New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-12-02
SECTIONAL FEELING RIFE.
r sor-rH oUrNuMBERED IN THE HOUSE.
IN raHr FOR COMMITTEE cHMRNASsHIrs
AND ASSIGNMENTS.
,,r rrrxoaArH TO TIE TRIBUNE,

s,...oD nee 1.-There is a welldehned vein OF
w. preiudiee, feeling and discussion running
49, the speakership contest. Southern Democrats
p',v deprccaie this, for II happens, for the first
IN quarter OF century, that they, are In a
pN.,.v ss compared with Northern Democratic Rep
Hn' '.",,vrs. The eleven states which composed the
.nsa southern Confederacy win be represented in
r.ooc,atie caucus by eighty votes, or exactly the
~ p,ber rs New England, New York, New-Iersey,
s.v,-ania Ohio and Illinois; and after in
iu.-- nelaware Maryland, West Virginia, Kentucky
,,;ouri In the solid SOUTH tho total number OF
..,,rstc votes is only 1l5. as compared with 100 in
,o.,hern and Western States, and yet four of the
=. candidates hail from the part OF the, coun-
w mich Is represented by the smaller num-
~ votes II IS undoubtedly true, how
,Ast that part OF the country is represented by
- shlity and experience than the other OF the
-. s,g,lern and Border state Representatives. all
-, ,hirtv-fve have had Congressional experience,
-. IN the last Congress or previous one while Of
- 500 Northern Democrats, seventy-tw have had
.rea experience. Again, the Southern contingent
,ses~nted by such experienced leaders as Compton,
: v.rylsnd: Wilson, OF West Virginia; oFerrsll, OF
~.-nis. Forney Herbert and Oates, OF Alabama;
,.a,kiuridge Of Arkansas Crisp. BlOunt and Turner,
= reorrta: Breckenridge and McCreary Of Kentucky;
,.,,hard OF Louisiana; Hooker and Catchings, of
,~.ass,ppi: Hatch, Bland and Dockery, of Missouri;
s..Aer~,o and COwleS, Of North Carolina; Hemphin
=. TYJmsn OF south Carolina; McMillin and Rich
...0n. Of Tennessee and Mills. Culberson. Savers and
,,,han, Of Texas. Among the Northern leaders Of
.-,.-,poc are found Springer, OF Illinois; Holman
- Rvuum Of Indiana; Andrew and o'Neil, Of Massa-
SITS Chapman and Whiting. of Michigan: Covert,
o.rrlngs, Tracy and Fitch. of New-Yorl; Cultivate,
:. eeo and Mutchler. OF Pennsylvania.
M tbe twenty eight Southern men whose names have
~, mentioned. four are candidates for Speaker one
.-,rorts Mr.. McMillln, two support Mr.. Hatch, FIVE
vro- Colonel Mills. fourteen support Judge Crisp, and
a. urfersnces Of two unknown OF the thirteen
y-thern men. one is candidate for Speaker, one is
a.,,ood 10 be for McMillin two for Springer three
n Nils i've for Crisp, and the preference of one-Mr.
Halmn-is not known. of course mems opinions
ses- widely TO what names should be included In a
n a, Democratic leaders in the House one might IN
,pte number Of men whose names are not found
! ne foregoing list and another would exclude some
sss names therein found, but it probably will be
ss-<dered a reasonably fair on the whole and
-nv no person will dispute the fact that the pre-
yadsrsnce Of known ability and experience is dis
aly in favor Of the South. According to this list
-sOdtv Of the men who may be termed leaders and
,sSe preferences are understood to have been de-
Aed favor the candidacy of Judge Crisp.
Ths fact raises another question which enters into
ne contest and which IS the subject of much quiet
a<ussOn especially among the new members, and
au +: Upon. what Theory or plan should the chair
uaashfs Of committees be distributed and the COM
ztees themselves be consttutedf" OF the 235 Demo
az1c RepresentativeSelect, 116 were not members
0, the last Congress, and they naturally feel good
seal Of anxiety in regard to their committee assign
ments; some Of them expect chairmanships and
enough Of them desire places on leading committees
70 I'll aLhose chairmanships and places several times
uA 10 the exclusion of the older and more expert
shced Representatlves-men who have grown gray in
Congressional service. There is no indication that
Tie men who are young in years as we'll as wholly
without legislative experience will be painfully modest
IN their demands. Some of them already have their
eyes and hearts fixed on seats in the Committee on
Ways and Means Appropriations, Judiciary Foreign
Afais or Naval Affairs, and many more will be dis
appointed and Disconnected unless their demands are
granted for places as members of the Committee on
Military Affairs, Banking and Currency, Indian
Affairs, Coinage, weights and Measures, Postofhces,
or Rivers ana Iarbors The scrambling among the new
members viii indeed be a lively one, not, TO say
Desperate one
The speakershp contest has now reached that stage
when the Congressman whether he be veteran states
Ike Holman, or a neophyte like Hoar or Williams
Massachusetts,. IS watching it eagerly and keeniy
VIII an eye to his own preferment and glory. Some
the in the dim past there may have lived "a Congress
san-eect who cared nothing about a craftsmanship
socd place on leading committee but he has passed
sway and his successor In this House is different
.0.t OF person. A good many Of the Democratic Rep
have taken TO the fence and Will remain
here until they think that they have discovered the
ynner. when they win quickly climb down and march
Into his camp. The pretence that they are really I'M
sbl. to decide between the merits of the respective
candidates IS in most cases. vain one, and 1t de-
oeves nobody least Of an the candidates themselves
TO whom non committal7 statesmen are objects Of
Suspicion albeit they enjoy the distinction Of being
eoated by all the woud.be Speakers and importuned
" their parsans The stage has not yet been reached
when these nome mmittal' gentlemen are car1'ed
By one into dark and secret corners 10 be tempted
with visions OF future preferment and advantage 10
eaoy the flflment Of which they have only to cast
their votes for this that the other candidate but
that time will soon arrive.
Ia this House there are no less than twenty-Six
Democrats besd the candidates for Speaker, who held
shaimanshlps OF committees in the Lth Congress- and
here are sixty Democrats besides the candidates who
hsh the first and second places on the minorties Oh
eommtte,s in the List Congress. There are forty
e regular standing committees. and In the Isst S0I
Ess there were twelve select committees zen Oh "InT
VII undoubtedly be continued III TINS Congress, AZ
VII be observed that the total number OF chairman
hps, including those Of the less Important commIges,
cses not exceed the number OF old memberS eaeh Oh
whom, the charmansipS should De disufouVea ~
togdins to seniority OF service alone would De ehueu
70 res i've of the hve Democrats who were mem
tes Q; the Committee on Ways aud MeamS In the last
ConresS. two. Messrs. Mills and McNulin. are oel-
dcates for speaker and one OF them in all pr0ba-
bEty will be chairman OF the committee In this Con
geS. The other Democratic members who were
reected are Messrs Breckenridge, Of Arkansas, and
lsrAer, Of Georgia. All the Democratic members on
ns last Committee on Appropriations, except Mr..
Senelts, Of Georgia, were reelected. Ihey are
AessH. Forney. Of Alabama Savers, Of Texas Breck,
zngp, Of Kentucky, DOckery, of Missouri, and
Watcher Of Pennsylvania. Five OF the Denlocranc
ssek Of the Committee on the JudicaEyIhesSrs;
SIeaefson Of Texas; Oates, of Alabama; wilson, OF
K& Virginia and Henderson, OF North Carolina
we selected. OF the six Democratic members OF
M 1nnttee on Elections, five were re-elected 10
a. Uagress a. follows Crisp, Of Georgia O'FeHSiII
q S.s hgna Outhwaite Of Ohio; Moore Of Texas ana
'azh, Of Missouri.