The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-01-14

ment. but It prepared the great bills
which Appropriated that revenue 20 the
support OF the governments. In the days
| of the Civil War, when the plans OF reve-
nue. were unprecedented and the expsndi-
tures mighty, the Importance Of this COM
mitteo was such as TO enhance the sutnor-
| ity even Of so great leader ~ Thaddeus
Stevens, when he aroe~ TO present 10 the
/ House the projects of his committed. The
strain OF the war period caused, In 1860. a
division OF jurisdiction, the Appropria-
lions committee being created to prepare
the appropriations bills. and the banking
and Currency committee to care for busi'
| ness in that department. This left to the
Ways and Means committee little beside
! the question Of revenue, which Is OF ITSELF
subject of the first Importance. but not
one which occupies 50 much Of the time
| OF the House as the subject OF appropria-
lions. IL the traditions Of the House were
TO grow UP anew 1t might be that the
chairman Of the committee on Appropria-
tons would be the floor leader. Certainly
the business OF his committee brings him
| much oftener before the House. But
tradition gives the place TO the chairman
of Ways and Means, and when Speaker
Reed gave this great place to Cover nor
Dingley 1t was at once understood that
the latter was to lead on the floor.
To lead upon the floor. ms Mr.. DfnGley
has lead and MS Mr.. Reed illustrated In q
remarkable manner during the days OF the
Republican party's minority. Is not to Re
always at the head of tine line, like COL
onel Of q regimnt on parade. 1t Is rather
to be the guide and counsellor OF the
subordinate lead ers, the man of thorough
information on the details OF the business
uf the HOUSE and carefully preserved
familiarity with the rules of proceed ure.
capable at tho critical moment of doing
. viuhf fhlno inefaah nf fha 70
thing, whe her the action demanded be "A
speeoh In defence of the party policy or
"a motion that shall confound tho tactics
of the foe. These small matters. obscure
and apparently trivial to. those not ac-
qusinted with the methods Of the House.
are often OF the highest importance. When
the war revenue bill was up the Senate
e grated upon 1t an amendmept for
limited coinage of silver that was very
distasteful to the Republican side of the
House. There was open revolt against IL
in the delegations Of Massachusetts,, New
York and Nsw Jersey, and IL was felt
that the bill was ~ grave dang While
1t was trembling in the balance Mr..
Bailey, OF texas. the Democratic leader,
and man Of no mean ability and skill,
arose and declared that the silver proyis
ion was miserable subterfuge. He did
this to Justify his side in voting against
the bill and against the silver provision
II III. Inc WaNotibk AtcpubttNanrs hVNthk
the testimony CT the Democratic leader
that the silver amendment was not really
of any advantage to the cause OF free
| silver decided that they could support
the bill, and so the Democrats alone voted
against It. IL Is safe TO say that Mr.
Dingley as floor leader would never
have TINS relieved his opponents Of q
the youthiulness Of Mr.. Bailey, even when
he was young.
The leader on the floor also must have
his wits about him when tina opposition
are in a mood to hector the majority. He
must be able to make the motions which
will soonest bring to an end their parlia-
mentary cavortings. For this no small
skill and readiness are required. and In
this Mr. Dingley was always ready and
effective.
The floor leader is an emergency man,
often unoalled for for days at time. 1t
is thu, practice OF the House that the chair
man Of the committee whose business Is
before the House shall be the floor leader
for the time. de makes the proper mo-
tiops to take care of his bill, and when
the days work is done moves that the
House adjourn, II he gets into Difficult
ties the leader is expected to be at hand
to help him.
Thus, when the war with Spain was
coming on, the resolution providing for
intery ention in Cuba was in charge OF
the committee on Foreign Affairs. The
chairman, MIR. Robert X. HIT, OF illinois
WAS too III to attend and the conduct OF
the bill fell to younger member OF his
committee, MIR. Robert Adams, OF Phila-
dlephia. On the critical day when the
House and Senate were graphing over
the proposed recognition OF the alleged
Republic Ct Cuba, MIR. Adams would
n naturally lead on the floor; but, In the
council of Republicans before the HOUSE
objection was made to his inexperience.
He nv once said: 81 will yield the leader
ship to my rightful superior, the leader
of the House. but TO no ono else 30
MIR. Dingley for that critical day made
the motions required by the difficult and
complicated parliamentary situation
arising out Of the pitched battle between
the two Houses. For q dnty like this,
also MIR. Dingley was particularly we'll
equipped; for he learned early the COM
mon but generally disregarded maxim
that to succeed in a Legislative body a
thorough and ready knowledge of its
rules of procedure Is the first requisite
even for man of the highest ability.
On the other hand he was lacking many
of the qualities which are supposed to
make a leader effective in a popular Rep
ressntative body. and this fact made his
prestige rather unique feature or the
House In the first place. although man
of good presence and dignited bearing
when met in social way, he did not
have the physique or the voice which
seem almost indispensable to large leg
islative body. When he spoke his voice
never filled the Hall, and members could
only hear him satisfactorily by crowding
into the seats near nim. He never used
humor or wit to make what he said en-
tertaining, and was not ready In repartee,
although generally accounted able to take
care of himself on the floor AGAINST such
foes as would come against him. As he
never provosed sleeping dogs himself so
he was rarely attacked in turn. He al
waye assumed that his opponent was
acting In good faith, although the latter's
performance might be glaringly impu'
dent and thus never left wounds, even
on those who deserved to be spitted on
the rapier of the sharpest repartee.
Mr. Dingley was not magnetic or brill
liant In the sense that MIR. Blaine
charmed the House and the country for
all time; he had not the logged peril
nacity to meet adverse conditions with
the holiness of Samuel j. Randall; and
he did not present that combination of