The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-09-05
PLANS FOR Next YEAR
Casting About for the Right Place
for Headquarters.
CITIES THAT MIGHT DO
In His Effective Way Mr.. Lewis Talks
About the Results That Will Fol-
low the Going Out OF
Speaker Reed.
Washington Bureau of the Standard,
No. 1145 G Street n. w.


Washington. Sept. There are al
ready many evidences that strong
effort is to be made to select Washing
ton as the headquarters of the demo-
cratic national committee in the cam
paign of next year. 1t is believed that
it's central location, its convenience of
access to the seat of legislation and
the place of publication of all govern
ment documents, together with the fact
that there will be present here all next
summer and fall many democrats of
national distinction, will lead to its Sc
lection and make it particularly valua-
BILE as the point from which to conduct
the next campaign. Chicago and New
York have also been mentioned, but the
former is VIGOROUSLY unpopular with
leading democrats, and the latter Is
considered not to be an available loca-
ton. st. Louis has many friends as a
location for the headquarters, and at
this writing-which is admittedly too
early for accurate prophecy-the con-
test for this honor lies between that
city and the national capital. The re-
publican headquarters will undoubtedly
be in Chicago or New York.
James Hamilton Lewis, the talented
U
ington, has been in the city this week
en- route to join his family in Europe
Mr.. Lewis is not only one of the most
earnest partisans, but one of the keen
est observers of events in the demo-
cratic party. In conversation with
your correspondent to-day he pointed
out some significant facts incident to
the retirement of Speaker Thomas B.
Reed from congress. He said that just
as Reeds entrance into this position
10 years ago was followed by radical
changes in the constitution and control
of the house of representatives, so his
retirement would be followed by radi-
cal changes in the organization and in
the parliamentary methods of that
body.
Mr.. Lewis is undoubtedly right. Reed
ism will not, last longer than Reed. By
Reedism is meant the theory that the
speaker was not the organ of the pop
ular branch of congress, but actually its
master. That the presiding officer of
the house Is vested with substantially
absolute control over it's affairs and
primacy in all matters of legislation,
was the contention of ex-Speaker Reed!
How well he carried his idea of the
magnitude and infallibility of the office
of speaker is well borne out by the
preponderence which that office has
gained in legislation since the begin
ming of Mr.. Reeds first term in czarism
10 years ago next December.
That Mr.. Reed is a remarkable man
is perhaps most evident from the re-
markable result of his domination in
the popular branch of congress during
the greater part of the last 10 years.
He succeeded in that period in practi-
cally reducing the popular house to
personal machine, compelled to carry
out his ideas. Mr.. Lewis points out two
remarkable facts in this connection. He
declares that, notwithstanding his sue
cess in dominating the popular branch
of congress, Mr.. Reed is not a parlia-
mentarian in the true sense of the word.
Mr.. Lewis went farther in to-day's in
terview with your correspondent. He
said: LAS a matter of fact, although
Mr. Reeds effort to exaggerate the Of
flee of speaker of the house has been
largely successful, it has been demon
strated that in his time the speakership
has had an altogether extravagant and
unnatural importance. The speaker is
really a relatively insignificant func-
tionary. He is not the second officer of
the government by any means. He
does not even need to be a member of
congress. The place has been vastly
exaggerated under Reed, and hope to
see its drop to a position of normal i'm
portance under his successor"