Evening star., 1897-04-03
The Leader of the Young Democracy
in the House.
SIGNIFICANCE OF HIS SITUATION
He Has Profited by the Favor Of
Speaker Reed.
SOMETHING ABOUT THE MAN
Written for The Evening Star.


The selection of Joseph w. Bailey Of Tex
as the democratic candidate for Speaker of
the House Of Representatives emphasized
peculiarly the action of the Chicago con-
vention last fall. That convention nomi-
mated William J. Bryan, thirty-six years
old, as its candidate for the presidency.
The nomination fired the hearts of the
young democracy In the south and west.
They went into the campaign with zest and
zeal born OF a power almost religious. 1t
was the reflex of the wave in the United
States Senate. where young men had come
to the front to stay They are there today,
and their number there is increasing. An
tiques in politics are being sent to the
| back seats. The young element has also
discovered its power in the House. and has
asserted it without regard to precedent. 1t
takes genuine delight in burying precedent.
It is the same element that has astounded
the grave and reverend seignors Of the
Senate for the last four years. 1t Is now
showing its strength in the House of Repre-
sentatives. This 1t is that makes the selec-
ton Of Mr.. Bailey significant. The inde-
pendent course taken by Dubois, Hans
brough, Allen. Kyle, Mantle, Prtchard,
Wilson and others with unsilvered hair In
the Senate Is finding its echo in the other
wing of the Capitol The democratic mem
bers are the first to respond by choosing
Joseph w. Bailey as their candidate for
Speaker. The selection carried with it the
leadership Of the minority on the floor.
That Bailey could walk off with the prize,
with such veterans McMillin and Bland
in competition may excite surprise, but ii
| Is by no means astonishing. The old men,
bers failed to see the cloud on the horizon.
They relied too much upon the strength of
term Of service. General Henderson of Il
linois made the same mistake when a can
didate for clerk in the last House of Repre-
sentatives. Baileys friends. with very few
exceptions. were men youthful and bright
eyed. without tufts Of gray moss on their
chins, and without rheumatic pains in their
joints. They worked night and lay. while
the veterans were asleep. Intuitively feeling
their power, they gathered and used 1t
with irresistible force
An Element of Strength.
Bailey is thirty-three years old. His
youthful friends pointed to his age with
| pride. They regarded it as an element Of
strength. and not as a weakness. They re-
called the fact that Napoleon commanded
the army Of Italy when he was only twen-
| ty-six, but they seem to have forgotten that
Vergneaud, the chief Of the Girondists, led
his party to ruin and lost his own head
when at the same age of Bailey. veteran
Senator, on hearing of Bailey's nomination,
said: WELL the nrchins are top. There
are two roads before them. One Is to
Tophet, and the other to glorious VIC
tory. w men tney WILL take ume WILL
develop. The march may be as destructive
| as the march of the Marseillais to Paris.
and 1t may be as glorious as the march of
| the battalions headed by Carnot at Wat
| tignies.
Certain 1t Is that Bailey has aplomb. dig
| nifty and boldness. He Is resourceful and
| tactical An excellent speaker. polished in
manner. logical II not versatile. and of
pleasing presence, he must attract atten-
| ;ion. The galleries Will be more than ever
| charmed with him., but the veterans of the
| House will be apt to be cynical and skept-
! cal as to his judg rnent. They will hardly
l follow his leadership, with alacrity. II 1t is
| tempered with good judgment. he may win
| their affection. as Caesar won the affec
| tions of the Tenth Legion by his campaigns
| in Gaul. There are dangerous defiles from
J which to debouch and perilous heights to
| climb. Ambuscades are to be feared, and
| there are unfordable rivers to cross. Some
| fear that the young leader will be vain and
| conceited, If not self-opinionated. They say
| that he IS more fitted to play the role of
| Apollo than that of Mars. His record in
| the House of Representatives however, is
| good. He inherits to a great extent the con-
ceptions and ideas OF that old eXemplar of
| Texas political philosophy, John II. Rea-
gan Indeed. 1t sometimes looks as though
| the young Texan had taken Reagan for his
| mentor Through whatever canyon he is
| marching, over whatever crags in poll
ties he Is climbing. he keeps his eye on the
| Constitution. 1t is to him the ark of the
| covenant. Wherever there is the slightest
| doubt as to the constitutonality of a meas
| ure, he vigorously attacks it, For instance
| he does not believe that Congress has a
| constitutional right to charter corporations,
| and he has inflexibly set his face against
| such measures Glass legislation Is his
abomination. He has introduced resolu-
| tions abolshng the retired list In the navy.
the army with the same disfavor. If he
| had it in his power, there is no doubt but
what he would wipe out both lists
Speaker Reeds Recognition.
A keen and discerning politician, he has
| won the confidence of his younger associ-
ates. Indeed. they regard him with en-
thusiasm. They will support him heartily
! and without reserve. The veterans, how
| ever. will be harder to manage. They may
| try to wrest the leadership from him, when
| important measures are being considered.
| 1t will be difficult however, for them to do
| this while Thomas b. Reed Is Speaker CT
the House. Mr.. Reeds recognition OF Bailey
| as the leader of the minority will have
| great weight in making him the real lead
er. Mr.. Reed has treated the young Texan
| with marked favor. When he announced
| his committees last year, Mr. Bailey ap-
| peared a member Of the judiciary and
| elections committees and also of the COM
| mittee on revision of the laws. Speaker
| Reed made him one of the six democratic:
| members of the committee on judiciary.
| THIS gave Texas two places on that COM
niiftee, David B. Culberson Of that state be-
ing the leader of the minority, having serv-
ed as chairman for many years.
A marked evidence of the Speakers favor
| vas shown on the death of ex-Speaker
Crisp. His death left a vacancy i'll the
committee on rules. TO the astonishment
OF the House, Mr.. Reed placed Mr.. Bailey
in the vacancy. This was Of itself either
distinctive mark Of the personal conf
| dence Of Thomas B. Reed. or recognition
on the part Of the Speaker of young Bailey
| as a democratic leader. Bailey had served
| orly two terms In the House. His selec-
ton looked like marked discourtesy to Cen.
Thomas C. Catchings of Mississippi, who
had been a member since March 4. 1855,
and who had served. on the committee on
rules through Mr.. Crisps term as Speaker.
When Mr.. Reed appointed his committee
on rules at the beginning Of the Fifty
fourth Congress he. put Benton McMillin
in the place oeelipisd by Gen: catchlnss.
This was strictly in line with precedent,
McMillin having, ,setved sixteen years in
the House; but when Crisp died he set
aside all precedeft BY appointing Mr.. Bal
ley. But the most. marked sign Of Mr..
Reeds preferment for Mr.. Bailey was
shown at the beginning of this extra ses-
sion. The Texan had never been mem
Der of the ways and means, yet the
Speaker placed ahnN at the head of the