National Republican., 1888-01-17
The House Committees pl,sectsd.

\ close examination Of the House com.
mltteos suggests valid defense for Speaker
Carlisle against the charge Of incaplclty
H. the majority assignments, 1t is as true
in politics as in mechanics that you can't
make a silk purse Of q sow's ear. Tn1
Democratic party has the majority in the
House, and the Speaker did the best he
could with the material in hand.
The few able men among the Dean 1crats
lay.y hairmrnshhs, more 9riess inportau..
ar. 'ffp, Of Georgia, heads the committee
cr elections; he Is con iuered the leading
man In point Of ability Ia the admln,tr4.
tior wirg, aud 10 case Mr.. Carlisle loses hi,
scat doubtless would be lhe prcsi .ent's In-
dlda,c for Speaker Mr. Randall, Of appro-
lrlauaus, Is the ablcst man In the other
wing, uul as q politician Is The smartcst
Democrat in the country with the possible
exception Of Gov. liAl, OF New York. Mr.
CulLyrson, Of Texas, who leads the i4li.
ciaS, is al all. man Of The heavy ordnance
style, slow and uNwleldy. Mr.. Wilkins, OF
uL!o, leads the important committee on
banking and currency. lie IS one OF the
"autis' on the revenue question, aul
doesn't like the Presidents reversible civil
service reform IDEAS. Bat he Is
shIewd politician, and, like Mr..
Randall, has following that the alnjn-
istrati0n finds II very interesting u eoidie
The committee on commerce Is led by Mr.
Clardy, Of Missouri who has the attain
meuts and ability 10 supplement long
service in Congress. He is man of in1e-
Ycrdence unusual In Democracy, ana there
are few mcn whose influence Is wider.
Ills conservatism ought TO promise we'll
for the work OF his important committee,
Mr. Coz, Of New York, whose experience
in Congress Is greater than that Of any
other Democratic member, has 10 be con.
tCut with the committee on the eleven h
census. O,hcr chairmen Of marked me,i.
are McAdoo, Of the militia; ErmeutrOut,
Of the election Of President Matson, Of
invalid pensions, Hatch, OF agriculture; j..
Il. O'NeiiI, of labor Hnd CULTIVATE, Of
Pacific railroads.
THIS ll.t comprises the Democratic bad
rrs who hold position for merit alone. one
fu,turc Of .t tN'I ne remarked as si1gul ".
Asnllle the men OF most capacity fln
craftsmanship either come from tAa south
or are ,raturcG with HapdNI'sm. Another
feature Of (, ia tia, not one OF tacse ma0,
who grezUspgcrGl Of ,irst cllss brain pD r,r.
is given position which puudes l'n -
leadership in legislation which may have @
political beating, In this view usage ne.
comes c0uYcu!yu. substitute fGr brl'us.
II cpa'lgs the Speaker - shape ls-la'l ltigH
through plant hands, ugyrui because by
nature powcrlcss 10 resist stronger iu-
ruerocs IN the cou1fu's Of the party. I.Dw
well Carlisle has placed men vino are cu
tiNcd ly usage only TO consideration Is
easily discoyerei.
Mr.. Mills, OF Texas, Isa great man II lDu-
"eNpeHerae" In Cungre-, could make oap.
He is hy far the smallest man intellectual j
who ever led the wsys and means commit.
tee. Mr. Dunn, OF Arkansas, was Gu on.
Tor au ADLER man than Mills, but b., was
clearly lwaried IS his early surroundings.
such man AT the head Of merchant mariae
and ishCrcs Is n tTayesty on practical legis,
lation. Perry Belmont, at the head OF the
foreign affairs, dspose5 Of young man
financially ornamental and otherwise incon.
siderable, Townshend, OF military affairs,
and Blount, Of postollices, are rewards ioT
long service in the Distribution, through the
R,cord, Of dense ignorance ON financial
topicR, Holman, Of public lands, and
Springer, Of terl.oIca, are assigned leader