Clarke courier. [volume] (Berryville, Va.) 1869-1997, 1905-08-09
FROM WASHINGTON.

Nv
40 ,ath Congress will compel the
'.r,nization of the House of Rep
an,.tives three weeks earlier
~ i otherwise would be organ
"a and if the delay in the organi-
,;or of the House were all that
III retard the legislation that the
pr.s;dent asks for, he would get
no action inside of the three
.roeks before the beginning of the
regular session.
II is practically a foregone con
.lnsion that your Uncle Joe" Can
nom will he reelected Speaker and
,ho old officers Of the 5Sth Congress
LEO reelected. So far as the Dem
cratic minority is concerned, there
:. NOT the shadow Of Il doubt that
,bo Hon. John Sharp Williams, of
Mississippi. will again be the eau
ems nominee for Speaker, which
carries with it the floor leadership
durinq the life of the 59th Con-
,,ress and there could not be a
better selection. The record made
by MIR. Williams as the floor leader
IN 5Sth Congress was an enviable
one and deserves the highest con-
sheraton at the hands of the
National Democracy. When he
took that place he found the de-
mocracy in the House in a demon
allied condition, broken up into
factions and quarreling among
themselves. veritable mob. He
turned the mob into an army with
banners i'm three short weeks and
won signal victory from the
cohorts of triumphant Republican
ism. Every man on the Demo
cratic side then had the most i'm
plicit confidence in him, and the
men who are the real leaders on
the Democratic side lined up be-
hind him. and the most of them
staid there to the end OF the Con-
greSS. The only trouble with the
Democratic party is that the mem
bers Of il in the Congress of the
United States think they are all
leaders and become jealous il any
other man presumes to suggest
policies 10 them. Many of them,
in the presence Of the master mind
of Williams, swallowed this resent
ment, acknowledged the superior
leadership of Mr.. Williams and
followed him gladly. There al
ways are a few kickers and recalci-
trants in every body of men and
the 5Sth Congress had its share in
the minority membership. The
majority of the kickers and sore
heads were those members who
failed To get the committee assign
mentS they desired, when those
assignments were at the disposal
Of Mr.. Williams. He could not,
OF course, give every man the best
committee assignments in the
House, and there you are. 1t may
have been mistake for Mr.. Viii
hams TO allow Uncle Joe Cannon
to push of on him the committee
assignments of the Democratic
members, which always has been
the prerogative of the Speaker and
hitherto exercised by him and the
responsibility accepted by him as
well. Some people said it was q
game played by the Republicans
10 get the Democratic membership
emorolled, having it pulling in al
directions, and have fun with it.
II they figured it that way they
reckoned without their host, fol
tney not only did not pull in al
directions, but as / remarked pre-
Vously they lined up behind Johr
oharp, at least the vast majority O.
Them and pulled with him steadily
TO the end of the session. TIL,
reason that Mr.. Williams accepted
the responsibility of naming tn,
minority members of the Hous,
committees was because the former
speaker, the brainy Tom Reed
nad' IN selecting the Democrat,
members of the committees, picked
Out the very men who could no
serve satisfactorily on the commit
zee assigned to him, because no
FAMILIAR with its work and then
"nen there was some bill befor
.''e House for discussion reporte,
nom some committee the Demo
.'@V Oh that committee who wa
Tue leader of the minority on tn
oommlttee, which had made
minority renort ,,o,,ll T.. i,