New-York tribune., 1891-12-24
MR.. CRIsPS COMMITTEES.
PLENTY OF DEMOCRATS ANGRY OVER THEM
SPRINGER At THE HEAD OF WAYS AND MEANS
AND HOLMAN OF APPRoPHI ALTON MILLS
GETS THE CHAIRMANsHIP OF IN.
TERsTATE AND FOREIGN

GETS THE CHIRMANsHIP OF IN:
TERsTATE AND FOREIGN
COMMERCE.
rBY TELEGRAPH 70 THE TBIBUsEI
Washington, Dec. 23.-Speaker Crisps troubles
and perpexites are over for time at least None
of his predecessors in Office ever had so dhicult
a task to perform or accomplished II more speedily.
Successfully? Well that depends wholly upon
how one looks at the result. IL you ask Springer
or Holman he will tell you without reservation
mental or otherwise that never before was suca
work done well III you ask Miils, or the
Breckinridges, or Bynum, or Mansur, or aimoss
any other Mills man. he will either denounce the
work as bad. or he will stand mute, but his
silence and his looks will speak volumes. vi
course some of the men who stood by the Sage OF
Corsicana to the last will admit that the Speaker
has done well in certain respects but i'll in othersi
and none can be found 20 speak words OF ap'
proval Of the composition Of the Ways and Means
Committee and a few of the other committees az
a whole.
There was not unusually fuil attendance
when the reading clerk began, but in view OF
the manner in which that functionary raced ana
stumbled through the list Of names, that was, az
Mr. Toots would say, of no consequence whab'
ever; for he manged some Of the names so that
others so ndistincty that nobody could understand
him. II must be said however, that the manner
of thc reading was not more disagreeabe and un-
satisfactory than was the matter read, so FAR az
MANY of the statesmen present were concerned.
Some of them, of course, enjoyed the performance
exceedingly Judge Holman, who had risen irom
a sick bed to attend, was one OF these' ne na~
come to hear his name read at the mead Oh 'ns
Appropriations Committee, where il last stood
nearly twenty wears ago. The Sage OF Corsicana
was absent on account OF illness
The Republicans were in a contented mood, ana
showed IT, and the Farmers Alliance men were
invisible Their plans are not fully matured,
"Jerry" Simpson says; and the proceedings diu
not interest them. Representative George freo
Williams of Massachusetts, also was absent, pus
the performance went on despite that omlnous cir
cumstance A sigh of relief was felt, rather than
hoard when his name was read as member on
tbe Committee on Coinage, Weights and Measures.
in company with those Of Tracey and warner, oI
New-York.
As soon as the House adjourned, most OF tho
Democratic members disappeared. some OF them
in cheerful mood but more with faces upon whicn
indignation, chagrin and disappointment contended
for the mastery. OF those who remained, d lew
could not conceal their rage and severa OF theh
declared with great emphasis and 1uent ut'er-
ance that they would never serve in the places
IN which they had been assigned Probably moss
of them will think better of it, but they left No
doubt Of the state of their feelings today.
NOT A SLAVE OF PRECEDENT.
"A, inspection of the list of committees shows
that in framing it Speaker Crisp preserved, In
remarkable degree, the self-poise for which his
friends praise him highly, and that his judiciai
temperament did not desert him. 1t is evident
that he determined not to be slave OF prec-
edent: that he felt bound TO follow certain
line of policy in regard to certain matters OK
legislation; that there should be no just ground
for criticism on account Of the sectional CONS
plexion of the committees. And he was not un-
mindful of the necessity of promoting and MAIN
tanning harmony in his own party, SO far as cir
cumstances would permit.
While he refused to be controlled by the prec-
edents set by Speaker Carlisle, he did not wholly
disregard them. On the one hand, he refused t0
give the chairmanship of Ways and Means to
Mills, who had held it, or to McMillin, who was
next in rank but bestowed it upon Springer, who
had never been member Of that committee On
the other hand, he reappointed several Of Mr..
CarsIe's chairmen among them are Culberson,
OF the Judiciary Committee; Herbert, Of Naval
Affairs Bland of Coinage, Weights and Measures;
Blanchard, of Rivers and IIarbors; Hatch, Of
Agriculture; Peel of Indian Affairs; Iemphilll
of District of Columbia and Richardson Of Print
ing. lie also transferred some of Speaker Car-
Isles charmen to other 'chairmanships. OF tho
new chairmen Of committees, the following voted
for Mills Wilcox, Andrew, Lane and Hayes; and
MARTIN voted for Springer on the last ballot.
FOR PEACEMEAL TARIFF REFORM.
While the Ways and Means Committee is COM
posed, as to the Democrats, of free traders, %
radical tariff reformers," all, or nearly all, Of
them are adherents of the piecemeal policy, as
opposed to the wholesale policy of Cleveland!
Mills and Co. Mr.. McMillin, who ranks next
to the chairman, he did in the Lth Congress.
was an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of tho
Dark Lantern" bill, which he helped to frame!
So were Turner, of Georgia, and Wilson. of West
Virginia, who also helped to frame that measure:
and it is greatly to be doubted whether any one
Of the three is an enthusiastic believer in the
impracticable and absurd retail scheme, tho
paternity of which Chairman Springer proudly
claims, although the real author of it Editor
Jones, Of The st. Louis Republic" Messrs.
Montgomery, Cochran, Whiting and Shively all
supported the Mills bill in the Lth Congress- al.
though Mr.. Whiting was opposed to certain
features of IT, Nessrs. Bryan and Stevens, the
other Democratic members, were not members
of the Lth Congress. The Republican
members of the commttee-Messrs. Reed, Me-
Kenna Payne Burrows and Dal2ell-all supported
the Mckinley bill in the List Congress. and. Of
course. their views have undergone no change.
The composition of this great committee is of less
Importance than it would be if the design or
intention of IN, Democratic party in Congress were
not 10 ritter away time and do nothing in re-
gard to tariff legislation, except TO agitate the
question until after the Presidential election. IL
is Il committee born of party dissenson, dishonesty
and ractiona jealousy, and will do nothing except
unsette business by making violent, albeit mean
nslcss and futile demonstrations against the ex.
sting law.
or tho AnnronriationS Committee lttle mead ha