Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-11-21

Judge Crisp. according to this opinion,
will be the leader of the minority in this
Congress by reason of having been the lead
er of the majority in the last Congress.
Speaker Reed will SO decide, and from that
decision there will be no appeal. Judge
Crisp will be placed at the head OF the
minority on ways and means. and at the
head of the minority on the committee on
rules. That Will fix his status in the House,
and give him the prestige of minority rec
ognition and leadership. The Speaker will
consider the minority through him, and In
that way definitely dispose of the question.
AS to whether the minority is agreed on the
more important subjects coming up for set
Element is sonnet hing, it is held, about which
the Speaker need not. and will not, concern
himself That is for the minority to attend
to. He Will follow the rule of courtesy and
right. and if Judge Crisp cannot manage his
team the blame will be with the judge, and
not with the man who gave him the lines.
Democratic Party Still for silver.
There Is another point. Speaker Reed, 1t
Is said, holds with other republican leaders
that the democratic party is still as a
party In favor of free silver. Mr.. Cleveland
and Mr.. Carlisle are classed the leaders
of only small portion of the party-a fac
ton powerless when not in cooperation
with the republican party. But Judge
Crisp is accepted as the leader of the men
received IN Kentucky, and who in Missis-
sippi carried the state free silver plat
form. 1t is insisted. therefore. that for Mr.
Reed to consider Mr.. Catchings of Missis-
sippi as an opponent of Judge Crisp on the
silver question. or Judge Patterson of
Tennessee as such opponent, when Judge
Pattersons distinction in Congress Is
founded on the fact that he is the only
sound money man in the House from that
state, would be illogical If not absurd.
Judge Crisp Is the all-wool, yard-wide
democrat. and with but one exception
Judge Turner-the whole delegation from
Georgia is with him. Goblin, not Short, is
Little Democracy's friend.
The State Bank Issue.
Then again, it is not matter of GER
tainty at this time what course the sound
money democrats are going to take. 1t
may be that during the session they may
forfeit, in republican opinion, the right to
be considered real sound money men. The
term is bestowed upon them now. because
of their opposition to free silver. But if
they are coming out for state bank cur
rency the term will be withdrawn from
them Speaker Reed, like Mr.. Sherman,
can see precious little difference between
the man who wants to retire the green
backs in the interests of state bank notes
and the man who wants to open the mints
free TO silver bullion. Until this point is
decided, therefore, democrats of both the
Crisp and the CatchingS schools will be on
much the same plane with republicans of
the Reed Sc hool. Except, of course. that
the Crisp democrats are thought to out
number the others ten to one.
Not Much show Anyway.
So, upon these several scores, Judge Crisp,
it is held, is entitled to receive and will re-
ceive the recognition of the minority leader
ship. The duties will not be arduous. The
democrats, all told. do not number cnc-third
of the House They will be able to get the
yeas and nays and now and then some SYM
pathy but not much more. If they do fall
out over the silver question, and the few men
of the Catchings-Pattersol stamp come out
for genuine sound money. they will have to
cooperate with the republicans and there
fore come under republican leadership
There will be such thing as democratic
sound money leadership in the House.