The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-02-04

GETTING THE sPEAKER's EAR.
chairman thereof, with the rccommen-
dation that the bill do pass. Until the
committee on appropriations is appoint
ed and ready for business of course all
appropriation bills are as inert, incffcct-
i've and useless as though they had
never been committed to paper nor
placed upon the records of the clerk of
the house. The same may be said of
all bills relating to commerce, patents,
pensions, agriculture, the Judiciary, the
current expenditures of the house and
all other matters.
The formation of tho committees in
order to do justice to every member ac-
cording to his standing in the house by
reason of previous services, and at the
same time to please all, or a majority,
requires the exercise of an exceptional
amount of intelligence, discretion and
fair-mindcd disposition on the part of
the speaker. 1t has sometimes hap
pcned that the committees have not
been announced until after the Christ
mas holidays and on some occasions
late in January. Pending these APP
pointmcnts the speaker is the busiest
man in the national capital, and usually
the most harassed. He is obliged to
consider the merits and dement's of
every member of the house of repre-
sentatives; always giving preponder-
ancc of consideration to the members of
the majority party, but upon no occa-
sion has any speaker ignored the rights
of the minority in the appointments
made upon the committees. He is
obliged to listen to the statements of
all members concerning the needs of
their constituencies, their own personal
ambitions and desires; and to make in
quiry in his own way concerning the
truth or falsity of the many alleged
facts which are placed before him by
the statesmen who throng his room at
the capitol and invade the privacy of
his home in order to place before him
their hopes, fears and aspirations. The
reader will therefore understand that
tho gentleman recently honored
by the suffrages of his colleagues
by an election to the speaker
ship, has his head, hands and
heart full to overlooking. That he will
bring order out of chaos within rca-
sonable time every body believes. New
ertheless. there is great deal of anx-
iety already manifest and considerable
Impotence is already expressed by
members of the house who arc unable
to secure from the speaker any positive
assurances that they will be given the
positions upon committees upon which
they have set their hearts. The impor-
tant positions of course are the chair
manships; and for these places of auto
cratic power as well as distinction
every one of the older and more expert
enced members Of the house is striving.
It is customary, and has been since the
formation of this government, to give
precedence in the appointments to
chairmanships to those members who
have been retained longest in service by
their people; and it has been done and
probably always will be done upon the
correct theory that Legislative expert
ence enhances the parliamentary pow
er of individuals and renders them more
available and valuable for the public
service and 1.-THE general welfare" con-
templated in the first clause of the con-
stitution Of the United States There
is every reason to believe that the
this theory and particularly in the for
nation of the committees of the house
for the Fifty-second congress; and act.
ing upon this presumption after con-
vcrsations with gentlemen Of expert
ence and disccrnment am able 10 give
an approximate list of these chairman
ships.
Mr. breckenridge, of kentucky, Mr..
Breckinritlgc, OF Arkansas. Mr.. Nc
Millin, of Tennessee, and Mr. Wilson,
of West Virginia, are among the old
est and ablest members Of the commit.
tee on ways and means, NJ present il
seems iikcly that MIR Wilson, of West
Virginia. will bc selected for the chair
manship OF this committee.
MIR Crisp Of Georgia. has been chair
man OF The committee on plvilcgc and