St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-11-19
ONLY SPECULATION.
Gossip as to Chairmen of
Committees in the Fifty
Fourth Congress.
THE PLACES OF IMPORTANCE.
Currency Revision Makes the
Banking Committee One
Of the Leaders.
THE PLACES OF IMPORTANCE.
SENATORS SAVING WOOD,
But Those Of the Democratic
Persu aston Are Doing No
Talking.


WASHINGTON, Nov. S.-The house
committees which are expected to be of
the greatest Importance in the next
congress are those on ways and means,
appropriations, rules, banking and cur
rency, coinage, weights and measures.
rivers and harbOrS. and public buildings
and grounds. The nrSt three named
always head the list in order of i'm
portance. The others are expected to
assume Importance in the next congress
because of the especial conditions which
will prevail during that congress. The
banking committee Will certainly be
one of the most important committees
III the entire list if there should be an
effort, as is limited there may be, to re-
wise the currency laws and change the
present system. Such Legislation as this
would lift the committee dealing with
it from its present place of inslgnif-
icance and place it for the time along
side the ways and means committee.
The probability of an effort to secure
silver legislation, and the probability
that the Republican party, when it
comes into power in the house, will
want to
Formulate a Policy
on this question. will have the effect
also of advancing the coinage committee
to a position Of first rank. The river
and harbOr and public buildings COM
mittees Will have the delicate task of
providing for public improvements, so
far as committees of the house can ac-
cOmpliSh this WORK. With SO many new
men as there Will be on the Republican
side in the congress. and all of them
feeling that it will be necessary for
them to make a showing to their con-
stituents, there will naturally be a
pretty general clamoT for appropriations
tor pOStoffice buildings, customs houses
and river and harbor improvements.
While The Republican party has always
shown a disposition towards liberality
IN public improvements, there is prob
ability of an effort to hold these miScel-
laneOus appropriations AS low as posi-
bic. The low condition of the treasury,
and the fact that presidential election
will be SO near at hand, will prove
strong arguments in this direction, a5
will the possibility OF a presidential
veto. Republicans at present have six
of the seventeen members of the COM
mittee on rivers and harboFs, 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 Michi-
gan; Hooker, of New York: Grosyenor,
of Ohio, and Reyburn, OfAPennSylyania,
following in the order named. 1t can
not, of course, be known whether the
next speaker will follow the seniority
rule: if he should, Mr.. Hermann would
become chairman. Mr.. MIlhken, of
Maine, heads the Republican member
ship of the committee on public build
ings, and the chances are that, if Mr.
Reed becomes speaker, Mr.. MillIken
will be chairman of this committee.
other Republican member of the com.
mlttee returned. Only three of the old
Republican members of the committee
on banking and currency are reelected.
They are MessrS. Walker, Of Massa-
chusetts: Russell. Of Connecticut, and
johnson, of Indiana. Mr.. Walker is the
senior Republican member. He has
from the beginning of his congressional
career taken an active interest in fin
ancial questions, and his chances of Sc
curing the chairmanship will be the
best. Of the six present Republican
members of the committee on coinage,
weights and measures,
Five Have Been Re-eIected
TO the Fifty-fourth congress. They are,
In the order named, Stone, OF Pennsyl-
vania; JOnnson,o of North Dakota; Ding
ley, of Maine; Hagar. of Iowa, and AL
drlch, Of Illinois. Mr. Stone would
naturally become chairman of the COM
mittee, but it is suggested that, in case
of Nj. Reed 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 post which carries
with it the Republican leadership on
the floor Of the house, if he fails in his
ambition to succeed Senator Patten to
his seat in the senate. With Mr.. Reed
in the speakers chair and Mr.. Burrows
in the senate, there would be only three
Republican members of the presen:
committee left to choose from. these
being Messrs. Payne, of New York :;
DalzeIl, OF Pennsylvania. and Hopkins,
Of Illinois. d. B. Henderson, Of Iowa,
Is the ranking Republican member of
the appropriations committee, with
Messrs. CogsweJl, of Massachusetts, !;
Bingham, of Pennsylvania; Dingley, of
Maine; Grout. of Vermont, and Cannon,
Of Illinois, coming in the order named.
There is likely to be
A Conflict
between the first and last-named of this
list. While Henderson is now the rank.
Ing member of the committee, Cannon
was chairman in the Fifty first cons