Evening star., 1899-03-31
Powers Of the Speaker to Be
Curtailed.
HOUSE RULES WILL Be CHANGED
New Conditions viii Confront Mr..
Reed.
HIS ELECTION PROBABLE

The decision of Representative Sherman
of New York to remain in Congress. IN
stead of accepting the general appraiser
ship at New York, is not due to the efforts
that were made soon after the adjournment
of Congress to induce him to decline the
appraisership and to be a candidate against
Mr.. Reed for the speakership Of the next
House Mr. Sherman would not consent to
enter contest against Mr.. Reed, and this
fact with the attending condition that the
New York delega ton could not be lined up
in opposition to Mr. Reed, is very discour-
aging of any attempt to oppose Mr.. Reed
with another candidate if he desires to sue
ceed himself as Speaker when Congress re-
assemblies.
1t may be that the big Maine man will
not care to occupy the speakership again.
Indeed, there appears to be very little in
the promise of the future to crafty him in
congressional life, unless it is the mere
pride of being able to retain his power in
the House, Notwithstanding his diSapproval
of the administration.
If he again becomes Speaker he will be
in danger of having his prestige shaken
and OF becoming mere presiding officer,
or at least no more powerful than have
been other Speakers before him. instead of
being an autocrat, as heretofore. If he is
again chosen Speaker the conditions sur
rounding him will be different from those
under which he had exercised his great au-
thority in the past.
Speakers Power to Be Curtailed.
OF necessity the next Congress- both
houses being republican, will have to sus-
tain the administration in it's entire policy.
However disposed to do so, Mr.. Reed can
not successfully resist this. He will have
to bow to the inevitable or else be overrun.
In either event he will be in the attitude
Tor the first time since his rise in If
being directed by the majority of the
House instead of himself absolutely domi-
mating 1t. In the past, of course. there has
been no time when the House might not
have asserted itself in opposition to his
wishes II majority had been willing to
join in a revolt to overthrow his will but
his will has heretofore dominated, and it
will be a great change in the situation for
him If he has to exercise his authority to
carry out policy of which he entirely dis
approves, in Difference to the will of the
president, toward whom his feelings are
not that of cordiality His dominating in
huence in the House has been the distn-
gushing characteristic of his career as
Speaker For him to preside, yet no longer
dominate will be a come-down which he
may not care to face.
If he were disposed to maintain his stti-
tude of hostility toward measures approved
OF by the administration he could give a
great deal of trouble, in spite of the inevi-
table necessity of the President being sup
ported by his party in Congress- but in the
end he would be in a losing fight and would
have to yield The most he could accom-
piish would be to hamper and embarrass
the administration Either in a fight or
in submission, there appears to be little
left in the speakership for him. and it is
said to be possible that some flattering
l,,:,in business offers may tempt him to retire
while his power is still unbroken. His in
tentions are as yet, however his own Sc
cret.
Sherman May Yet BE Speaker.
1t is very generally believed that Mr..
Sherman, while he refused to stand in op-
position to Mr.. Reed. hopes at some time
to become Speaker of the House. At the
time of the talk of Sherman as possible
opponent to Mr.. Reed some of the New
York members took kindly to the PROPOSE
ton, but a large majority of them did not.
Later, after Mr.. Sherman had said that he
would not oppose Mr.. Reed and it was
expected that he would accept the general,
appraisership, Mr.. Sherman and other Of
the New York delegation met Mr.. Reed at
dinner in New York, and there is a suspicion
that something was said there that has
induced Mr.. Sherman to reconsider his de-.
termination to go out of Congress
Useless to Oppose Reed.
1t looks now as if thu opposition to Mr..
Reed were pretty well satisfied that if he
desires to be Speaker again it will not be
"
ming the risk of failure, at best of
serious division in the party in the House;
but they believe that he realizes, as they
do, that he cannot manage the House on
anti administration lines.
1t is asserted that one of the first things
he will be confronted with, if chosen Speak
er again, will be change of the rules in
manner to place greater power in the
House itself and less in the hands of the
Speaker and the committee on rules This
will hardly be agreeable to Mr. Reed, after
his long period of power, nor is it believed
that he will like to figure as an assistant
in carrying out policies which he has been
free in critcising, and has resisted UP to
this time. There has been no understand
Ing or attempt at a harmonizing of views
between him and the President. They both
unders tand. however that a republican
policy has got to be carried out and that
the policy emanating from the White
House is the one most likely to bear the
party brand.