The age-herald., 1898-08-26
DEMOCRATS WANT A
 LEADER IN THE HOUSE

representatives they will be mighty scarce of leadership timber. There is nobody in the present house who is ca- pable of successfully handling that unusu- ally ruly body. Bailey, of Texas, will in all probability, be the speaker of the next house if it is democratic, but if he is not more of @ success as a leader of the ma jority than he has been of the minority he will be a miserable failure. His proba- ble election as presiding officer of the house is generally deplored by the men who have the best interests of the democratic party in view. Gen. Patrick A. Collins, formerly member of congress from Boston, and consul general to London under the last administration, is one of the oid-time dem- ocrats who regrets that there is not Ram dall to take the leadership of the lower house of congress. In discussing the situ- ation the other day Gen. Collins said:
 Practically, the house has been without leadership on the democratic side since Morrison retired and Randall and Crisp died. Speaker Carlisle was never a leader. for he lacked aggressiveness and sand; but Morrison, Randall and Crisp had both in abundance. During the last and present congress the country has been treated to mortifying spectacle as to democratic leadership. Young Bailey of Texas and the aged Bland. of Missouri seem to have been repudiated by their state conventions on the question of territorial expansion. I have no sympathy with them, for they are living in the past The democratic party is entitled to the confidence of the country only when it Is true to it's ancient faith and moorings and does not run off after strange gods. great opportunity is now presented to Senator German and ex-Sen- ator Hill to enter the next house of repre- sentatives, as they live in districts which are reasonably certain to go democratic. l should like to see the time when it would be the rule for strong men to go to con- gross from any district in their respective states That is the English rue and it works well. The machine may pull down a good strong man in certain district while another, and, perhaps. adjoining district, would be only too happy to take him up and send him to congress. Why should not Senator German, whose term in the Sem ate expires with the present congress, and ex-Senator Hill, as well as Col. Morrison, go into congress again? We have the pre- cedent of a president of the United States John Quincy Adams). after going out of the executive mansion, entering the house of representatives, where he was the real leader until his death. There are many instances of senators being elected to the house, and l sincerely hope that Messrs Messrs. Gorman Hill and Morrison, for the sake and good of the democratic party, will lay aside all feelings of pride and per- sonal discomfort and take up the leader ship of affairs in the house of representa-. tives. In my judgment democratic success In l9o0 depends upon the wise and prudent conduct of the democratic party in the next house. It will be very close and it is barely possible that the republicans will lose it. without. however, the democratS having clean majority of their own. fusion with the populists and free silver republicans so as to control the house would be exactly the same state of affairs as exist in the present senate It is evil dent that the senate will become republican after the 4th of March next by at least two majirity, and it therefore behooves the democratic party to secure supremacy, or at least the defeat of a republican speaker, in the next house,
 General Collins predicted an extra ses- sion of the new congress early next spring. and said that the new congress would be as memorable as the present.
 ''For the first time in the history of the democratic party in the state of Penn- sylvania the chairman of the executive committee will not be allowed to handle the finances of the campaign this year." said a well known democrat of the Key stone state.
 Tn my opinion this is a reflection on the honesty of the present chairman of the dnDonpratio io rtx in were in his position would resign, and let Colonel Guffey who is in command of the commissary department of General Jenks' army, take full charge. Chairman Gar mans reputation for honesty has never been questioned at home, and why should it be Questioned>by the men who are now running the democratic party in Pennsyl- vania? Under the circumstances Mr. Cars man ought to resign at once"
 Among the large number of names sug- gested for members of the peace commits sion that of Representative Robert Adams of Philadelphia, seems to have been over- looked. The chairman of the house foreign affairs committee. MT. Hit, has been hon. ored with a high mssion-that of one of the Hawaiian commissioners-and why not MT. Adams? He was the acting chairman of the house foreign affairs committee dur ing the trying days when the Cuban reso- lutions were adopted by both houses, and showed his ability as a diplomat and statesman all the way through. Thus far Pennsylvania has nat been honored on any of the commissions, and the friends of MT. Adams in Washington believe that he would make capable and efficient member of the peace commission. He has had con- siderable experience in diplomatic affairs, and such men will be needed ir settling the differences between this country and Spain.
 Ex-Representative Reyburn, of the Fourth Pennsylvania district. has many friends in Washington who would be pleased to see him returned to congress- The principal obstacle in MT. Reyburn's way is the fact that he trains with the