The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1886-08-08
BOSS OF THE HOUSE.
. Glimpse at Mr.. Randall
From the Galleries.
HOLMAN. THE GREAT OBJECToR
Mr. Reed. OF MaIne-sunset cox-Mr
fucker, OF Virginia The
"Deestrick Fences"
;OrresDondence of The HERALD

Vi LAk HERALD
WAsHrNGros, August 2. 1886.
To day it was fully expected that tn
F~orty-ninth Congress would bring it
first session TO a close, but at presen
even the best informed Senator or Re
preventative will scarcely venture al
opinion upon the probable date OF ad
journment. This arises over dispute.
in the various conference committees il
regard TO certain items. AS every
one knows, all appropriation bills
originate in the House, and
this very thing has long been a sore to
the Senate. It is all very well to have
the upper house as a check upon the ac.
ton OF the lower. but whec the upper
house, in the matter of appropriations,
arrOgates to itself the right TO dictate
what amounts shall be appropriated
and shall not, then il is certain tina.
somebody is going TO kick. Hon. Sam
uel Randall, the chairman of the COM
mittee on appropriations in the House,
is not the man to be buildozed by any
number of Senates. He knows his
position. has a perfect conception of his
duty, and any set OF men who imagine
that they a dictate to the great Penn
%sylvanian will find that they imagine u
great mistake. | have many a time
watched Mr.. Randall from the gal
%leries. He is q perfect study. No mat
ter how much confusion the House mav
be in, he is ever alert, always On the
watch, and at the proper moment.
when be desires to say sometbIng-and
by the way when he speaks he generally
says something, which is more than
can be said of a great many would-be
Congressman on The floor of the House
he is promptly recognized by the
speaker. The gentleman from
Pennsylvania has the floor" shouts the
speaker. and a group gathers around
him instantly. He commhnds the at
tention of the House, that is, so far a.
the attention of so noisy a
body of men can be commanded.
Mr.. Randall has a good voice
and eau use it to advantage under the
most difficult circumstances. His man
ner is aggressive. He displays deter
mined features, his lower Jaw being what
may be designated the bulldog type
one of those jaws hat once It gets hold
has to give away before the
grip is relaxed. He is the boss" of
The House upon this subject. The Critic
Of this city, IN an interview with a dis
iingtished legislator, published, the
other evening. some very terse SEN
about M. Randall. As the lat
ter is 8 man OF national fame, perhaps
4 reproduction of part of this legisla-
tors view of Nj. Randall will not be
uninteresting to the readers of The
HERALD. He said:
Probably no man ever in Congress ex-
the power in shaping and espec-
iallv in protractiHg legislation as is
welded by Hon. Sam J.RaRdall in the
House of Representatives. Thad. Ste
vens. in his palmy days in the House.
never the a%utocrat that X ndail
IS. Although by the amended rules the
power OF the committee on ~appropria-
tons was supposed to be shorn of much
Of its previous control over the general
legislation OF Congress, still the fact that
Randall is the chairman of the
committee gives him opportunity to
exercise his remarkable autocratic will
power, and by his p~ugnacious nature
dominates over the proceedings of the
House Notwithstanding the emascula-
ion in part OF the former d~ictatoriai
authority lodged IN the appropriations
committee. This remarkable power
by Mr.. Randall is owing 10 the
peculiar characteristics of his personal
nature. be IS q natural born despot,
aggressive, bslligerent and domineerins.
long congressional experience has
lully equipped him as the gladiator of
he legislative arena. Heis the Bismarck !
If the American CoBgreSs, The John L.. {
sullivan OF parliamentary pagilists. He
5 the bell-wether OF the House. and S2f
members passively submit to his Con- {
,reSsional dictation, because none of
hem manifest the ability, experience I
pluck TO successfully combat his /
tern and aggressive disposition. He Is {
! natural born leader of men By the re- {
narkable force OF his great will power. c
If he had lived in the days Of the c
he would have dominated /
Diver Cromwell. Personally Mr.. Ran {
IAN is an excellent neighbor and good {
ItiZen; IL Is only with his public char +
Icter that these comments are submit 6
BY his ever watchful scrutiny of b
III legislation proposed, his familiarity
~ experience with the rules and pre- 5
OF the House. and his urTelent-
ng determination that all legislation =
hall be subordinate 10 the line of Con- {
,ressional policy he has marked out. q
lacked oy his bulldog tenacity of pur- :
loSe makes him the recognized Boss At I
ne American Congress. The sppropIi- ]
ItiOn bills having precedence OF all a
6-NG1 - ~ Ald NAL II Il
the committee. ~au:ocratic power to 5
accelerate or retsrd all other legislation.
Which he doesn't hesitate 10 exercise :
nth n supreme will of the Dictator
The above, perhaps. is a somewhat .
evere criticism of the distinguished =
member from Pennsylvania. vet 4
! is true IN :he main. Mr.. Randall Is a {
cry plainly-dressed. unassuming man. ?
lie IS easily approached. but ne can I
tazd no humbug. He is business from ;
be word go. He takes no active part 4
q society. Living very unosteAtatiouslv r
n Capitol Hill, he can be found at
Iome l his study every evening. He :
- devote all his evenings to mss- b
enng the details OF any LEGISLATION that y
nay happen to be before Conezess. To B
bis Is due his great success. He never I
2ckleS 4 subject until be has II thor y
ughly IN hand, and from long exp<i- Z
nee IL would be difficult 20 Introduce r
ny subject with which he Is not al-esdv y
or less acquainted. There can Z
e no doubt that by his watch. a
llness in Congress be mas saved this a
Ountry millions Of dollars, ana IN tbis Il
e has been ably assisted bv ssThel \
~ - r