The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1899-03-16

wing, and JEFF Davis, Toomhs, Mason,
and Green of the South wing,
There were giants in those days, Mr..
Jones is in that class
1.-THE President does not call an extra
session of Congress and the expansion
question should grow more and more
and more paramount the Hon. Thomas
B. Reed will not be Speaker of the
Fifty-Sixth Congress. What figure
he would cut on the floor rs the leader
Of the minority That is what he would
become-not that he would take his
seat ON the Democratic side, or make
any attempt to supplant young Mr..
Bailey, not at all. But when the para
mount question grew so paramount that
it would have to have room, as a whirl-
wind or cyclone has to .have room,
then Thomas would spread his wings
and all the little fellows, including Bal
lev, the immortal Sulzer and the un-
speakable Lentz, would flee to shelter,
and as Gen. Forrest said of the black
gum cannon, it would be a damned
good shelter, too. 1t may be that Mr..
Mckinley will call an extra session
just to put Reed in the chair, depend
ing on Senate conferrees of conference
committees to give him what he wants.
There is going to be heap Of the Jim
Jewell brand of politics in this town
the next two years.
Senator Wolcott was rather,busy dur
ing this session of Congress, and it is
an indication that the man who is after
his seat will have to fight for it. Wolcott
is indisputably the most brilliant man
in the Senate, the most captivating ora
tor and one of the most formidable de-
baters. He is fifty years old and looks
only thirty, and there is not a man in
all Colorado who can fill his shoes. He
has been in the Senate eleven years,
and whenever he has seen fit to exert
himself he has shown himself worthy
the steel of every opponent. He will
probably be succeeded by a Ounce, for
this is the day of small politics and pea
nut statesmen, and when he goes, if he
must, he will be regretted by every
bright man in Washington.
Boutelle managed the Naval Bill in
the House with hisaccustomed success.
Old Joe Cannon has double the trouble
with ageneral appropriation bill that
Boutelle meets with. Boutelle was once
sailor and understands the navy thor
oughly from the largest battleship to
the smallest yawl. Nearly twenty years
ago he set about the work Of building
up the American navy, and he has
done more for the navy than any Other
individual. Had he been Indifferent,
had he been Ounce, Dewey would
have had more trouble at Manila than
he did have, and Shley would not have
achieved enough glory at Santiago tC
go round. Boutelle is not very Iowa.
BILE man, but he deserves we'll of his
country.
The "aunties" of the House wen
home accusing OF" Ball and Ken
lucky Wheeler for depriying of achanc,
to give an expression on expansion
Ball and Wheeler invoked the famous
Twenty first rule and thereby elimina
ted the $40, 600, 900 Spanish indemnit,
fund from the Sundry Civil Bill, wher
it was amendable, and sent them easur
to suspension day where it was no
amendable. Old Joe Cannon Just laugh
ed. OF course, he pretended to kick
but he was swift to admit that the poin
of order was we'll taken. The two young
solons thought they were playing tn
very devil, and if Cannon could hav
given them orders he would have order
ed them to do just what they did dc
They got all the odium for the repudia
ton of a solemn treaty, and then oil
Joe found way to comply with tn
obligation. 1t is dangerous thing t
be young and a genius.
The Twenty first rule has saved tn
, taxpayers of this country hundread
of millions of dollars. 1t is the grave
yard of ten thousand corrupt jobs. Car
non leaped with JOY, the other day
when our Juveniles from Texas an
} Kentucky invoked it, for he knew b
could pass the $40, 100000 bill the 70
lowing Monday, and he also knew thI
J by his admission that the paragraph
the Sundry Civil Bill was subject
) the point of order he gave a quietus I
the Payne Ship Subsidy Bill, then wal
l ing to come in as q rider. The veteran
3 about the House smiled as they sa'
r how confident Ball and Wheeler wei
when they thought they had old Joe
a hole. Both before and after the $50
600, ,O00 proposition went out on IL
point of order both Ball and WheelC
. trampled the Twenty-frst rule und'
foot when Hepburn sought to max
the Nicaragua Bill rider on the Sur
dry Civil Bill. 1t was the most reckle'
disregard of consistency the America
= Congress ever saw.
e There was young member fro
4 Mississippi who was very much disgu
I ted that day-Mr. Wiliams-John S
t Williams. Keep your eye on this gel
O tleman. He is liable to astonish yor
= Mr.. Williams is very much handica
| ned in thot he is little If INV laro