The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1902-11-20
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a rNlgh-and-tumble debate, when his ad-
verssaries usually retire the worse for his
battering. With no effort at ornate ora
tory lie yet finds the best words and groups
them effectively as he slams his logic in
the teeth of his opponent. who Is just
as liable to be of his own party as any
other Col Hepburn's strength lies in his
fearlessness: party expediency will some
times muzzle him. but the emergency has
to be urgent. If he were made Speaker,
the zone man power" of the House Rules
would get serious jar. Col. Hepburn has
for several years made a gallant but los
ing fight on what he terms the "absoll-
tism'' of the House Rules His friends
believe that he is strong enough to deliber-
ately dispossess himself of much OF the
power of his office if the Speakership
comes his way.
There was some apprehension that Mr..
Rabcock of Wisconsin. would muss up
Mr. Cannon's plans for roping in the
Speakership of the 5Sth Congress, but
Mr. Babcock has most eXpeditiously eff
faced himself from the Speakership land
scape. The Badger State delegation in
Congress unanimously Endorsed Mr.. Bah
cock for the second office in power i'll the
United States, and he declined upon the
grounds that it would be for the best in
terest of the party to have it united upon
the question of Speaker. This would sug-
gest that Mr.. Babcock has had his ear to
the ground and has distinctly located the
|Speakership center of gravity. The WIS
cOnsin delegation then pledged its unani-
nous support to Mr.. Cannon, of illinois.
For what? Wisconsin is already pretty
powerful in the House in the Way OF
Committee assignments. Is she expecting
larger and were luscious plums?
There was a conference in Chicago last
Friday between Speaker Henderson, Mr..
Cannon and Mr.. BabcOck. and the next
day the Wisconsin delegation took the ac-
ton above stated. The first vote was one
of confidence. Was the second one OF
self interest? Mr.. Babcock assured the
Wisconsin delegation, it is said, that they
would be well taken care of" by Mr..
Cannon.
Wisconsin is fairly well taken care Of
right now Mr.. Cooper, of Wisconsin, is
Chairman of the Committee on lnsular
Affairs. growing to be one of the most
powerful committees in the House, and its
business is now so heavy and so important
that Mr. Cooper has no other committee
assignments. Mr.. Dahle, of Wisconsin, is
a member of the Committee on Agricnl-
ture.. Mr.. BabcOck is a member of the
powerful Ways and Means Committee,
and Chairman of the important Committee
on the District of Columbia. Mr.. Otjen's
name appears on three good committees,
Claims, District of Columbia and Immi-
grafton and Naturalization. Mr.. Barney
is only three removes from Mr.. Cannon
on the great Committee on Appropriations.
Mr. Davidson is on the Committee con
Rivers and Harbors, and Chairman of the
Committee on Railways and Canals. Mr..
Esch is on the Committees on Military At
fairs and Public Lands Mr.. Minor is Sec
ond on the Committee on Coinage, Weights
and Measures, fifth ON Merchant Marine
and Fisheries, and ninth on Public Build
ings and Grounds. Mr.. Brown is on the
Committees on Indian Affairs and on
Mines and Mining. Mr.. jenkins, of Wis
consin, is second on the. Committee on
Judiciary, third on District of Columbia,
and second on Irrigation of Arid Lands.
The natural conclusion seems to be that
Mr.. Babcock is to get n promotion on
Craftsmanship, and the Ways and Means
Committee seems to be assigned him by
natural selection. If it is true that Mr..
Cannon contemplates lifting Mr.. Babcock
from 10th on the Ways and Means Com
mittee, right over the head of Mr.. Serene
L. Payne, Of New York, Chairman, and re-
turned to the 5Sth Congress-and over the
heads also of Mr.. Dalzell, of Pennsylvania,
Mr.. Hopkins, of Illinois: Mr. Grosvenor.
of Ohio; Mr.. Tawney, of Minnesota; Mr..
Mccall, of Massachusetts, and Mr.. Long,
of Kansas, then, indeed, there is to be a
revolution and a smashing of precedents.
What will Mr.. Payne, of New York, be
doing while these pledges are being made
He is now the Chairman of the Ways and
Means Committee, since men sat in Par
| liamentary bodies considered the greatest
/ of all Committees. but shorn of much
of its prestige, it is true, since Mr.. Can
non has ruled the Committee on ApprO-
priations with hand of iron that has
scorned a glove of any kind. Has Mr..
Payne been promised the Craftsmanship
of the Appropriations Committee? Will
he consider it promotion? If he does not
get promotion. is Mr.. Payne likely to
submit to deposition without protest? II
Mr.. Payne chances TO go to the head of
the Appropriations Committee, what is to
be the fate of Gen. Bingham, of Pennsyl-
vania, second ON the Committee now and
the oldest member of the House i'll point
of service. By right, when Mr.. Cannon
steps down and out, Gen. Bingham, a
gallant old soldier and uncomprOmising Re.
publican, should become Chairman OF the
Appropriations Committee.
1
| Then there are others. What is to be-
come of Mr.. Dalzell, Of Pennsylvania. He
would like to be Speaker. He has had
the laundering for number of years, and
| Pennsylvania is not going to sit around
like a bump on a log and see the juiciesl
persimmons drop into some other States
back yard. Pennsylvania has dominated
the lower House of Congress too long IL
let go without struggle. Presumably
Mr.. Hopkins, of Illinois, is out of the
running being slated for the Senate in
the place of the Hon. BILLY" Mason. Then
there is Gen. GrosvenOr, of Ohio. Surely
he has done the State some service,
which should receive recognition. And
| Mr.. Long, of Kansas, 'the great and good
friend of the President" as his persona
organs in the Sunfower State have. herald
ed him.
i All these gentlemen rank Mr.. Babcocl
on the Ways and Means Committee. Does
i Mr.. Cannon combine in his composition
enough of Moses and Solomon both to hell
him eliminate all the question marks anC
exclama ton points that punctuate the re
marks of those whose votes he must have
If so, Mr.. Cannon is the logical candidate
; and Mr.. Babcock holds the key to thu
!, situation. If not Well, that is anothe
{ story.
. What is sauce for the goose is very
evidently not sauce for the gander i'll thu
District of Columbia. For some time thu
Temperance people of the country have beef
, exercised over the amount of wet" good
sold in the restaurants of the House an'
l. E l...Ny