The Portland daily press., 1890-06-23
GATHERED AT THE NATIONAL CAPITAL.
The Vacancy In the Management Of
the National homes.
Mr.. GButterWorth's Services During
the Silver Bill Struggle.
Additional Light on the Great Battle
of Last Week.
Especial to the Press.l

Senate In substituting the name of General
T. w. Hyde for that of Col. Augustus B.
Farnham as one of the board Of managers Of
the Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers
will probably lead to a disagreement be-
tween the two Houses. The usual course In
filing these vacancies on the board Is for
the House military affairs committee to Sc
lect the men for the places and report them
to the House in resolution. This resolu-
tion goes to the Senate for approval in some
thing the same manuer as a nomination by
the President goes to the Senate for confirm
alton. Gen. Hyde has held the position on
the board for the full term Of six years and
the House committee, regarding the honor,
which carries with it no pecuniary recon-
peuse, as something TO be passed around
among veteran officers, nominated Col. Farm
ham. No disrespect whatever was intended
for Gen. Hyde who is everywhere regarded
as a soldier of the highes' iategslty and rep
utation. But he had had the place one
term and 1t was thought proper to pass the
honor to another prominent Maine soldier.
So Col. Farnham was nominated and his
nomination sent tn the Senate. There, how
ever Gen. Hyde's friends have dropped Col.
Farnham and substituted Gen. Hyde's name.
The House will undoubtedly stand by its
nominee. Then, unless the Senate recedes,
there will be no appointment at all. In such
case the law provides that the incumbent
shall continue in Office. Gen. Hyde is the
present incumbent, so failure to appoint
will probably continue him.
In the conflict of Thursday the Republican
who first began to make headway against the
unexpected Democratic assault, was Mr..
Butterworth Of Ohio. His scintillating
brilliancy, which is often found ill-adapted
10 the routine transactions Of the House,
shone with force that encouraged his
friends and confounded his enemies. He
overthrew Mills with a suddenness that
fairly astounded the tariff reformer from
Corsicana. Mr.. Mills, with an anxiety to
get slap at the Speaker which entirely out
ran his desire to further the public question,
had presented resolution to strike out from
the journal Of the House the record Of the
reference by the Speaker of the silver bill to
the coinage commit ee, ON the ground that
the Speaker had made that reference with
out authority. As the journal of the House
is intended to record what has happened,
whether what happens be in accordance
with the rule or not, the Democrats found it
necessary in the course Of their
assault on the journal to as
sert that the Speaker did not
make the reference since he could not have
done it, since there was not Gn Democratic
opinion), any rule to justify such a reference.
Then Mr.. Butterworth came in and con-
fronted them with their own resolution, pre-
sented by Mr.. Mills, which specially stated
that the speaker had done just that thing
which they were asserting had not been done.
With clearness of statement, and readiness
of repartee that interruptions could not in
terfere with. Mr.. Butterworth continued
his defense of the Speakers action with a
success that told heavily against the Demo-
Gratis Mr.. Butterworth will also be remem-
bered as the Representative who made one
of the ablest and most brilliant speeches in
defense OF the Speakers ruling on the quo
rum question.
Mr.. Burroughs, of Michigan, who has been
heard very often on the stump in Maine, also
did some very effective work In the way Of
putting Mills and his colleagues In a box.
Mr.. Burroughs rejoices in the name of Julius
Caesar, and he behaved himself last week
with vigor worthy of the first bearer Of
that name. He found in the records Of the
last Congress place where Mills had held a
which he was holding in this Congress; and
that information he made use of in the most
effective manner.
The silver Republicans found themselves
in very hard place when Mills brought in
his resolution, with its implied censure of
the Speaker. All of them were on good
terms with the Speaker, and some of them
We're personal as well as p )lltical friends
Carter Of Montana, for instance, has been
helped greatly by the Speaker, Mr.. Reed
having gone to Montana and made speeches
In the last congressional campaign. AL
though the state chose Democratic gover-
nor and the legislature was very close, Car
ter was elected by about 100 votes over Mar
tin McGinnis, the Democratic candidate.
But Montana is great silver state, and her
representative was forced by stern necessity
to put silver before party or personal friend
ship, even though at one time it seemed that
an implied censure must be visited upon the
Speaker in doing SO.
Some OF the Kansas men, led by Anderson,
refused to break with their party. although
put under severe pressure by the silver
lobby. And finally, when the vote came d.
rectly on the Mills resolution, all of the sill
yer republicans refused to endorse the pre-
ample, in which was contained the implied
censure of the Speaker. This was undoubt-
edly great disappointment to Mills, Breck-
lnrldge and the Southern wing, who, ardent
ly as they champion free silver, dislike the
Speaker still more ardently.
William Mercy, Jr., of Maine, has been
appointed to a clerkship in the interior de-
partment at salary Of $1,000 per annum.