The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1894-11-22
OUR NATIONAL CAPITAL.
REPORT OF THE GOVERNOR OF
ALASKA
Conicctures As to the Personnel of the
Various Committees of the Next
House-Democratic Senator's I'm
communicative.
IMPORTANT COMMITTEES.


Washington, Nov. 1S.-The House commit.
tees which are expected to be of greatest
importance in the next Congress are those
of the ways and means, appropriations ana
rules, banking land currency, coinage,
weights and measures, rivers and harDOrS,
and public buildings and grounds. The
| first three named always head the list in
order of Importance. The others are eX-
pectcd to assume Importance in the next con
| greSs because Of the especial conditions
which will prevail during that congress.
The banking committee will certainly be
one Of the most important committees In
| the entire list if there should be an effort,
MS is limited there will DE, to revise the cur
rency laws and change the present system.
| Such legislation as this would lift the COM
mitcc dealing with 1t from its place of
secondary Importance and place 1t for the
time with the ways and means committee.
The probability Of an effort to secure silver
legislation and the probability that the Re-
publican party, when it comes into power in
the House, will want to formulate policy
in this question, will have the effect also of
advancing the coinage committee to posi-
ton of first rank.
The river and harbor and public buildings
committees will have the delicate task of
providing for the public Improvement so
plish this work. With so many new Mem-
berS as there will be on the Republican side
in this congress and all of them feeling that
IL will be necessary for them to make show
be pretty general clamOr for apprOpria-
lions for pOstotliCe buildings, custom houses
and river and harbOr improvements. While
the Republican party has always shown a
disposition to be liberal in public i'm
provements, there Is a probability of an eff
fort to hold the miscellaneous apprOpra-
lions as low as possible.
The low condition of the treasury and the
fact that a presidential election will be so
near at hand will prove strong arguments
of the committee on rivers and harbOrs and
all their members have been reelected eX-
cept Mr.. Henderson of Illinois. With Mr.
Henderson out of the way, Hermann of Ore
gon takes the first place in the Republican
membership Of the committee with Stephen
son Of Michigan, Hooker of New York, Gros-
venor Of Ohio and Reyburn Of Pennsylvania,
following In the order named. 1t cannot,
of course, be known whether the next speak
er will follow the seniority rule; If he
should, Mr.. Hermann would become chair
man. Mr.. Milliken of Maine holds the Re-
public buildings and the chances are that If
Mr. Reed becomes speaker, Mr.. Milliken
will become chairman of the committee.
Mr. Morse of Massachusetts, is the only other
Only three of the old Republican members
of the committee on banking and currency
are elected; they are MeSsrs. Walker of
Massachusetts Russell of Connecticut and
Johnson of Indiana; Mr.. walker Is the
senior member. He has from the beginning
of his congressional career taken an active
interest in financial questions and his
chances of securing the craftsmanship would
he of the best. OF the six present Repub-
lcan members of the committee on coinage,
weights and measures, five have been re-
elected to the Fifty fourth Congress. They
are In the order named: Stone of Pennsyl-
yania, Johnson of Maryland, Dinglcy of
Maine, Hager of Iowa, and Aldrich of ILL
nois. Mr.. Stone would naturally become the
chairman of the committee. but 1T is sug-
gested that in case of Mr. Reeds becoming
speaker he might have personal policy
with reference to silver which he, would
want to pursue and in that event might want
Mr.. Dingley, of his own state, as the leader
of this committee In the natural order of
events, Hon. J. G. Burrows of Michigan will
become chairman of the ways and means
committee, with Mr.. Reed in the speakers
chair, but there is little doubt that he will
be given this important position, which
carries with it the Republican leadership
on the floor Of the House; if he fails in his
ambition to succeed Senator liattOn to his
seat in the Senate. With Mr. Reed i'll the