The morning times., 1897-03-10
Beset by Statesmen Eager for
Coed Committee Assignments.
POPULISTS WANT RECOGNITION
Claim That Their Political Organi-
zafion Is Now of National Mag
nitude-A Spirited Contest for
Leader shipof the Minority-Three
Candidates in the Field.

at the Shoreham Hotel, where he resides
and receives visits from statesmen who
are eager for satisfactory assignments TO
committee places in the new House, which
meets next Monday.
4 great many more or less puzzling prob
lens are presented to his attention and
yesterday one of the most interesting was
offered by Representative John C. Bell, OF
Colorado, the Populist leader in the House,
who is also distinguls he'd as the man who
received the largest majority ever given Il
candidate for Congress from any district
IN the United States
RepresenIatih Bel, on behalf of the
Populst membership of the new House,
asked additional recogniti on for that
party in committee membership, and also
in the division Of time between the sides
in the new Congress. He particularly
asked for the Populist membership one
of the places on the Committee on Ways
and Means. He invited the attention Of
the Speaker to the fact THAI there would
he twenty-one straight Populists in the
new House, not To mention five or six
fusion members who were nominated
l.
whom we fully expect will join with us
in the new House. The PopuIist mem
bership, according to Mr.. Bells state
ment, is divided as follows:
Alabama, 1; California, 2; Colorado, l.;
Kansas. 3; Nebraska, 3: Idaho, 2; South
Dakota, 2; North Carolina, 3, and Okla
homa, !. In his statement TO the Speaker
Mr.. Bell called attention to the fact
that the Populist party was a political
organization of national magnitude. 1t
has the largest third party representation
known in the House in forty years, seven
United States Senators, and had COM
plete control of several States OF the
Union. As a party it polied vote equal
to about one seventh of the total vote
of the United States. and about one-halT
of the total vote of the Democratic party.
Therefore, he urged its recognition as
grown party. representing eight millions
OF the American people.
MI Bell was tie / ouiuee Of tie Tcpulist
caucus for Speaker OF The Fifty-fcurth
Congress, and viii presumably be renomi-
mated for that distinction at the Ior@.ist
caucus next Saturday. 1t IS said that lie
is also likely to re the ctCice of his cd-
leagues for membership On the Ways and
Means Committee, If Speaker Reed deter
mines To recognize the party in that
manner Nj. Eell left with the Speaker
yesterday a formal statement of tie de-
sires OF the PCpulist membership.
Many of the Democratic leaders in the
House are hopeful that the Populist and
silver Republicans viii not caucus sepa-
rately, but all go in together in the Demo
cratic caucus This, however, seems at
present an improbable result. Nearly all
Of the so-called fusi0nists VIII participate
in Saturdays Democratic caucus, but the
PopuIist and Free Silver membership is
likely to hold separate caucUses and vote
for their own candidates for Speaker al
though they may adopt the Democratic
slate for minor House officers.
There are, as stated by Mr. Bell, twenty
one Populists in the House. There are
four members Of the new House who may
be said to form the Silver party. These
are Hartman of Montana, Jones of Wash
lngton, Newlands OF Nevada, and Shafroth
of Colorado. If these gentlemen make
separate nomination FOR Speaker the
candidate will be Hartman, OF Montana
Mr Hartman, himself, has not yet de-
ternined whether he will participate in
the Democratic caucus or favor a separate
one He said to The Times yesterday;
~ know one thing, and that is that /
shall not vote for Speaker Reed, altI0"sh
he has been personally very considerable TO
me / think such n course on my part
would not be in keeping with my con-
victions and the attitude Of the people
OF the West
All Indications point to a very spirited
contest before Saturdays Democratic
caucus for the Speakership. The three
leading candidates, Richardson and Nc
Millin, of Tennessee, and Bailey, OF Texas,
are all actively at work among old and
new members doing all the proSelytiZing
possible. Each gentleman is conducting his
campaign modestly, but they fully ap-
preciate the decided Importance of winning
the Nomination. II carries with 1T the
minority leadership and the ranking place
in minority membership of the Committee
on Ways and Means, and the Committee
on Rules More than this the successful
man viii be a formidable candidate for
Speaker in the first Democratic House, and
as most of the Democratic members are
serenely confident that the House in the
Fifty-sixth Congress will be Democratic,
that may be supposed by many.
1t Is an interesting fact that il now
falls to the lot of the House to choose a
Democratic leader for the fourth time
iu a quarter of century. Samuel ].
Randall, a S Member and Speaker, was the
conceded Democratic leader from 1876
TO 1888; John g. Carlisle from 1888 TO
his retirement to enter tie Senate, and
Charles F. Crisp from the retirement of
Carlisle to his own death last fall.
There are for the first time no Northern
candidates for . democratic leadership.
The cyclone OF 1894 practically swept the
Northern Democratic party out of Con-
gress, as only thirteen Democrats were
elected to the House from all that part
OF the United States north of the Mason
and Dixon line. and west of Missouri
and Texas. In the new House, however,
there will lie nearly fifty Democratic Rep
resentatives from this region, and while
It presents no candidate for Speaker,
these men are likely to prove to have the
deciding vote III the matter of selecting
a Democratic leader.
The three rival candidates have all been
long prominent in the House McMillin
and Richardson are Congressional vet
Grams, and Congressman Bailey, although
not vet thirty-four years old, is now serv-
ing his fourth term in Congress. The two
TenneSSeeans are among the members or
longest service in the House Benton Nc
Nillin has represented the same district
for twenty years, and Mr.. Richardson's
experience is only a few years less In
duration. McAnIlin is now the ranking
Democratic member on 10th Ways and
Means and Rules. He is the only man still
a member of CONGRESS who was q candidate