Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1893-12-17

! on the same committee. In the Fifty
third Congress Mr. Wilson appears at the
head Of the committee and Mr.. Springer
has disappeared entirely. The Speaker
however, made him chairman of the I'M
portant Committee on Banking and Cur
rency.
II is fair to assume that Mr.. Wilson was
made chairman Of the Committee on
Ways and Means because Of his intimate
relations with the administration. No
man is closer in the councils Of Presl-
dent Cleveland. This being so, IL is also
fair to assume that his tariff bill rejects
the revenue policy OF the administration.
At all events the new tariff bill is not
only before the House. but before thS
people The House wlll pass upon 1t as
promptly as the leaders desire. and the
people will either endorse or spurn it next
fall. In view of these facts a sketch of
members responsible for the bill viii not
prove uninteresting.
Mir. Wilson IS about the size Of Napo-
leon when he landed in Egypt Here the
resemblance ends. There is nothing Cor
sican about him He has straight, sandy
hair, clear complexion, a light nous
tache, and a Roscoe Conkling nose and
chin. This is his fifth term in Congress.
He was brought into prominence in the
House by a telling speech against tho
arbitrary action of Speaker Reed in the
Fifty-frst Congress. IL was so exquisite
in satire and so parliamentary and d.
rect in terms that it attracted the atten-
tion OF the whole country. II ran the
rounds Of the press and excited much edi-
torial comment. Ii was by no menas,
however the best speech made by the
gentleman from West Virginia. The
Mills and the Mckinley bills aroused him
Nls.1.t trsaI 70 nVfm "a IL
dresses In either house have attracted
more attention or been more widely dis
tributed. They showed deep research,
analytical power, and invincible logic. As
chairman Of the Ways and Means Mr.
Wilson is leader Of the Democratic forces
on the floor Perfect in equpoise, cour-
teous to the last degree, and governed by
rare judgment, he IS match for the
ablest Republican generals. He has per-
sOnality enough to animate and cOnsOli-
date his following These are qualities
that will tell in the coming struggle.
Equally as influential on the Ways and
Means is Clifton r. Breckenridge. This
gentleman is no taller than Mr. wilson,
although carrying more flesh. He Is the
son Of John c. Breckenridge. once Vice
President Of the United States His face
is fashioned after the tyne OF the old
Knickerbockers OF New York. His sharp,
gray eyes appear behind spectacles. lie
is knightly in manner and exceedingly
able in discussion. lie has made the Ia
riff the study of his life. and H. probably
the best-read man in the House on the
puzzle Of the national revenue. Mr..
breckenridge was dropped from the Ways
and Means when Speaker Crisp first took
tho gavel His return 10 the committee
in the Sneaker second term gave uni
vel.sal satisfaction TO the Democratic
members Rrecknridge has made so
many fine speeches in the House that II
is difficult TO particularize Like his
father. he has never made a poor speech.
His voice. though clear. is not powerful.
but his argument IS both. This is his
sixth term in Congress. Tom Reed s
Congress drove him back 10 Arkansas by
declaring his seat vacant His constltu-
ents returned him TO the same Congress
by largely increased plurality. Mr..
breckenridge is the ninth member on the
roster of the Ways and Means, but he
ranks among the first.
A LORENZO DE MEDICI.