The Portland daily press., 1897-02-19
MR.. REED UNDECIDED
In Regard to Appointment Commit.
tees Of Next House.
AT EXTRA SESSION OF CONGRESS
SOON TO BE CALLED.

The Problem a Difficult One and Only To
Be Sc tiled After Consultations With
Leading Members of the House-Might
Hasten Passage of Tariff Bill. But
There Are Grave Objections to Policy
(sPEcIAL TO THE PREss.l
Washington, February IS. .-Consider-
able speculation is now being indnlged
In aa to the policy which will he pur-
sued In the organization CT the next
House whom it meets on or. about the
18TH Of next March. As the date Is now
near at hand this speculation is prompt
ed by general interest. OF course the
object of the session will be primarily
the passage OF tariff bill. and Speaker
Reed may be relied on to use every prop
er means to get 1t through the House in
the best possible shape at the earliest
possible moment. 1t REG quired something
like 20 days for the Mckinley bill to pass
the House in the 51st Congress, with the
Democrats fighting and obstructing at
every step. The Democrats will not
obstruct or offer factious opposition
this time; but on the other hand the
Republicans, being In large majority,
will not feel the need for perfect disoi-
pline, and for subordinating personal
desires to the common end, that was felt
by the Spartan-like majority in the ever
memorable 51st.
g In this connection the appointment of
the committees will have an important
bearing. 1t has been quite widely an
nounoed that Mr.. Reed will appoint
only the ways and means, mileage, ac-
counts and enrolled bills committees at
the special session. these bsing the only
ones necessary for the passage of tariff
bill. II has been argued that such
course will facilitate the passage Of the
bill because, the members having their
COMMITTEES assignmentssyet to come, will
not feel like antagonizing the general
party policy for reasons purely local and
selfish. Then also such course will
avoid opposition or lukewarmness from
those who are disappointed in committee
places, for there always must be such.
On the other hand, the House will have
much time on it's hands while the SEN
ate Is working on the bill. Some predict
that the bill will be law in 80 days af-
ter March 18th, but the older and more
experience shrug their shoulders at this
suggestion. The truth is, the Senate is
an unknown quality and the tariff bill
that goes through it must 60 slowly and
work!its way inch by inch by concessions
who are not in close fellowship with
the Republican party. When the Wilson
bill was in the Senate, Senator Quay
forced the Democrats to make the iron
and steel schedule satisfactory to Penn
sylvania simply by compiling lot of
facts figures, opinions, theories, ETC.,
which he called a speech. He prepared
an indefinite quantity of this and when
ever the Wilson bill would seem to be
making progress he would produce an in
stallment of the speech and address the
Senate. A fter this had continued for q
the idea that the bill would never be-
come law until Quay got through his
speech, and in some way they were led
to suspect that he would never end the
speech until the iron and steel schedule
should be satisfactory to Pennsylvania.
So the matter was arranged This illus
trates the difficulties in the way of q
tariff bill in body where the rules
sllow one Senator to stop the perform
auce.
So it is that the older leaders look
for long period during which the
House will have to wait for the Senate,
and therefore the policy OF having no
committees and doing no work will not be
without great difficulties. The 46th Con-
gresa was nBlled together in special ses-
sion to enact several appropriation bills
which had failed TO get through tie 45th
Congress. Mr.. Randall was Speaker
and tried to appoint only the appro
priations committee, but the pressure
was SO great as to make the policy too
burdensome.
The Speaker has been urged to appoint
at least the elections committees IN ad-
dition to the four named above, and
spend the spare time i'll settling the con-
tested election cases, of which there are
u large number. A IS these cases all
ought to be disposed of, and as an early
disposition saves considerable money tn
the government, besides being the proper
thing in every way. such plan may be
considered seriously.
50 far, however, Speaker Heed has
come to no conclusion, and be probably
will not do so until after consultation
with many party leaders, especially
among the members of the house.
The making up Of the commi5tees VIII
not, of course, be so arduous as at the
beginning of this Congress, because the
new members are not so numerous ahu
most of the chairmen will remain In
their present POSITIONS. In ell ABOUT lou
new men will come in. and IN audltloh
some Of the old men will want promo
tions and changes.
Nominations by Governor powers