The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1891-12-24
Springer Appointed Chairman Of the Commit
fee on Ways and Means aud "Stingy" HOl-
msa Placed in Charge of Appropriations.
Debased-D Dollar Bland Put in Control of
Coinage, Weights and Measures.
First RetaliatOry Blow Struck by Mr.. Breckin-
ridge for the Minority Faction-Failure
of O Scheme to Dismiss Republicans
REWARDED HIS FRIENDS.
Crisp Fulfiiis His Part of the Bargain Made
During the SpealSership Contest

Crisp Fulfiils His Part of the Bargain Made
During the speakership Contest
Special the Indianapolis Journal.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 23.-Speaker Crisp
announced the House committees to-day,
and tonight goodly faction of the Demo
cratic majority is gnashing its teeth IN
rage. There were few surprises. as most of
the important appointments had been an
ticipated. The new Speaker punished his
enemies with ruthless hand and re-
warded his friends with lavish generosity.
The committees announced to-day refifty-
four in number. With the three commit
tees previously named-on rules, accounts
and mileaqe-this makes total of fifty
seven chairmanships OF these, only ten.
including Mr.. Mills himself. are given to
men who voted and worked for the Texas
candidate for the speakership. The men
who have been consplcuously punished are
Mr.. Mills. Mr.. McCreary, OF Kentucky. who
was the chairman In the Fiftieth Congress
of the committee on foreign affairs, but who
is now superseded by Mr.. Blount, of Geor-
gia. who never before served on the CON-
mittee; Clifton X. Breckinridge, who dis
appears with Mr. Mills from the ways and
means committee. and Mr.. Bynum. who
was on the ways and means and is DOW
placed third on the judiciary.
SPRINGER REWARDED.
Conspicuous. too. are some of the re-
wards. The bargain with Mr.. Springer by
which, when the break came in the caucus.
he threw his strength to Crisp. is carried
out by making him chairman of ways and
means Mr.. McMillin. as senior member of
ha &C. %bnc <n-
McMillin will be the real leader of the
House. because of his position on the CON-
mittee on rules. as well as by reason of his
experience ana ability. Mr.. Springers
most prominent business will be to report
bills. which Mr. McAilllin wall have to de-
fend. Mr.. Holman, the chairman of the
caucus, who followed Springer to Crisp.
gets the appropriations chairmanship. His
appointment is. of course, u piece of dema-
gogy. Speaker Reed, it will be remem-
bered. refused to place Holman on the
appropriations committee at all, because OF
his notorious niggardliness. Bland was
Mills man. but as be represents free silver.
the influences In favor of his appointment
as chairman of the coinage committee were
too strong for the Speaker to resist. Stahl-
neeker. of New York. who deserted Mills
for Crisp at the last moment, secures only
q humble chaiTmanship as his reward.
Catchings, of Mississippi, who engineered
Crisp's canvass. is made chairman OF rail-
ways and canals committee which Will
have important work to do this session.
As the ways and means committee Is con-
stituted, the German plan Of reporting no
general tariff bill but of attacking the Nc
Kinley law by specific bills is to be fol-
lowed. The constitution of the coinage
committee means that bill for the free
and unlimited coinage of silver will prob
ably pass the House before the end of JAM
nary. Nine members of the committee
l. 4nA fA- frn all ar,A An<
least three of them-Epes of Virginia.
Johnson of North Dakota, and McKeIghan
of Nebraska-were elected on platforms
pledging them to free coinage The oppro-
priations committee will favor fiye-cent
economy. The great appropriation bills for
the departments Will not, however. be
placed at the mercy of MIR. Holman's prun-
ing-knife. The new navy may not suffer,
as the committee, with Herbert, of Ala
bama. at It's head. will favor a fairly liber-
al appropriation.
GETTING EVEN WITH CRISP.
A curious exhibition of the lack Of har-
mony appeared at the session of the House
this morning Mr.. Rusk. chairman of the
committee on accounts. Immediately after
the announcement of the committees,
offered a resolution assigning clerks to com
mittees. The purpose was. of course. TO
induct the new Democratic clerks in Office
Breckinrldge. OF Kentucky, promptly OBJ
jected The result is that the hold over
Republican clerks Will continue 10 draw
salaries for another fortnight. Thus did
the spleen of the disgruntled Kentuckian
divert n nice Christmas gift TO Republican
pockets. Mr.. Breckenridge afterward
grimly remarked that the committee list
had shown what the Mills men might eN-
pect from MIR. Crisp. and the Speaker might
as well learn at the outset what he had TO
expect from them.
Of the ten Democratic members of the
ways and means committee all except Dir.
Stevens. of Massachusetts, aud Mr.. Bryan,
OF Nebraska, who are in their first term an
Congress, were members of the tiftieth
Congress. and of these eight members all
except Mr. Whiting, of Michigan. are re-
corded as voting Tor the Mills bill on its
final passage. Mr.. Whiting made several
speeches favorIng the clauses of the bill re-
lating TO wool and salt and upholdlng the
tariff message of President Cleveland. lie
is one of fourteen members recorded az
mot voting" on the final passage of the
bill, and was probably paired in
favor of the bill. The five Re-
publican members of the committee. OF
course. all voted against the Mills bill
and In favor Of the Mckinley bill In the
last Congress. Mr.. Dalzell, OF Pennsyl-
vania, is the new member of the committee
from the Republican side of the house. aud
Messrs. McMillin. Turner snd Wilson of
West Virginia are the Democratic members
with the tariff reform as members OF the
committee. The three Democratic members
last named aided in framing the Mills bill.
Mr. Springer. the chairman. has alw aysvoted
for tariff reform measures. but has. by pub
lished interviews. recorded himself In ia
yor of passing specific bills 10 put the few
articles on the free list and against a gen.
eral revision of the tariff by the House at
this time. majority of his Democra tic
colleagues have stated in public that they
were in favor OF this line of policy at the
present time.
q In his formation of committees the Speak
er has apparently been careful TO app0rtion
the chaIrmanshps nearly equally as
may bc among the various sections OF the
country. While the South secures a ma
iority of the chairmanships. the majority 10
so small that it can easily be attributed TO
the longer service rendered by the SOUTH
ern members-the great body of Northern
Democratic Representatives being new
tillers of the soil of legislation According
TO States the chairmansDips are distrtbu-
ted as follows: Virginia. 2: Illinois. 3. In
diana. 3: Missouri. 4; Georgia. {. including
the committee on rnles. of which the Speak
er Is ex-oilicio chairman; Alabama, 3. North
Carolina. 3; Arkansas. :: Texas. ;; New
York. 4: Louisiana. ,. New Jersey. l; Penn
sylyania, i; Iowa, !; South Carolina :;
Kentucky, =; Tennessee. - hlssissippi. =
Rhode Island. /; Wisconsin. 1: ONO. .:
Massachusetts. l: Michigan. .: Conneoti-
cut. /; NJ Maryland. 8; Minnesota /.
=.