The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-04-24
Republican Senator's Agreed to
GOrman'S Committee Proposal.
CHANDLER VENTS SARCASM
Finance Committee Free Snver-3e-
puhlicans Control Postoffices and
Postroads-SenatOr Haker, of KAN
sas, Considers That He Ras Been
Left in tie Cold.

| its committee to the last conference, an
VIII proceed to fill The committee yacai
cies in accordance with that proposition
which is Il compromise and the best thin
} the plurality party appears to tie able t
get.
Under this compromise the Republican
get apadditiolalmenber on Appropriation
: and an additional member On Postoffice
and Postroads, ana an additional menIte
ON eight other committees, all of them un
important. The only concession OF nteri
made by Senator German was the extr,
member on Appropriations and Postoffioe
ana Fostfoads. Under this scheme the
Republicans will hold forty chairnaus hips
ana be charged with the responsibility o
legislation without having the full ma
chinery OF legislation vested in them
They viii not control the Appropria
lions Committee, the two boiling Repub
HcaBs, Senators Teller and Pe,tigEew
holding the balance OF power Nett heI
will they lie able TO dominate the Finance
Committee, the great political committee
of the senate, for that committee remains
as il did during the last Congress, free silver
10y comfortable majority, with Senator
Jones, OF Nevada, holding the balance OF
power.
By the concession of the additi onal
member on PoStoffices and Postroads the
Republicans viii controlthat committee, it
being, owing to the post office nominations
that come hefore it, political UrganiZa.
ton to a very considerable extent The
remainder OF the committees, before which
nothing hut routine business comes, will
| be dominated in the main by the plurality
| panty. Taken altogether. however, the
| situation is an anamoluuS one. The Demo-
rats refused TO recognize the bulting Re
| puhlicans, who TepUdiated Mckinley aud
| supported Bryan, as anything other than
| good Republicans and insisted from first 10
last that they lac taken care Of and not
molested lay removal from their preseat
| committee assignments In this the Re
| puhliCans were forced to concur.
| The discussion in caucus this morning
| was devoid of sensational incidents. OPP
! position was manifested to the program
] that appeared to be determined upon. but
! that antagonism gave way in the presence
| Of superior numbers. Senators Allison,
! Mcmillan, Frye, HawIey. SEouner ana
! Lodge of the old Senators agreed that
| the conclusion reached by the committee
| was the best that could be done, and they
were indorsed by such new members as
| Senators Fairbanks of Indiana and Mason
OF Illinois
Those who advocated the adoption OF the
compromise argued that TO do other wise
would endanger the success of the tariff
Bill. which was to be reported next Hsek
II was stated that if the Republicans went
about the business of attemuting 10 fill
these vacancies by ignoring the Democrats
a row would be precipitated IN the Senate
that would engender ill-feeing and fierce
a situation that would lose the Republicans
votes that were already pledged for the
tariff measure and preeipitate a debate
the end Of which no man could for .see.
Congress had been called in, extra ses sion
foF the sole purpose of passing q tariff
bill, and if the Republicans deliberately
did anything that wodld initiate aCainst
that measure. Messrs. Frye, Hawley Gnd
Lodge said, the country could and would
justly hold the Senate a. nd the men who
were responsible to a strict accountability
for the way in which they had bnngled
the business.
The only ones Of the new members who
spoke were Fairbanks of Indiana and
Mason of Illinois, and each of these gentle
men spoke but briefly. Mr.. Fairbanks said
that while the new men had a just cause
for complaint, he did not propose TO stand
in tie way OF the tariff bill What he
wantea first and foremost was the pa ss-
age of rhat bill; that was what his people
wanted, and his personal feelings with re-
spect to the committee vacancies must
give way to the higher public duty MIR.
Mason was of the same mind, although he
was one of the most bitter complainaAtS |
at the previous caucus. Mr.. Mason saw
the drift OF the situation and lost no time |
in getting aboard the band wagon Sen |
ator Foraker made no speech, but was |
quite active in circulating among the new |
senators and securing their consent to the |
adoption Of the proposition made by the |
committee
Mr.. WOlcott afforded some amusement |
for his associates by his speech. He did |
not arrive until after the drift of the Senti- |
ment had been thoroughly ventilated, and |
everybody knew what was to be the out
come of the vote. Mr. Woloott, however
forged TO the front at once, and repeated |
much of the speech he had made the day
before, and urged the committee to confer
with the POpulists, and see if the commit
tee of which Mr.. German was chairman
actually represented the alleged allied
forces in tie Senate said to be opposed to
the policy Of the more radical Republicans |
Mr. Welcott opposed action until the COM
mittee was able to report definitely upon
this particular subject.
Mr.. Chandler saw that he was beaten,
and made a speech apologetic in its char
acter, but full of sarcasm. He apologized |
for going contra to the best thought of the
Republicans, but insisted that the caucus
committee had taken entirely too much for |
granted when it accepted Mr.. German as
the spokesman of a combination that if it
really existed, could take everything in !
sight
1t was exceedingly generous in this COM |
Mr.. Chandler said, after show
ing it's power, to voluntarily grant to the
forty Clfairmanships and sun
dry other concessions, which concessions,
Mr.. Chandler added, sarcastically, gave
the country a wrong impression The |
country would see only the fact that the |
possessed the claiFmanships /
and would rightly hold them respon nsibIe
for whatever harm might arise from the
complexion Of the COM
mittees.
Mr.. Chandler urged the caucus to act |
as it did two years ago; to ignore the
committee, and report a rese-
luton to the Senate providing for the
filling Of the vacancies, after first having
with the populists and secured
heir consent TO proposition to refrain
rom voting, as was then done. Either
his should be done, and the Republicans