The Washington times., 1894-11-19
Men Who Nav Be at the Head Of the
Most Important Committees.
BURROWS FOR WAYS AND MEANS
Hermann as Chairman Of Rivers and Har-
bors-Milliken in Charge Of Public Build
inRs-Walke-. of Massachusetts, on Bank
ing and ourrency-ot of the Chairmen.

Congress are those on WAYS and Means, APP
preparations, Rules, Banking and Currency,
Rivers and Harbors, and Public Buildings
and Grounds. The first three named always
head the list in order Of importance. The
others are expected to assume impor-
tance in the next Congress, because of the
special 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-as is
hinted there may be-to revise the currency
laws ana change the present system. Such
legislation as this would lift the committee
dealing with it from its present plane of COM
parative insignifcance and place it for the
time alongside of the Ways and Means Com
mittee. The probability OF an effort TO secure
silver legislation, and the possibility that the
Republican party when it comes into power
in the House will want to formulate policy
on this question, will have the effect also Of
advancing the Coinage Committee 10 posi-
ton Of first rank
The Rivers and Harbors and Public Build
ings Committees will have the delicate task
as a committee Of The House can accomplish
this work. With so many new men as there
viii be on the Republican side in the next
Congress, and all of them feeling that it will
be necessary for them TO make a showing TO
their constituents, there will naturally be
pretty general elamor for appropriations for
post-Ottice buildings, customs-houses, and
river and haTbor improvements. While the
Republican party has always shown dispo-
sitiOn towards liberality in public improve
ment, there IS probability of an effort to
hold these miscellaneous appropriations as
low as possible. The low condition of the
Treasury and the fact that a Presidential
election will be so near at hand will be strong
arguments IN this direction, as will the posi-
bility of a Presidential veto.
The Republicans at present have six OF the
seventeen members of the Committee on
Rivers and Harbors, and all their members
have been reelected. except Mr.. Henderson,
OF Illinois. With Henderson out of the way
Hermann, OF Oregon, takes first place in the
Republican membership of the committee.
with Stephenson, Of Michigan; Hooker OF
New York; Grosvernor. OF Ohio, and Rey
burn, Of Pennsylvania, following in the order
named. II cannot, Of course, be known
whether the next Speaker will follow the
seniority rule. II he should Mr.. Hermann
would become chairman.
Mr. Nil iken, of Maine, heads the Republi-
can membership OF the COMMITTEES on Public
Buildings, and the chances are that if Mr..
Reed becomes Speaker Mr.. Milliken will be
chairman of this committee. Mr.. Morse. of
Massachusetts, is the only other Republican
member Of the COMMITTEES returned.
Only three of the old Republican members
Of the Committee on Banking and Currency
are re-elected. They are Messrs. Walker, OF
Massachusetts,; Russell, of Connecticut, and
I Johnson. Of Indiana. Mr.. Walker is the
senior Republican member He has from the
beginning OF his Congressional career taken
an active interest in financial questions, ana
his chances Of securing tie craftsmanship
would be the best
OF the six present Republican members of
the Committee on Coinage. Weights. and
Measures five have been reelected to the
Fiity-foCrth Congress. They are, inl the
order named: Stone of Pennsylvania. John
son of North Dakota. Dingley of Maine,
HGger Of Iowa, and Aldrich OF Illinois. Mr..
Stone would naturally become chairman of
the committee; but it is suggested that in
case OF Mr.. Reeds becoming Speaker he
/ might have a personal policy with reference
to silver which he would want to pursue,
and in that event 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, viii become chairman
Of the WAYS and Means Committee, with Mr..
Reed in the Speakers chair, and there is lit
tie doubt that he will be given this impor-
tant post, which carries with Il the RepubH-
can leadership on the floor of the House. if
he fails in his ambition TO succeed Senator
Patton to his sent IN the Senate. With Mr..
Reed in the Speakers chair and Mr.. Burrows
in the Senate there would be only three Re-
publican members of the present committee
left to choose from. these being Messrs.
Payne. Of New York. DalZel, of Pennsylva-
MA. and Hopkins, Of Illinois.
D. B. Henderson, of Iowa. is the ranking
Republican member of the Appropriations
Committee with Messrs Cogswell of Massa-
chusetts. Bingham. of PENNSYLVANIA. Dingley
Of Name, Grout, of Vermont. and Cannon, of
Illinois. coming in the order named. There
| is likely TO be conhicU between the first and
last named of this list While Henderson is
now the ranking Republican member of this
committee, Cannon was chairman in the
Fifty-trst Congress, and will probably ask to
have his place back.
1t is probable that neither Cannon nor Hen
derson will get the place, for in the event of
Burrows becoming chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, the probabilities are strong
that the East would demand the chairman
ship Of the next most important committee,
which would be that Of Appropriations. In
that contingency, Gen. Cogswell's chances
for being promoted to the head of the COM
mittee would be excellent.
II Mr.. Reed becomes Speaker the Repub-
lican membership of the Committee on Rules
viii probably be composed of himself and the
chairmen of the Appropriations and Ways
and Means Committees. lie pursued this
plan in the Fifty-frst Congress, and there is
reason to believe that he would revive it
rather than initiate Mr.. Crisp by more gen.
orally distributing the hopors.