The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1889-10-31
CONGRESS-.
THE COMING SESSION LIKELY TO
BE UNUSUALLY LIVELY.
Gossip About the Organization of the
Eouse-The Struggle for Ofices-Sr eak-
ership Contest-Southel "Outrages"
Legislation, Etc.


House of Representatives and The proba
bic course of legislation during the
eight months that Congress may be cX-
pccted 10 remain in session. OF all the
candidates for the elective Offices Of the
House it is likely that Mr.. Edward
Mcpherson. vino wishes to take bac! his
old place of clerk, eau give the best ap-
proXimatc estimate of his own strength.
There is probably no better nor more
systematic cauvISScr III the United
States than Mr. Mcpherson. He always
begins ahead OF the otEer fellows, and
he obtains his pledges in such shape that
he knows exactly who can be depended
upon and who is uncertain. When the
last Republican House Of Representa-.
tivcS came together, in December, SS1,
il was found that Mr.. Mcpherson had
received assurances of support from
many of the members months before,
al from not few even in advance OF
l;rir election. This will doubtless. bC
the case again; but whether, rs before,
Mr.. Mcpherson will have enough to give
Inn the nomination can be told only
allCr Tie tllCc'lU1 VI tuc ClutuS
PENNSYLVANIA CHECKERS"
The only prominant candidates for
clerk Of the House are Mr.. Mcpherson
and Major John N. Carson, the WaSh-
ington correspondent of the Philadel-
phIa Ledyer. Both these gentlemen are
Penn sylvauian>. They are both men Of
the highest personal character, of fine
ability aud of enlarged experience. One
or the other will be made clerk. The
settlement of the contest may turn upon
the strength which each has in his own
delegation. Major CarSon's friends
contend that the majority of the Penn
sylvania delegation will be for him, but
this is denied on Mr.. McPhersou'S be-
half. In 1881 several of the PcnuSyl-
vania members were bitterly opposed to
Mr.. Mcpherson and declared they would
not vote for him even if he received
the caucus nomination. 1t was also
currently reported at the same time
that several Republican members of the
House would refuse to vote for Mr..
Keifcr, who owed his nomination for
Speaker to the skill and tineSSe of a
welI-known Washington correspondent,
who has for many years been recOg-
nized as one Of the very a5lest and
boldcst political managers in the whole
country. it was this same correspond
ent who conceived and carried out the
plan which gave a Republican Legisla-
lure in Delaware last year and secured
a United States Senator for that party.
When the time cameto vote in the House
for Speaker and Clerk all those who had
threatened to bolt keifcr and Mcpherson
came to the scratch, although some of
them made awfully wry faces over ii.
Then, as now, the Republican majority
was slender. and bolter ran the risk
of not Only seriously, but fatally, i'm
pairing his own party status.
THE SOUTH DEMANDS THE DOoRKEEPER.
The talk of bolt by the Southern
Republican members, Notwithstanding
SO much has been said about it in the
papers, was never considered here of
consequence. The disgust and disap-
pointment of the Southern Republican
mCmberS at their failure to receive from
the Harrison administration what they
held to be due them has been evident
enough for long time. But they could
not better themselves by bolt, and
that idea, which Il few of them enter
tained, was long since abandoned Mr..
McComas of Maryland, who laid his
plans early in the last session of Con-
greSS for the election of his friend,
Captain Adams, as doOrkeeper, is en-
tirely confident that Adams will be The
winning man. The Southern Republi-
cans, under the lead of Mr.. McComas,
will ask for Mr.. Adams, and the belief
is they will get him. The doorkeeper
of the House has most of the offices at
his disposal, and it is generally con-
cedcd that the Southern Republicans
will demand the lions share of the
offices under him. Mr. McComas will
doubtless have good deal to say about
these offices.
THE SPEAKERSHIP CONTEST.
The contest for Speaker OF the House
is narrowed down, like that for Clerk,
to two overwhelmingly of Ohio and
Reed Of Maine. The chances of these
two appear TO be almost evenly balanced.
The East seems to be nearly unanimous
for Reed, and the West for Mckinley.
The Southern Representatives, should
they throw their votes in a body, can
certainly make the Speaker AS it is,
the canvass for This office will be prose-
cuted with unusual vigor and animation
from now up to the minute OF the meet
ing of the caucus. Both of the candi-
dates arc in the contest with their coats
off. If it was to be decided simply on
the intrinsic merits of the case, Mr..
Mckinley would get the prize. For
while he may possess Lo higher intel
lCctual gifts than Mr.. Reed, he is
broader. lie would come nearer to the
elevated standard of Speaker as set
up by Mr.. Carlisle. With Mr. Reed 1t
would be simple imposSibllity to rise
above the blind partisan in the consid-
Grafton of any question.
PROSPECTS FOR THE SESSION.
Quite Sprinkling of members of both
houses arc ahcaay in Washington for
the season, aud many have been coming
in the last week or ten days on brief
visits to make arrangements for winter
quarters, etc. The House members, in
speaking Of the Offices Of that body, ex-
l,'J>S naturally, Of course, their indI-
yidual preferences. The Democrats of
the two houses, having nothing to do
with the question Of the offices, confne
the expression Of their views to the pro-
bable legislation of the session. The
Republicans talk both about the offices
and legislation. Every one seems to
think it next to certain that something
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