Griggs courier. (Cooperstown, Griggs Co., Dak. [N.D.]) 1885-1902, 1889-12-13
$500 PER ANNUH
WASHINGTON LETTER.
lFrom our regular correspondents
WASHINGTON, Dec. 2. 1850.

t,I
WASHINGTON. Dec. 2, 1889.
"Mr. Speaker" is now the proper
title to use in speaking to tho big and
'ra'ny representative from Maine. Mr..
heed was nominated for speaker of thu
mousse on the second ballot of the repub-
''c;tn caucus, just as your correspond
ent predicted, the vote being Reed &c.
Mckinley 36, Cannon 70, Burrows II.
Henderson .. On motion of Represen-
tative Mckinley the nomination was at
once made unanimous. It is no d,s-
paragement of the other candidates.
all excellent gentlemen and good repub-
llcans-to say that the election of MIR.
Reed gives more general satisfaction in
the party than would that of any of the
other candidates. There are several
"casons why this is so, the principal of
which is MIR. Reeds stalwart combative
ness in favor of what he believes to be-
right This quality was considered to
be political necessity in the man who
is to preside over the present houst,
which contains elements that make il
certain to be turbulent and hard to con-
troll. With Mr.. Reed in the chair tho
republicans have no fears that over con-
s'deration for the feelings of the demo-
Gratis will have any influence in decid-
ing the thousands of knotty questions
that are certain to come up from time
to time. In short the situation demand
ed tighter-one who knows how and
does not fear to hit out straight fro1u
the shoulder when the occasion calls for
it, and Tom Reed fills the bill. That.
Mr.. Reed will makea successful speak
er and that he will add to his already
great reputation us a statesman, your
correspondent does not doubt.
Tie other officers of the house aro
equally satisfactory to republicans.
Hon. Edward MCPHERSON, of Pennsyl-
vania, the new clerk, needs no intro
duction to the republicans of the coun-
try; he has been clerk of every republi-
can house since he was an honorcd
member of that body, and his long and
faithful service as secretary of the re-
publican congressional committee made
it emincntly fit and proper that this or
any other position that he might have
desired should have been gladly given.
Hon. A. j. Holmes, cx-rcprescntative
from Iowa, is the new sergeant alarms,
and good one he will make. Charles
W. Adams, of Maryland, doorkeeper;
j. A. Wheat, of Wisconsin. postmaster,
and Rev. G. p. Ramsdcll, of the District
OF Columbia, chaplain, completes the
list Of new house officials.
The presidents first message to con-
gress was carefully and attentively lis
tened to in the senate and house today.
1t is document that President Harrf-
son has every right to feel proud OF, and
it was enthusiastically received by the
republican in and out OF congress. Even
the democrats, that is, the more conser-
vative among them, agree that it will
compare favorably as state paper with
those Of the ablest of his predecessors.
No person familiar with the record and
public utterances of the president ex-
pected that his message would he other
than it is-a strong, scholarly antr
statcsmanlike presentation of the policy
of the republican party. No stronger
argument in favor of republican control
of this country has eyer been written
than this first annual message of Ben
jamin Harrison, and all that remains.
necessary to make republican victory in
1892 certainty, is that congress shall
intelligently carry out it's recommends
tions
The opening of a new session in con-.
grcss always makes a big day in Wash
ington, and this has been no exception
to the rule. Long before the hour of
opening every available inch of space in
the galleries of both house and senate
We're flied by spectators. Even the cor
ridors were crowded with men and
women, all anxious to see the fifty first
congress start on its voyage to-. All,
that's the question. We saw the vessel
launched and start of under Il full head
of steam, but owing to the dangerous
rocks, whlrlpools and breakers through
which it will have to navigate, no man
can say with any certainty where the
voyage will end. We only know that
the good ship has full complement of
experienced pilots and navigators
aboard, and to them the public conf
IDENTIFY look for the safety of the vessel.
At high noon the vice president made
his debut as presiding officer by rap
ping the senate to order. A foreigner,
judging from Mr.. Morton's actions and
manner, would have supposed that he
had been performing that duty for years,
so perfectly self-possessed was he. Mr..
Clark, the democratic clerk of the last
house, went through the same ceremony
for the new house in a very creditable
manner. The members of both house