Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1903-11-18
FROM WASHINGTON
Special Correspondence Of the CouKrKn.
Washington, November II.

for the purpose of working through
the Cuban reciprocity proposition
Is now in session.
The opening of Congress was
very much like the opening of any
Congress that has preceded it.
The republican programme went
through as slated. Uncle Joe"
Cannon was elected speaker ac-
cording to schedule, and the Hon.
John Sharp Williams, of Missis-
sippi, was the nominee of the dem
ocratic party for Speaker as pre-
dicted in this correspondence away
last spring. As the defeated can
didate for Speaker, Mr.. Williams
was placed on the committee TO
escort in the new Speaker and his
observation-disclosures new Speaker
to the House of Representatives
was the most graceful thing that
has been heard on the floor of the
House for many years. The daily
papers all over the country have
commented on it as such. Mr..
Williams has already made good
the predictions of his friends that
he is the man for the position of
floor leader Of the House on the
democratic side. He has had the
good sense, as his friends knew he
would have, to give his chief oppo-
nent, the Hon. Champ Clark, of
Missouri, the appointment on the
Ways and Means Committee. one
of the highest honors that can come
to democrat. Mr.. Williams not
only showed his generosity by this
action, but his good sense as well,
for Mr.. Clark is one of the abIest
democrats in the Congress, and can
do effective work against the re-
publican party in that position.
Mr.. Williams has not only done
this; he also has placed Hon. David
A. DE Almond, of Missouri, one
of the ablest men in public life to-
day, on the committee on rules
with himself. That is the most
important committee in the House,
for it controls all legislation ema-
mating from the House, and con
trolls ali debates. He will be abso-
lutely invaluable TO the party and
TO Mr.. Williams in the debates
that will come off this winter.
Mr.. Williams has also placed the
Hon. James T. Lloyd, of Missouri,
back in his old place as the demo-
cratic whip of the House.
That is an honorable and respon-
sible position, for the whip" of
the House has to see TO it that a
majority of the members in the
city are in their seats and voting
on any proposition in which is in
volved the party policy. Mr..
Lloyd has for Mr.. Clark against
Mr.. Williams, and this action of
Mr.. Williams not only just and
good sense, but it was generous as
well. He has thus justified the
prediction of his friends that he
was big enough to lead the minori-
ty to things they can boast of in
the next campaign. As l have
previously remarked in this cor
respondence, the democracy can
be congratulated on the leadership
it possesses in the House for the
next two years. Look out for
John Sharp Williams.
There is one little piece of red
tape that each new House goes
through with that gives the spec
tators in the gallery and the mem
bers on the floor an opportunity to
give vent to their enthusiasm for
any particular man they believe in
or whom they think is a popular
hero. That is the time-honored
function of drawing seats for the
session. A page is blindfolded and
he pulls out of box marble with
number on it, and there is mem
ber's name opposite this number.
Both are called out and the member
then goes down and selects his seat.
There was much applause when
certain men were called out. For
instance, there was a resolution
adopted that gave the floor leader
of the republican side, the Hon.
Serene Payne, of New York, and
the oldest member on that side of
the House, the Hon. Harry Bing-
ham, of Pennsylvania, the floor
leader of the democratic side, the
Hon. John Sharp Williams, of
Tennessee, the right to choose
their seats without drawing for