Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-12-11
FRIDAY MORNING, DEC. if, 1891
THE OPENING OF CONGRESS.

THE OPENING OF CONGRESS.
AS usual at the opening Of q new con-
OF ,ss. there has been battle for the chair
manships by the individual members. 1t
is a contest within a contest. and is to be
found underneath the waistcoat OF the fight
for the Spaakershp. And, as usual, the
clairm .nship hunters have tackled on to the
cont tails Of ''their ma" all sorts Of i'm
aglnary political issues to make him go bet
ter. and tried to tack on to the other fellow s
cont tails some issues equally as imagl-
nary to IN Ike hin go Worse. As Il matter
of hard bottom fact, there was no issue in it
blt the c.ltirm s1siipS. There WAS no
Tariff Reform or anti-Tariff Reform in it
as the appearance Of O'Ferrall of Virginia,
a red hot Cleveland man and Tariff Reform
e., lea ling Crisp's forces showed. But
there was al element. a very large element
in the Democratic party, who had tired OF
the old plate-matter, never changing com
bination that has quietly assumed to itself
for several terms the dictation of the dis
tribution Of the congressional hOnors Of
the p srty and it was just tired enough to
give good strong kick that sent the highly
respectable and self approaching Old COM
bine to the rear. AS u centre around which
to gather to do this Work, this element Sc
lected Crisp Of Georgia, a fine parliamen-
tartan, cool-healel, with plenty Of nerve
and man who, in the Speakers chair, Tom
Reed on the floor would be wholly unable
to prod into any loss of head OF unseemly
exhibitions Of temper. For combination
of the best qualities that make the best
Speaker, Crisp Was the man above all the
others, ard that is saying good deal, for
McMl!en of Tenn, Springer of Illinois,
Hatch of Missouri. were in the field to
chose from. Mills Of Texas, WHO was the
chief opponent of Crisp in point OF the nu-
lnerical strength of his vote ,isa superb Dem
Ocrat, but lie is constitutjOnally untitled
for the post Of Speaker, which requires a
degree of self control he does not possess.
This is about as fair q statement Of the
Speakership furry as we can make. 1t is
not warped by any preference, for had we
had our choice we should as a matter OF
policy. have chosen q n orthern Democrat
preferably Springer Of Illinois-and failing
to get Northern Democrat, we should
have selected VIM. L. Wilson Of West Vir
GINA, man much like Crisp in his fine
poise and parliamentary knowledge, Viz
ginia rallied with great uEanimity to Crisp,
her steady vote during the, thirty ballots
being-for Crisp 6-O'Ferrall, Edmunds,
Epes, Lester, Lawson and Jones, and for
Mills 2-Wise and Tucker. Mr. Buchan-
an. WHO was absent from sickness, was for
Crisp, and the 9Th district was not repre-
scented, Mr.. Meredith not beng elected till
Wednesday after the choice of the Speaker,
which was made On Monday. In the caucus
Crisp led Mills from the start. The 30th and
final ballot on which he was nominated
stood, Crisp 119, Mills 100.
Nj. Crisp, the new Democratic Speaker,
is just forty-six years OF age. He was born
in England and was brought by his parents
to Georgia in infancy. He entered the
Confederate service in Virginia when a
bog of fifteen, enlisting at Woodstock,
Shenandoah. in Co. K 10th Va infantry,
and fought through the war except during
the portion OF it that he was III a military
prison at Fort Delaware. AT the battle Of
Mcdowell he saved the life OF Captain
Parker of his company. He has been sent
to congress four terms from Georgia. He
is thorough tarif-TeforGcr. and in his
speech Monday. after his nomination. said:
beg to say to you BOW, as | speak to you
my first words since | an your selection for
Speaker, that my election means no step
backward in tariff reform. Prolonged ap-
piause and eheers.j beg TO say to you that
there is in on party to-day no man who more
earnestly believes in the Democratic doctrine
of tariff reform than | do. tEene'yed cheers. ]
The House over which he will preside
contains 235 Democrats, IS Republicans,
and Alliance men. It is differed by Kerr
of Pa, Clerk; Yoder of Ohio, Sergeant-at-
Arms: Turner of New FORK, Doorkeeper.
and Dalton OF Ind, Postmaster. For the
last named place Mr.. Robert G. Wright Of
Wayneskoro. in this county, WIS selected
by the Virginia delegation rs its candidate
and he would have made an excellent eff
Ger. hut his opponent was Dalton Of Indi
ana, tie Old Democratic postmaster Of a
former congress, WHO had too many friends
to be beaten. Tie vote stood in caucus,
Dalton l22, Wright IS.
The Senate stands, Republicans As, Denis
ocrats 81, Alliance 3, Including Irby of S.
c., Democrat. With this Republican
majority in the Senate it is not probable
there will he many alterations in the Nc
Kinley bill. but there will unquestiOnably be
some changes effected in it by separate
bills affecting special articles passed by
4 Io,,o 4 10, 81 bn,,