The Portland daily press., 1891-12-25
nent men of the majority the cnairmen of

nent men of the majority the ehairmen of
the important committees was in very
large degree disregarded. Very few of the
prominent positions. Mills is given
Craftsmanship, but it Is comparatively OBJ.
scure one. The Breckinridges are in COM
plete eclipse. In fact the chairmanships of
most of the important committees have
been turned over to men Of little expert
ence and prominence.
The leadership of the House as far as the
Speaker can control it has been bestowed
upon Mcmillan and Springer, the former
being placed at the head of the committee
on rules, and the latter at the head of the
committee on ways aud means. Mcmillan
is fairly capable man, though his career
has given him little claim for leadership.
AS for Springer, he is entirely destitute of
dignity and has few of the qualities needed
III leader, except perhaps certain kind
OF energy which Is constantly impelling
him to pop up and fire off short speeches,
which are sometimes witty, but seldom
wise. Probably the abless Democrat ON
the ways and means committee is Wilson
of West Virginia, and regard for the fit
ness OF things would have dictated his
selection for the head of the committee in
stead of Springer. But the latter had ma
terially aided Mr.. Crisp's Speakership cam
paign by Withdrawing of the critical mo-
ment and turning over his forces to Crisp,
and had thus created claim which could
not safely be dlsregarded. How much sig
ni6eance there is in the make up of the
committee relative to the attitude of the
Democracy toward tariff reform it is diff
cult to say. But certainly that attitude is
rendered more doubtful by the selection of
Springer than it would have been by The
choice of Mills. Mills's selection would
have meant undoubtedly that some radical
tariff measure was to be introduced into
present house.
But If there is doubt of the attitude of
the ways and means committee there is
none of that of the committee on coinage.
Eight of the thirteen members of
that committee are open and avowed adj
vocates of free silver, and Bland, the chair
man Of it. is the crankiest of the silver
cranks. The only Democrat on the COM
mittee radically opposed TO that policy is
Mr.. Tracey Of New York. The Mug
wump member, Mr.. George Fred Williams
of Massachusetts, is also radical oppo-
nent. These two are the only members of
the committee except the Republicans who
can be relied upon to make an aggressive
fight against the report of free coinage
measure. The chances of two beating six,
even when one of the two is George Fred
Williams of Massachusetts, are not very
brilliant. 1t is fair to assume, therefore,
that free coinage bill will be introduced
early in the session and passed.
The course that Crisp was likely to fol-
low in making up the committees has been
generally understood for a week or more so
that the effect of the announcement of
them was discounted in advance. The
Mills faction is very bitter over the snub-
bling of their leader and the opponents of
free coinage do not hesitate to denounce
the Speaker for playing into the hands of
the free silver men and thus IS they say
imperilling Democratic success in the next
Presidential election. It is evident enough
that very pretty row has been started
in the ranks of the brethren; and that the
breach already made is likely to be widened
before the session comes to an end.