The morning call., 1891-12-20
THE SENATE COMMITTEE.

At a superficial glance it appears that the
Western States have been allotted their
full share of committee chairmanShips in
the Senate, as twenty-one of the standing
committees in the Fifty-second Congress
will be presided over by representatives, of
States west of the Mississippi, while repre-
sentatives of States cast of that river only
get thirteen. But, on closer survey, it APP
pears that these thirteen comprise all the
really important committees, while the
twenty-one are committees on which no
business of consequence naturally devolves.
Thus, the chairmen of the committees ON
Finance. Foreign Affairs, the Judiciary, the
Army, the Navy, Commerce, the Rules, the
Territories, immigration, Patents, the
Census, the Library and Indian Affairs are
all Eastern men; the only really important
committees which are equipped with West
ern chairmen are the Committee on Priv-
leges, which gees to Teller of Colorado the
Committee on POst0fflces and Postroads,
which Sawyer Of Wisconsin retains. the
Committee on Public Lands. which Plumb
Of Kansas keeps, the Committee on Mines,
which Stewart of Nevada has long held. and
the Committee on Coast Defenses, over
which Dolph of Oregon will preside, as
formerly. The only change among these is
in the Committee on Privileges, which Hoar
formerly held, and which now goes to
Teller. This is an important committee, as
to it are referred all contested elections.
Tie Committee on Interstate Commerce,
which is also an important committee. re-
mains under the control If Cullom of Hi
nOis, who is supposed to have familiarized
himself with the subject during his dis
cussion Of Reagan's Interstate Commerce
Act
California, having chosen a non-worker
to represent her in the Senate, retains the
Committee on Puplic Buildings in the Fed
eral District, which is supposed 10 meet
once a year for mutual congratulations on
the successful painting Of the walls of the
White House. Wyoming gets the Commit
tee on Education, probably in consequence
of her adoption Of female suffrage. The
new States do not get much. Squire of
Washington, who is really one of the able
men in the Senate, gets the Committee on
Railroads, but tre Committee on Irrigra-
ton, which is a pretty vital matter TO some
of them, goes TO Wyoming, where they need
irrigation certainly, but have not made
much pr gress toward getting it.
The Pacific Coast is being punished for
its own folly. It is a long time since we
have had a representative man in the Sem
ate. Stanford has not for years taken much
interest in public affairs, except as his per-
sonal interests have been involved He
never permits committee work to disturb
his ease or defer his annual trip to Europe.
Senator Hearst only occasionally appeared
in his seat, and on such occasions had
rather vague idea of what was going on.
When we send better men to the Senate We
Will get better places on committees.
As in the House of Representatives, the
committees of the Senate control business
though their power for affirmative legisla-
ton, in consequence of their refusal to
adopt a rule providing for the previous ques-
ton, is less than that of the committees OF
the House. But hostile committee in the
Senate can, under ordinary circumstances,
block the passage of any bill. 1t is next to
impossible to make committee report
against its will, and without a report the
Senate cannot properly deal with measure
Of proposed legislation. Many of the CON-
mittees are mere graves in which bills and
petitions sleep the sleep of eternal DEATH
The Committee on Woman Suffrage. for ex-
ample, was created for the purpose of pro-
viding place where ambitious female re-
formers should cease from troubling. Ran
som OF North Carolina, who succeeds Cock
rlll of Missouri as its Chairman. will see to
it that the weary shall continue to be at
rest.
1t is abundantly evident from the compo-
sitiOn of the committees that the control of
the Senate is to remain as 1t has done since
the war in the hands Of the representatives
of the small group CT States bounded on the
west by the Mississippi River and on the
south by Mason and Dixon's line 1t is hard
to conceive any important bill which could
get before the Senate without a report from
either the Committee on Commerce, or FL
nance, or Judiciary, or the Army, or the
Navy, or the Territories, or Immigration. All
these subjects have been pre-empted chiefly
by New England. So far as they are con-
cerned the influence of the West and South
is very slim indeed. 1t is consolation to
reflect that New England is generally sound
in her views, and is fully competent to gov
ern the country, though it is impossible to
! help remembering that this is the same ex-
cuse which intelligent Russians make for
their tame submission to the rule of a des-
Dot