The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1895-12-06
ashingtOn Letter.
From our regular Corresponds

WASHINGTON, ID. c., Nov. 80, 1895.
Hon. Thomas B. Reed knows from
Iexperience that it isn't best to make
premature announcement concerning
the committee assignment of members
OF the House. While it is certain that
Mr.. Reed has already assigned all of
the old members of the House to Com
mittees, it is not probable that more
than dozen members of the House
will know to q certainty their own
places on the committees, and less
than that number the places OF other
members, before the official announce
ment is made after Mr. Reed has been
formally elected Speaker. Mr.. Reed
will have more trouble in properly
placing the new members, and will
have to rely largely upon the advice
of others. as many of them are entire
ly unknown to him. However, he is
a rare hand at correctly sizing man
up after talking With him, and he will
meet AL of the republican members
before he takes his seat as Speaker.
1t is not necessary to do more than
mention the fact that less than fifty
senators and representatives have yet
arrived in Washington to make. it
plain that the numerous stories sent
out purporting to tell what. the repub-
licans are going to do are merely
guesses founded upon the opinions of
individuals. Whether the republicans
will attempt to reorganize the Senate
is an open question and will remain
such until caucus considers the mat
ter and decides what shall be done 1t
may not be necessary Tor the republic
cans of the House to hold caucus to
map out policy. but it would not be
surprising if they did, as the leaders of
the party are especially desirous that
whatever is done shall be in the line of
party policy and that there shall be no
bushwhacking on the part of those
who are more intent upon achieving
personal notoriety by making sensa-
tional speeches than of advancing the
welfare of the party as whole.
There are several reasons-all good
why the talk, which has been in
dulged in by cuckoos, about Mr.. Cleve-
land Furnishing ex-Speaker Crisp for
his silver views by having the demo-
cratic nomination for Speaker of the
House and the consequent leadership
of the democrats in that body given to
some cuckoo instead of to Mr.. Crisp,
has been amusing to those who know
the financial status of majority of
the democratic members of the House
1t is only necessary to mention one of
these reasons-a majority of the dem
ocratic members hold precisely the
same views that Mr.. Crisp does, or at
least they did when last heard from
by their constituents. OF course it is
possible that the administration can
control some of these votes by juci-
cious use of patronage, but it is not at
all probable that it will care to go into
a contest of that sort. Tt might end
not only with the nomination of Crisp
by the democratic caucus but gall
might be added to the bitterness by
the adoption of silver resolution.
That Mr.. Cleveland would like, if he
had the power, to go into the wholesale
punishment of those democrats who
do not agree with him is doubtless true,
but his time will be SO fully taken up
with lodging the missiles SHE'D at his
head from both Senate and House that
he will have no time to devote to pun
lshing others.
1t is seldom that such absolute in
Inference is shown by senators and
representatives. week before the meet
,g of Congress as to what recon-
pdations the Presidents Message
y contain as exists among those
Nv in Washington This indifference
not confined to either party. Every
,dy seems to have arrived at the con-
usion that it makes no difference
hat Mr.. Cleveland may say or leave
nsaid tnat it is the wisdom of the
epublicans in Congress that must be
depended upon and not Mr.. Cleve-
and's Message.
Some of the candidates for the mi
nor House offices are trying to turn it
into a sectional contest-this Office for
The South, that for the West, the
other for the East, ETC., but it is not
probable that the caucus will make its
selections upon that basis. There has
been too much sectional politics in
this country. The republican party
has always proclaimed itself national
party, even when one section was solid
ly arrayed against it, and it is not
likely to endorse sectionalism in any
form now.