The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1888-01-06
THE HOUSE COMMITTEES.

They Have Been Arranged with View to
CarIisle's and Cleveland's Interests.
Special to the indianapolis Journal:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 5.-Speaker Carlisle is in
very bad favor, generally speaking tonight
He has made more dissatisfaction in the forma-
tion Of his committees, which were announced
to-day, than has any Speaker for q score of
years. He waited longer to form the commit
tees than did any of his predecessors since Mr..
Kerr. and then made the most miserable "fst of
1t" that the Oldest members can think Of The
truth is, the formation of these COM
mittees has not been with a view
to pleasing the House or the
country, but with an eye single to serving the
administration and Speaker Carlisle 1t is q
fine sample of the one-man power centered in
the Speakers chair. There have been many
measures to strangle and many to foster in the
composition of these committees The New
York delegation, as g whole, is bowling mad.
Members of it, notably Bliss and Stahlnecker,
declare Carlisle is weakened, vacillating and
incompetent while there are Western mem bers,
as well as some from New York, who say they
will not serve in the places assigned them. 1t is
said that the committee on invalid
pensions, OF which Colonel Matson
is again chairman. is stocked against pension
legislation, while the committee on education
and labor is made up with q view to straneling
the Blair educational bill and propositions
which are TO be made for an amelioration of the
working classes. Tina com mittee on Territories
is formed with view 60 defeating the wishes of
the people of Dakota and keeping out Of state
hood any Territory Of Republican proclivities.
Colonel Matson, OF course, got the most impor-
tant committee craftsmanship of any member
from Indiana Then follows, in rank, Messrs.
Browne and Bynum, the ways and means
committee, who have more potent committee in.
fiuence than Mr. Holman, who ran away from
the appropriations committee for the chairman
ship of the public lands committee where he
gets a clerkship for one of his constituents; that
is, unless he takes his son from sinecure
the geological survey and gives it to him.
Messrs. Johnston and ONsall were some time
ago placed the elections committee; Major
Steele is retained ca military affairs; Captain
White gees education and ventilation and
acoustics; ONeail on war claims, Howard on
Indian depreciation claims, and banking and
currency; Shively, on Indian affairs and Indian
depreciation claims; Cheadls. On claims aud al
coholic liquor traffic; Owen, on library and mill
tia; Hovey, Pacific railroads. Besides the
positions named, Bynum is assigned to manu-
features, Matson to revision of the laws, and
Holman to the eleventh census Mr.. Owen is
pleased with his assignments. The committee
on library 10 q very pleasant one, and suited to
his tastes 1t acts jointly with the Senate COM
mistee on library, of which Mr.. Voorhees, has
special request. The committee is made
specially important at this time by the construc-
tion of the congressional library building, which
is to be the finest library building in the world.
Speaker Carlisle made a serious mistake in go-
ing as far he did to 'sfx" the committee on in
valid pensions against legislation. There are
but two men in the House who served as privates
in the Union army and who willing to wear
the title of private" They are Cheadle. or In
dian. and Boothman, of Ohio The soldiers of
the State know that Mr.. Cheadle was a good and
honorable soldier. Mr.. Boothman lost leg IN
defense of his country, at the battle of Jonesboro
Both of these men wanted to be placed on the
committee invalid pensions. because they
felt that having served in the ranks, and
nearly all pension business being for those OF
their class. they could 90 the most good
there; but they we're overlooked for men
with military titles. or those who were known to
stand with the President in opposition to pen
sion legislation. On the committee in the last
Congress was Colonel Thompson, of Ohio, who
was a gallant Union soldier, but owing to i'll
health he begged to be relieved from the COM
mittee this time. Yet the Speaker, against
Thompson's wishes. retained him and refused to
appoint Cheadle or Boothman. who were anxious
for the place. the Speaker evidently believing
that Thompson would not serve. while he knows
that either of the other men would be very
effective member, and effectiveness was thing
he did not want.