The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-12-09
! SENATE COMMITTEES.
The Republican Members Meet in
'tssssn-4. Caucus Today.
SOME OF THE PROBABLE oHA1RMEN


VIII Not be Announced Before satur-
day Next. Making Another Week. of In
action in That Body.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 9.-The probabilities
are that the week in tho senate this week
will be given up largely to cauousfng by
all parties md that tho senate dnily
sessions will be brief with little etfert 40
legislation. The introduction OF bills will
bo continued, though no work of conse-
quence can be done until the committees
are filled. There is nothing on the calen-
dar except two speeches, one by Senator
Morgan announced for today on the Behr-
ing seq question, and the other by Senator
Cullom on his Monroe doctrine resolution.
Tho Republican caucus committee of
the senate will hold its first formal meet
ing after the adjournment of the senate
today for the purpose of considering the
question of filling the committee vacan-
cies and selecting chairmcn of the various
committees. While nothing has been
finally agreed upon, 1t looks now al IL the
craftsmanship of the more important COM
mittees would be assigned as follows:
Agriculture, Proctor; appropriations,
Allison; coast defense, Squire; census,
Chandler; commerce, Frye; District of
Columbia, Mcmillan; finance. Morrill,;
fisheries, Perkins; foreign relations, Sher-
man; immigration, Lodge; Indian affairs,
Pettigrew; Interstate commerce, Cullom;
ley; naval affairs, Cameron; postofhces
and post roads, Wolcott; printing, Hale;
privileges and elections, Mitchell tOre.);
public buildings and grounds, Quay; rela-
tions with Canada Carter; rules Aldrich;
territories, Davis.
A majority of these assignments go to
the senators whose names are mentioned
by virtue of seniority, but there are some
exceptions made necessary by the proba-
bility of senior members receiving other
assignments Senator Platt is, for in
stance, senior Republican on Indian af-
fairs and territories, and the only Repub-
lican member on patents and revision of
tho1aws and could have his choice of the
Craftsmanship of these committees but for
the probability of his being given place
on the finance committee, in which event
he would surrender his place at the head
of Indian affairs to Senator Pettigrew and
on tho territories to Senator Davis and
probably become chairman of either pat
ents or revision of the laws.
Senator Mitchell will have his chbice of
the craftsmanship of either privileges and
elections or postoffices and post roads, but
will choose the first and will thus advance
Wolcott to the head of postof1ices and post
roads. On the oUher hand, Senator Teller
is at the head of the Republican member
ship of no committee, and one OF the prob
lens with which the caucus committee
has to deal is that of furnishing him with
an acceptable committee. Senator Chand-
Ter is not member of the census commit
tee, but as the existing members of the
committee all get other chairmanslips ho
il enabled to take the place at the Head Of
this committee.
Among the important chairmanships
concerning which there is certainty us
yet are those OF contingent expenses,
claims education and labor, enrolled bills,
library, Pacific railroads, patents, pen
sions, railroads and revision of the laws.
There are some committees on which
memberships are just as much sought
as chairmanships of others. Theseare ap-
propriations Judiciary, finance, foreign
relations and commerce. If the Republi-
cans organize Senator Brice will retire
from the commerce committee and his
place will be filled by Republican. The
nspirants are Senators Quay, Pettigrew
and Perkins.
1t appears probable that the finance COM
mittec will be enlarged from eleven to
thirteen members. In that event the Re-
publicans Will name Senators Cameron
and Platt for the two places at their dis
posal, and the Democrats would probably
select Senator Daniel MS their additional
representative. Senators Wolcott and
Lodge are slated for foreign relations. The
membership of the judiciary committee
has been but slightly discussed. There arc
two vacancies there, and it is possible they
may be given to Senators Thurston and
Davis, or to Thurston or some other new
man.
In the event of the Republicans being
allowed to organize they will have a chair
manship for each Republican senator. with
one to spare even after the Utah senators
shall take their seats.
The house program this week is a dreary
waste. Until the committees are appointed
the machinery of the house is blocked and
nothing can be done, savo by unanimous
consent Any resolution that might be
presented-and it Is in this form that the
sensations that agltato the lower branch
of congress are usually sprung-would go
down before q single objection. For this
reason no attempt will be made to do any
thing until Speaker Reed announces his
committees, which he now expects to have
ready at the end of the week. There prob
ably will be but three brief sessions this
week. An adjournment will be tHken to-
day till Wednesday or Thursday, and
from that date until Saturday, when tho
committees will be announced. The indi-
cations are that practically nothing can
be done in the way of tho consideration OF
actual legislation until after the holidays
AS the president is absent on his hunt.
ing trip there is no probability that tho
reply of Lord Salisbury's letter to Secre-
tary Olncy's note regarding the Nenezue-
Ian boundary dispute, in which congress
Is so deeply Interested, will be sent to the
house this week. There may be an attempt
through n resolution to procure from Sec-
retary olney the letter sent by him to tho
English premier last July and Salisbury $
reply received on Saturday, but should
such an attempt be made it will unques-
tionably prove abortive. The adoption of
such n resolution would reauire unani-
nous consent and there is no doubt that
some friend of the administration would
object to it as lacking in defercnce to the
president in his absence.