Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1899-11-13
NEXT SESSION OF CONGRESS.

Careful observers of pOlitical events
are quoted as saying that the next
session of congress will be the most
important in the history Of this gov
eminent since tie heated sessions
just preceding the civil war, says the
washington correspondent Of the
Troy Times, who continues as follows:
Not only do the representative and
senators who have served before feel
the responsibility, but those newly
elected and untried in the halls OF
legislation fully realize the Importance
attaching to the work before the
fifty sixth congress. In the past
thirty years possibly there has not
been a time when the country needed
strong men to guide the destiny Of
the two houses as it will need them
during the approaching session. 1t
would seem that the Spanish -Amerl-
can war not only rounded off cycle
in the military history ofthis country,
but closed legislative period as we'll.
The congress which declared war and
saw the arms of the country victori-
Gus in it's own short lifetime has
ceased to exist. When the fifty sixth
congress is organized it will be by
other men than those who have
shaped the destinies of congresses in
the recent past. This will be especially
true of the house Of representatives,
though the personnel Of the senate
will be so changed as to shift leader
ship of parties and possibly alter
materially the methods of doing
business in that body.
When the gavels fall in the house
and senate on the fourth of next
December many a well-knoWn face
in both bodies will be missing. Most
conspicuous in it's absence will be that
of Thomas Bracket Reed, former
speaker, the man who inaugurated
his quorum counting rule and thereby
changed the entire methods of pro-
cedure in the house and made speedy
business there possible. He was not
only the autocrat of his party in the
house, but governed with an iron
hand every member who sat beneath
the dids His will was largely the
will of the house, and by his rules he
could control the legislation not only
of the body over which he presided,
but shape to a very large extent the
entire legislative business of the
country. In his place will stand
David B. Henderson from the third
district of Iowa. Whether or not he
will adhere to the old system and
adopt the rulings of Speaker Reed is
an open question Sentiment in his
party is divided and it is possible that
he will give more freedom to the
house in the choice of committees and
thereby re nquish some of the power
possessed by his predecessor. Mr..
Henderson has as yetgiven no intima-
ton to anyone what his policy will
be, and doubtless he will be guided by
the majority of those who vote to
place the gavel in his hands. He is
strict party man and believes firmly
in the wisdom Of majority rule.
Speaker Henderson by virtue of his
office becomes the leader of his party
in the house. He will have some of
the trusted friends of Mr.. Reed to
choose for his lieutenants on the
floor, but at any moment all calcula
lions might be upset by the appear
ance of some one, now unknown, who
will seize the reins and virtually be-
w no 10 Of
the floor. Such a man is easily
developed in the rough and tumble of
debate in the house, and every party
fight gives an opportunity for such
man to appear.
The leadership of the minority is
still an unsettled question. Since the
last congress the minority has assumed
additional strength by force of
numbers, and the post of leadership
becomes CORRESPONDENCE more i'm
portant. Representative Bailey of
Texas has voluntarily retired from
the role of leader and declines to as
sumo it again. The leadership of the
minority is fixed by the minority's
nomination for the speakership. The
fight in the democratic ranks for this
honor will be Of greater interest than
the election of speaker, for the reason
that whoever the republicans nomi
nate will be elected, and they have
already settled upon Gen. David B.
Henderson. The democrats will
gather in Washington several days in
advance of the opening Of congress
and meet in caucus to nominate one
of the members for the speakership.
There are a number of candidates for |