San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-12-06
WASHINGTON LETTER.
WASHINGTON, d. c., Dec. 2, 1889.
From Our Regular Correspondent

From Our Regular Correspondent
"Mr. Speaker" is now Tie proper
title to use in speaking OF the big and
brainy representative from Maine.
Mr.. Reed was nominated for speaker
of the house on the second ballot of
the republican caucus, just as your
correspondent predicted, the vote
being Reed, sc; Mckinley, SO; Cannon,
10; Burrows, Is; Henderson, 8. On
motion of Representative Mckinley
the nominatian was at once made
unanimous. 1t is no disparagement
of the other candidates-all eX-
cellent gentlemen, and good repub-
licans - to say that the cleo
ton of Mr.. Reed gives more general
satisfaction in the party than would
that of any of the other candidates.
There are several reasons why this
is so, the principal of which is Mr.
Reeds stalwart combativeness 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 house
which contains elements that make
it certain to be turbulent and hard
to con troll. With Mr.. Reed in the
chair the repu blicans have no fears
that over-consideration for the feel
ings of the democrats will have any
influence in deciding the thousands
of knotty questions that are certain
to come up from time to time. In
short, the situation demanded a
fighter-cne who knows how and
does not tear to hit out straight from
the shoulder when the occasion calls
for it, and Tom Reed fills the bill.
That Mr.. Reed will make a success
full Speaker and that he will add
to his already great reputation as
statesman, your correspondent does
not doubt.
The other officers of the House are
equally satisfactory to republicans.
Hon. Edward Mcpherson, of Pennsyl-
vania, the new clerk, needs no intro
duction to the republicans Of the
country; he has been clerk of every
republican House since he was him
self an honored member of that
body, and his long and faith
full service as secretary of the re-
publican congressional committee
made it eminently fit and proper that
this or any other position that he
might have desired should have been
gladly given him Hon. A. j. Holmes,
ex-represen tative from Iowa, is the
new Sergeant-at-Arms, and good
one he will make. Charles w. Adj
ans, of Maryland, door-keeper; J. A.
Wheat, of Wisconsin, Postmaster,
and Rev. G. p. Ramsdell, of the Dis
trict of Columbia, chaplain, completes
the list of new House officials.
20
congress was carefully and attentive
ly listened to in the senate and house
today. 1t is a document that Presi-
dent Harrison has every right to feel
proud of and it was enthusiastically
received by the republicans in and
out of congress. Even the democrats,
that is, the more conservative among
them, agree that twill compare favor
ably 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 be
other than it is-a strong, scholarly
and statesmanlike presentation of the
policy of the republican party. No
stronger argument in favor of repub-
lican control of this country has ever
been written than this first annual
message of Benjamin Harrison, and
all that remains necessary to make
republican victory'in 1892 a certainty,
is that congress shall intelIigently
carry out it's recommendations.
The opening of new session of
Congress always makes a big day in
Washington, and this has been no eX-
ception to the rule. Long before the
hour of opening every available inch
of space in the galleries of both House
and Senate was filled by spectators.
Even the corridors were crowded with
men and women, all anxious to see
the Fifty-first Congress start on its
voyage to.... All that's the ques-
ton, we saw the vessel launched and
started off under a full head of steam,
but owing to the dangerous rocks,
whirlpools 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 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 a
presiding officer by rapping the SEN
ate to order: A foreigner; judging
from Mr.. Morton's actions and man
ner, 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
in