Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1895-11-30
COMMITTEE ASSIGNMENTS.
A Review Of the Situation at the cap-
itaI as Now Seen.

A Review Of the Situation at the Caps
i itaI as Now Seen.
4 lFromour regular correspondent
4 WASHINGTON, Nov. Hon.
Thomas B. Reed knows from exper-
fence that it is best to make no pre-
mature announcement concerning the
Icommittee 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 a dozen members of the House
will know to 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 entirely
unknown to him. However, he is
rare hand at correctly sizing man
up after talking with him, and he
will meet all of the Republican men,
bers before he takes his seat as Speak
err
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
Republicans are going to do are mere
ly guesses founded upon the opinions
of individuals. Whether the Repub-
licans will attempt to reorganize the
Senate is an open question and will
remain such until caucus considers
the matter and decides what shall be
done. 1t may not be necessary for
the Republicans of the House to hold
a caucus to map out a policy, but it
would not be surprising if they did,
as the leaders OF the party are espe-
cially DESTROYS 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 in
tent upon achieving personal notoriety
by making sensational 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 the cuekoos, about Mr..
Cleveland Furnishing ex-Speaker Crisp
for his silver views by having the
Democratic nomination for Speaker of
the House and the consequent leader
ship of the Democrats in that body
given to acuckoo instead ofMr. 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 jul
dicious use of patronage, but it is not
at probable that it will care to go into
contest of that sort. 1t 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 whole
sale punishment of those Democrats
who do not agree with him is doubt
less 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 Furnishing others.
1t is seldom that such absolute in
difference is shown by Senators and
Representatives a week before the
meeting of Congress as to what recon-
lnendations the Presidents message
may contain as exists among those
now in Washington. This indiffer-
ence is not confined to either party.
Everybody seems to have arrived at
the conclusion that it makes no differ
ence what Mr.. Cleveland may say or
leave unsaid; that it is the wisdom of
the Republicans in Congress that
must be depended upon and not Mr..
Cleveland's Message.
Some of the candidates for the minor
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 pro-
claimed itself national party, even
when one section was solidly arrayed
against it, and it is not likely to in
dorse sectionalism in any form now.
They Fill vacuums.
Cincinnati Post.