The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1889-11-22
Nonsense About the Speakership.
Bangor Whip1

lDab6Oh Um5.l
An unusual amount of nonsense is being
aired just now in the newspapers concerning
the canvass for the Speakership of the House
of Representatives. The investigations Of
all the correspondents having led squarely
up to the same conclusion, namely that Mr..
Reed has long lead of all the other candi-
dates and Is likely to be chosen on the first
ballot, some one conceived the brilliant idea
of suggesting that there would be ''combi-
nation" of Western Congressman against
Mr.. Reed on the ground that he is not friend
ly "toHWestern interests" The inventor Of
this roorback goes on to say:
Three points will be made against him with the
purpose Of rallying the West against him. To
been looked up. and the deadly columns of the
Congressional Record are to become feature in
the contest to show that his sympathies are not in
accord with Western interests.
These three points mentioned are silver
coinage, river and harbor bills and the wool
tariff. As Mr.. Reeds record in regard to
silver is Identical with that of the other can
didates, Mckinley, Burrows, etc., the dead.
ly columns" will not be very effective in that
direction. As to the river and harbor ap-
propriations Mr.. Reed has opposed the scan
dalous jobs by which East and West have
been robbed to squander untold millions up
on admittedly useless operations in Southern
rivers and baynus, but no one can point to
any opposition on his part to any legitimate
measure for improving the navigable waters
of any part of the country. But the "com-
bnation" writer makes the queerest muddle
in his effort to represent Mr.. Reed as hostile
to the West on the wool tariff. The remark
able statement is made that "the New Eng
land manufacturers have declared in favor
Of free wool las a necessity to the profitable
maintenance of their business in the future,;'
and it is argued that Mr.. Reed would feel
bound to follow the dictates Of his own Sec
ton by $50 composing the Ways and Means
Committee as to insure the inser-
the ttSa tariff billS This is the most nonsen.
print on this subject. In the first place the
New England manufacturers have made no
| demand for free wool, and the Maine dele
| CATION. with Mr. Reed at their head, fought
and voted against the Mills attempt to put
| wool on the free list, Mr.. Reed being desig-
| mated by the Speaker when the vote was
| taken to represent the opponents of free
| wool as teller against Mr.. Mills. Ii the
| searcher after this sensational report had
| looked at those columns OF the Congression-
| al Record he would have found that the
| most merciless dissection and most effective
| exposure of the fallacies of the free wool ar
| guments of Mills and Russell were made by
| Mr.. Reed during the famous tariff debate.
But there is no sense in this talk OF
| Western movement against Mr.. Reed, for
much Of his enthusiastic support will come
| from the far west, and it is probable that ev-
| cry one of the other candidates would prefer
| the success of Mr.. Reed to that Of any but
| themselves.
| So far as Mr.. Reed is concerned he may
welcome the invocation Of the columns Of
the Congressional Record as factors in this
canvass, for every. page almost will bear
witness to the indeiatigable.. vigiIant and
| successful manner with which he fulfilled
the arduous duty of the leader Of the Repub-
lican minority through three Congresses in
| which the political contests were as unre-
mlttlng and severe as they were Important
In their bearing upon the public interests.
All attempts OF sensation-mongers TO get
| up imaginary combinations and to invest
| what should be generous rivalry with bit.
| terness and sectioDalism, should be and will
be frowned upon by the good sense Of the
Republican Regresentatises, n oi tne ne can can
| ity. That Mr.. Reed is far and wide recog,,
| niZed as having more clearly demonstrated
| the kind and quality of abilities that are es-
| pecially needed at this time In the chalr, is
| simply a Just tribute to the every day labor he
| has been performing and the experience ne
| has thus been gaining of late years In full
| view of the people at mis- post OF duty In the
| House, This tribute is no disparagement to
| the other gentlemen who had no such res
ponsibility put upon them and therefore
| were not expected to assume it.
| No one will question that lMr, Reed IS
| more familiar with all phases OF the busl-
| ness of the House than any other member
| on the Republican side, and no one disputes
| his pre-eminence as parliamentarian. Add
to these concessions the fact that he has
earned the honor Of an election py haVlng
| rendered full service as leader IN tnreo Con
| crosses, upon as many successive .nomin-
| ations barren except in their demand for in
| cessant care, and we have the case as it will
| present itself-and conclusively-to the
minds of the majority of the average Repub-
! lcan members Of the 5lst Congress.