and
shrewdly, for he is going 10 be difficult
! man to defeat.
"AN ARAB wELCoME.n
| Because thou cem'st, ready guest,
| Unto my tent bid thee rest,