The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1893-08-22
rspecial to the Press.

| Especial to the Press.]
Washington, August 21.-The South is
certainly in, the saddle again and it is
riding with a vengeance. OF the commit
tees announced today, 81 of them have
Southern chairmen, and only 21 Northern
men, which is out of proportion to the
Democratic representation from the two
sections. Besides the South having the
| numerical advantage, it also controls the
really important committees. Those
committees which have northern men as
chairmen, with one or two exceptions,
are of practically no importance, so far
| as the great work of Congress is con-
| cerned. Little committees to> audit ex-
penditures of the various departments,
and which only meet once in session,
and then to appoint sons or near relatives
| of the chairmen clerks of the committees,
so as to enable them to draw the salary
of So day during the session, have been
given to northern men, but the commit
| tees to shape the policy of the Democratic
| party during the next two years, to con-
| troll the expenditures of the government
and to regulate its policy, domestic and
| foreign, are in the hands Of southern men.
| Speaker Crisp gave the House and
country surprise few days
ago when in announcing the committee
on rules he substituted Cultivate of
| Ohio for McNIillin of Tennessee, and he
maintained his record today, when the
| rest of the committees were made pub
| lie. The way in which he cut off Spring
er's head and put Wilson at the head of
| the ways and means committee, was an
extremely neat and expeditions piece of
| work. Ii the truth must be told, it is
| not believed that Crisp made Wilson
| chairman of the ways and means com
| mittee for any great love he has for the
| statesman from West Virginia, but he
was simply carrying out his part OF a
| bargain made a long time ago, and as an
honorable man he had to live up to the
| compact, distasteful though it may have
| been to him. Shortly after President
| Cleveland was inaugurated, he sent for
| Speaker Crisp, who was then no longer
| Speaker, and put some very pointed
| questions to him, as to whom he would
appoint on certain committees if re-elect-
ed as Speaker of the 53rd Congress. At
| first. Judge Crisp was very much dis
posed to resent what he considered the
! interference of the Executive with the
| legislative branch, but he was soon given
to understand that unless he proved
tractable all the power of the admins
| tration would be arrayed against him,
| and that it would be impossible for him
| to be again elected. Speaker Crisp caved.
| He agreed to appoint as chairman OF the
| committee on ways and means any man
whom President Cleveland might selecJ,
and the President promptly informed
| him that Mr.. Wilson was his choice for
chairman of that committee, which ap-
| pointment makes him the leader OF the
majority on the floor of the House, and
therefore the recognized spokesman OF
| the administration.
| Mr.. Springer, who confidently expect
ed to be re-appointed chairman of the
committee on ways and means, is very
much down at heart tonight, in conse-
ouence of his defeat. He is not saying
very much at the present time, but to
| some of his friends he has not
| hes1tated to unbosom himself and to re-
| gard the action of the Speaker as being
! in more ways than one remarkable. The
| part of the transaction which MI.
! Springer dislikes more than anything
| else is the fact that he was not notified
| that be would no longer be the chair
| man of the committee, and that he was
allowed to go along in a blissful state OF
| ignorance until the very last moment.
| All during the summer, Mr.. Springer
has worked hard, faithfully and effective
| ly at celebrating tariff bill. He came
| back to Washington with his little bill
| in his pocket, prepared to put it before
Congress at a moments notice and to
commit the Democratic party to the
policy which he had mapped out for
| them. Now alas! all Mr.. Springers
efforts heve been useless, and all this
work has ended in naught as it is not
believed Mr.. Wilson will care to accept
MI. Springer's tariff bill, even if Mr..
| Springer is kind enough to place it on
the bargain counter and let it go at great
discount from its original value.
Mr. Reed will speak on silver on Satur-
day His speech will be one of the
most mastery he has ever delivered.