New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-05
MERELY THE FIGHT BEGINS.
CONGKESSMEN LINING UP.
/. IT'S NOT FAIR CRY THE NORTHERN
DEMOCRATIC LEADERS

SOUTHERN MEMBERS WILL orsT THEM FROM
THEIR PLACES OF uONoR-MR sPRINGERs
| REMARKABLE pRoGRAMME-ME. BLAND
| CHERIsHING IDEAS OF HIS OWN.
| IBY TELEGRAPH TO THE TRIBUSEJ
| Washington. Aug. 4-"Ex- Premier Springer
emphatic refusal to accept the logic Oh ."a'
provision of the Crsp-Cleveland treaty OF mar
mony," which IL to retire him from the chair
manship OF the Ways and Means Committee on
| the plea OF poor health" has had the eject OF
stirring up a good deal of the latent anmosity
which might have been expected TO be developer
among the Democratic leaders in Congress ps u.'e
announcement on the part of the Speaker-'o-p-
| and the President of redistribution OF party
honors and responsibilities. The generally ac-
cepted belief that the Speaker and the Presiueh'
have decided to dsplace Mr.. Springer and Mr.
| Holman, the two leading Democratic representa-
tives from Northern States, from the chairnahshps
of the two most important committees Oh 'ne
| House, supplantng them by two Southern Demo-
Gratis. Messrs. Wilson, of West virginia anu
Sayres. of Texas, has In fact excited among ,'e
! Democrats a grave suspicion that the policy Oh
| fair division Of honors between the two sectons'
successfully followed in the LID Congress- Is
about to be incontinently abandoned, ana 'he op
noxious system of six years ago readopteu vi
putting none but Southern leaders in the posts Oh
greatest Importance and power
| Under Speaker Carlisle in the XLIXth and Lth
| Congresses, when the Southern wing of the party
had full control of the organization. few chairman
ships of consequence went to any but Southern
members. In the tidal wave OF 1880 the NUMBER
| of Northern Democrats elected to the Lila
Congress equalled IL 1t did not exceed. the NUMBER
of Southern Democrats chosen, and the policy
Of equal distribution was accepted with aiacrity
for that Congress by Speaker Crisp and the other
Southern managers the Speaker finding In TINS
assorted policy of fairness to the North conVe-
nient excuse for his action at the opening OF the
last Congress In depriving his chief rival, Coiohei
Mills, of the craftsmanship of the Ways and Means
and giving that coveted place to Mr.. Springer On
the same plausible and ingenious contention MI.
| Holman was selected to head the Appropriations
Committee and Mr.. Sayres Mr. Millss colleague
and supporter. similarly suppressed for the
| Indiana economists benefit.
NORTHERN DEMOCRATS WANT SOME PLUMo.
| In the elections Of 1892 the Northern Democrats
| failed to maintain the advantage they had unex-
pectedly secured in the Lid Congress, and In the
Democratic caucus which Is to assemble tomorrow
evening they will again be in a minority But,
though unable to enforce an equal distribution oi
committee honors, they will nevertheless condemn
as unjust and impolitic any attempt to return 10
the one-sided practice OF the XLIXth and Lth Con-
crosses. Having themselves. with majority on
their side in the House set the fair and generous
precedent of equal division OF honors the North
ern Democrats will insist on continuance OF that
no,,cv In the nresent House. as a matter of sectional
couitv and good feeling. The treaty OF MT.
Crisp and the President. which would give pracu-
cally every place of Importance in the House 10 the
South, has therefore aroused widespread uiscoii
tent among Northern and Western Democrats ana
Mr. Springer's courageous avowal OF his hos'lity
20 this sided scheme of distribution has brought
at once to the surface general expression OF us
satisfaction and protest
| The issue of sectionasm so boldly raissi by MI
Springer and his followers Will undoubtedly 30 Lar
| toward unsettling Speaker Crsps present plans
for the allotment of committee honors ana II Wig
orouslv pursued may defeat them entirely Inc
promptness and vigor with which the sectional
! ory has heen started must at least convince Mr..
cr;sn that he has a task of no little difficulty and
delcacv on his hands when he tries to reduce 20
| the ranks a statesman of Mr.. Springer resources
! and versatility. The "ex-Premier, having yester-
day destroyed the fiction OF his I'll heaith anu
outlined a plan by which under his leadership the
extra session of Congress is to be limited In length
IN ten DAYS and a financial system is to be esab-
usbed for the country (which will last forever
gives TO the public his scheme of settling the tariff
| question Condensed in sentence his pro-
gramme is
Live up to the Chicago platform and put a
| tariff bill through the House by the 1st OF Janu-
ary.''
|
"rhere is no reason,"' said Mr.. Springer this
afternoon why the LID Congress shouldn't com
plete the entire work the tariff within the next
five months and have the tariff question out of the
way before the beginning of the new year IL
seems to me that 1t will be easy to organize Il
committee and expedite the work so that legislation
can be accomplished In very short order Inc
tariff bill should the first great measure TO be
enacted into law. II first in the consideration
MIA
to that document.
"As I stated yesterday. the financial distress OF
the country can be relieved quickly and easily as
soon as Congress assemblies by the passage OF a
resolution directing that the purchase OF silver
bullion and the issue Of Treasury notes thereon
shall be suspended until Congress otherwise pro-
vides That could be done during the August ses-
sion With that accomplished and with the mem
bership OF the important committees named, IL
would be well for Congress to take n recess until
the early part OF October by that time the ways
and Means Committee ought have the tariff bill
drawn That measure could be debated through
October November and December II necessary, and
he mt on its final passage before January |. With
! the purchase OF silver thus suspended until other
wise ordered, and with "A new tariff bill actually
enacted the two most important Obligations or
Congress would be performed. There would be
time enough then to perfect some financial measure
which would take the place OF the present Sher-
man act"
! Mr. Springer is thus already In the field with
complete programme of financial anu revenue
legislation with the time limit Of January !. 1871,
for its accomplishment. No other aspirant for
leadership in the House to have awakened
vet to the fact that the session of Congress Is To
begin on Monday next and that the country Is
waiting impatently for an announcement of his
pIan and purposes What Mr.. Wilson or Mr.
McMiIIin promise that will rival the crisp and
comprehensive programme Of the "Sangamon
Statesman"
| CONGRESS MUST SAW WOOD.
! "Watchdog" Holman Is not making an aggressive
fight like Mr.. Springer. against reduction to the
ranks Nor Is he so sangulne of early settle
ment OF the tariff and financial questions as the