The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-05-13
Capital Chat.
Washington GOSSIP, Pelatlcal and
Otherwise. for the Readers
Of tbs Globe.

WASHINGTON. May 1o.-(Special.)-If
the next house of representatives is Re
/ publican, Gen. David B. Henderson Will
not be its presiding officer. The most often
! talked of man for his successor Is Repre-
sentative Cooper of Wisconsin. Mr.. Coop
er has been given distinguished honors by
| the present speaker of the house, and he
has fulfilled his duties to the satisfaction
! of not only the present presiding officer,
but to other members in this congress as
WELL AS chairman of the insuiar affairs
| committee, Mr.. Cooper has made rec
ord in the present house that will go down
| to his credit in the future. He has not
| followed the wishes of the administra ton
| leaders in either house, but has managed
his committee so satisfactorily that the
natives of our new possessions are fully
as we'll satisfied with his regime as they
| would have been had one of their own
! men been placed IN the prominent position
/ that Mr.. Cooper now holds. He has asked
no favors of the administration. but he
has been diplomatic in convincing his as
| sociates in the house that certain leSfsla-
| ton of interest to the Puerto Ricans
| should or should not be passed at this
| session of congress. He has been in eter-
| nal conflict with Senator Foraker, chair
| man of like committee In the senate,
| and up to the present time has been able
! to defeat him from every point Of view.
! In view of these successful maneuvers
| of Chairman Cooper. of the house insular
! affairs committee he Is now recogn zed
! as not only a lieutenant of Speaker Hen
| derson. but his reputation is established
| as one of the leaders of the present house
| of representatives 2us.o
| Mr.. Cooper isYa man, well qualified to
dictate to his colleagues regarding legisla-
| ton with which he is familiar and which
81 H. O1I-
| leagues recognize this fact They are full
! ly agreed that Gen. Henderson is not the
| wisest man that could occupy the presid-
| ing officers chair, and, therefore, the Re
! publicans in this congress, If they have
| majority in the next, will select some 9th
err man than Gen. Henderson for speaker
| Mr.. Cooper is not seeking notoriety be-
cause of his aptabiity to manage the $50
! members of the house or to lead them
| when necessary in the right direct on
upon the floor. Mr.. Cooper is one of the
| best friends Speaker Henderson has, and
! he will not assent to what others say
| of Speaker Henderson being the biggest
| failure in recent years. Personally Gen.
! Henderson Is a most estimable man. In
| office, at least the present one he fills, he
! is a failure without doubt. Democrats
| say with positiveness that he Is way be-
! low the Reed rank as a presiding officer,
and is a failure when placed beside Crisp
or Carlisle, and the Republicans admit
that their selection of Henderson for the
speakership is unsatisfactory, and In fu--
ture, either in the next house or In the
Fffty-eighth congress, Mr.. Henderson will
not be considered a 3 gavel wielder.
There are other men considered for the
speakership in connection with Repre-
sentative Cooper, of Wisconsin. The
most prominent, perhaps, is Representa-
tive Sherman, of New York. This Is
true also of Representative Payne, Of
New York; Representative Loud, of
California; Representative Babcock, also
of Wisconsin. and Representative DOLL
yer, who halls from the same state as
the presiding officer of the house.
Should the next house be Democratic.
however, Mr.. Richardson, of Tennessee,
will probably be named by his Democrat
ic colleagues for the speakership The,
only competitors Mr.. Richardson might
have in the Democratic ranks are Mr..
De Almond, of Missouri; Representative
Sulzer, and Representative Cochran,
of Missouri. now conceded to be one of
the brightest men on the Democratic side
in the dover house, of the national con-
gress. = * '-'is. SSs%-5Sz 80 gs
In the event, however, that James
Hamilton Lewis. of Washington state. is
not nominated for the vice presidency on
the ticket with Col. Bryan, he is pretty
certain to become a candidate against
Representative Cushman, Republican,
who now represents the district from
which Mr.. Lewis made his advent into
congress and his reputation as an orator
and statesman. If Mr.. Lewis discovers
in advance that. his vice presidential as
pirations will not meet with favor in
Washington state or other common
wealths on the west coast, 1t is believed
here that he would consent to again
make the race for seat In the lower
house of congress. With Mr.. Lewis as
an incoming member from Washington
state it would be a hard matter for either
Representative Richardson, De Almond
or Sulzer to defeat him for the speaker
ship. 1t is stated by both Democrats
and Republicans that should Mr.. Lewis
fail to become the next presiding officer
of the United States senate that he
would be a conspicuous figure in our
history as speaker of the house of repre-
sentatives during the F1fty-seventh con-
greSS. -
Rounseveiie Wildman. our United
States consul general at Hong Kong, has
given In a recent report to the state de,
partment some very valuable pointers re-
garding the prospects Of securing trade in
this empire. The paper submitted by Mr..
Wildman is of great interest not only to
Americans but to the Chinese, who wei
come an "open market" from the United
States. In making his statement TO tho
department.. Consul General Wildnnan
says that the demand for information
respecting the possibilities of introducing
American goods of all descriptions into
China has been steadily growing. In
spite of all that has been written and pub
lished on this subject. there seems to be
u most lamentable ignorance. even among
the largest American firm. as to the re-
quirements, possibilities. and even geo
graphy of this coast. The fact that four
ffths of the letters ought never to have
been written, and that the inquiries could
have been answered by reference to q
common school geography. hardly iustlfes
the consignment of them to the waste
paper basket, as they were evidently
written in good faith. Following is a gen.
eral reply which covers large. percent
age of the questions propounded
JlroDcrtv niacad before tho Chiro,a