New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-26
THE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE.
MR.. WILSON'S APPOINTMENT NOT AN IDEAL on
Tile s0Irru AM TIE TAEIL.E.

MR. WILSON'S APPOINTMENT NOT AN IDEAL ONE
THE SOUTH AND TUE TARIFF.
Washington, Aug 25 (SpeciaD-R Representatives
continue to comment upon and criticise the APP
pointment OF Mr.. Wilson, of West Virginia, as
chairman of the Committee Ways and Means.
Speaker Crisp's friends defend the appointment
as the best that could be made under the circum-
stances, but they by no means regard it as an
ideal one. They say that inasmuch President
Cleveland and Secretary Carlisle strongly desired.
IT, indeed. they did not insist upon It, the Speaker
was wise in yielding to their preference for If by
any mischance this Congress should fail to redeem
the pledge of the Democratic party to repeal the
existing tariff and substitute one drawn In accord
ance with the demand of the Chicago platform, the
Administration would not find 1t easy to make
Speaker Crisp the scapegoat but would itself be
held responsible for much of the failure as
could be charged to the Ways and Means COM
mittee and the House of Representatives.
Another point made in his defence is that there
was lack OF frst-rate material from which to
select a chairman of Ways and Means. Mr..
Turner who is by some members of the House
regarded as the ablest II not the best-equipped
man for the place halls from the Speakers own
State. and was. therefore. barred Neither MIR.
McMn nor Mr. Bynum regarded avail
able, despite the fact that the former stood Sec
ond the committee when the notorious Dark
Lantern bill was framed in the Lth Congress, as
well as during the last Congress. and was second
In rank Of the minority In the List Congress.
when the existing tariff was framed. Eek
Premier Springer of course barred ac-
count of the adverse influences brought to bear
by the Administration and by Speaker Crisp s
friends because the House lis never inclined to
take Springer seriously. while Mr. Wilson will be
able to command the respect and confidence OF
the members Of the majority
1t is admitted. however. by the 'tarinreformers''
generally that MIR. Wilson does not possess so
thorough a knowledge of the details OF tariff legs-
lation as Mr.. Breckenridge. OF Arkansas. for ex-
ample, although he can make strong speech In
support Of any measure which may be framed by
the majority of the committee. They also concede
that ne will require good deal of help to pilot
general tariff measure through the House. be-
he IL deficient In some OF the qualities which
exceedingly necessary to successful parlia-
mentary leadership In that body. On the whole,
tariff reformers In the House appear to feel
that Mr.. Wilson's appointment requires both apol-
ogy and defence
1t Ia noted that the voting strength OF the South
In the majority of the committee IL greater than
IL was In the last Congress-. when the chairman ana
five other Democratic members represented districts
In the North and four Democrats represented
Southern districts. A majority OF the Democratic
members OF the new committee hail from the South.
nessee. Georgia, Kentucky. Arkansas and Missouri
one member each. The Northern States repre-
sented by Democrats In the committee