The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-01-13
Chat Of the Capital.
Washington Gossip, Political and
Otherwise, for the Readers
of the Globe.

WASHINGTON, D. C., Jan. 12.-(spe-
cial)-Comment has been excited in the
lower house of this congress over the al
lesed III treatment of Representative
Iawhey' or Minnesota, by his fellow Re-
pupncans. Mr.. Tawney was the author
oi the resolution to- provide for the crea-
sioil OF committee on insular affairs. 1t
was everywhere expected that the con-
gresham from the First Minnesota dis
trict would be chairman of this commit
tee IN advance of the actual ruling of
speaker henderson. There is no doubt
out that Mr.. Tawney anticipated as well
that he would be ASSIGNED to tha chair
mensh1p OF this committee, and the I'M
Outstanding now is that this promise was
made to him by Gen. Henderson in Chi
cago several weeks before he was in
quoted into his present high office.
Reasons why Mr. Tawney was not
placed In this position are many. and It
would take too much time to recite the
various acts Of the speaker to prevent
and failure on his part to assign Mr..
Iawney this important position Two
weeks before Speaker Henderson an
nounced the makeup" Of his commit
tees Mr.. Tawney believed, and rightly 80.
that ne would be named for the chair
mansh1p OF the committee, which will be
Important In dealing with the affairs con-
nected with legislation regarding our
colonial possessions at this session of
congress. Had it not been for the work
engineered by National Committeeman
Payne, OF Wisconsin, and by the advice
and consent of President Mckinley Mr..
Tawney would have been given the posi-
tlon he desired at the head of the COM
mlttee, which he created by resolution,
and as matter of fact there was no ne
cessity for giving this prize to any other
man. In order to pay a debt the presi-
dent and Speaker Henderson named Mr..
Cooper. Of Wisconsin. overlooking the
services to the party by the First Minne-
sofa district representative.
so
Mr. Tawney is not offering any obiec-
tons because of the failure to get the
desirable position he wanted He still re-
mains on the ways and means committee
post of Importance and one which will
benefit the people Of the Northwest, IL he
ly will do-which will benefit not only the
people who sent him to congress, but the
entire Northwest.
Speaker Henderson, as has heretofore
been telegraphed this paper, is by nc
means as capable as was Mr. Reed
whom he succeeds. He Is not built on the
Reed plan. The former Maineite, practlc-
ing law in New York, with an income OF
over $4,000 year, will be able If he likes
to scott at his former colleagues and fol
lowers In the lower house of the national
congress. It will be many years perhaps
before another Reed assumes to manage
what is considered the most impetuous
legislative body In the world. Gen. Hen
derson, before the end Of his present
term as speaker, will without doubt dis
cover that 1t Ia not an easy matter to
fill the shoes Of the big Maineite. and II
goes without saying that his prestige as
a politician and statesman will suffer
therefrom.
The West is not at all satisfied, as ]
have heretofore pointed out, with the
committee assignments allotted to the
various members In the far Western
states on committees where the speaker
could, had he so desired. have given much
better places. 1t is an open secret that
in order to win the speakership, Mr.. Hen
derson was compelled to cater to such
men as Payne, Mckinley, Platt, of New
York, and others Of that ilk. The West Is
dissatisfied The members from this Sec
ton have reasons for showing their en-
nifty to the speaker in placing them upon
committees where they will be unable to
meet successfully the requirements OF
their constituents. 1t is not necessary to
state here that Mr.. Tawney is not the
only Western representative who is dis
satisfied with the action Of the speaker
in reference to committee assignments.
might go ahead and name Cushman and
Jones, of Washington state; several
members of the California delegation, the
Oregon members, the representative from
Montana and others In this section of the
country
The present speaker will therefore have
a hard task In endeavoring to force
through certain policies he has under
way, proposed as they are by the McKin-
ley administration.