Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1905-08-10
WASHINGTON LETTER.


organization OF the House Of Repre-
sentatives three weeks earlier than
il otherwise would be organized.
and If the delay in the organization
OF the House were all that would
retard the Legislation that the Pre-
sident asks for, he would get some
action inside Of the three weeks be-
fore the beginning OF the regular
session.
Il is practically foregone con-
clusion that your Uncle Joe" Can
non will be reelected Speaker and
the old officers Of the 58th Congress
also reelected. So far as the Dem
ocratic minority is concerned. there
is not the shadow Of doubt that
the Hon. John Sharp Williams. OF
Mississippi. will again be the eau
Gus nominee for Speaker, which car
ries with Il the floor leadership dur
the life Of the 59th Congress. and
there could not be better selection.
The record made by Mr.. Williams
as the floor leader in the 59th Con-
gress was an enviable one and de-
serves the highest consideration at
the hands OF the National Democracy.
When he took that place he found
the democracy in the House in q
demoralized condition. broken up
into factions and quarreling among
themselves, q veritable mob. He
turned a mob into an army with ban
ners in three short weeks and won
a signal victory from the cohorts OF
triumphant Republicanism. Every
man on the Democratic side then
had the most implicit confidence in
him, and the men who are the real
leaders on the Democratic side lined
up behind him, aud the most of them
staid there to the eud OF the Con-
gress, The only trouble with the
Democratic party is that the men,
bers of it in the Congress OF the
United States think they are all
leaders and become jealous il any
other man presumes TO suggest
policies to them. Many of them, in
the presence Of the master mind of
Williams, swallowed this resent
ment, acknowledged the superior
leadship of Mr.. Williams and follow
ed him gladly. There always are a
few kickers and recalcitrants in
every body of men and the 58th Con-
gress had its share in the minority
membership. The majority Of the
kickers and soreheads were those
members who failed to get the CON-
mittee assignments 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 a mistake for Mr.. Will
liams to allow Uncle Joe Cannon TO
push off on him the committee as
signments Of the Democratic men,
bers, 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 to
get the Democratic membership en-
broiled, having it pulling in all di-
rections, and have fun with it. II
they figured il that way they reckon
ed without their host, for they not
only did not pull in all directions,
but as l remarked previously they
lined up behind John Sharpat least
the vast majority of them and pulled
with him steadily to the end of the
session. The reason that Mr.. Will
liams accepted the responsibility of
naming the minority members Of the
House committees was because the
former Speaker, the brainy Tom
Reed, had, in selecting the Demo
cratic members of the committees,
picked out the very men who could
not serve satisfactorily on the CON-
mittee assigned to him, because not
familiar with its work and then,
when there was soma bill before the
House for discussion reported from
some committee the Democrat on
that committee who was the leader
Of the minority on the committee,
which had made q minority report,
would have charge of the bill from
the Democratic standpoint and in
variably would ball matters up in
the worst way because he did not
understand the subject, and the Re-
publicans would have all sorts of
fun with them.
This is what Mr.. Williams en-
deavored 10 avoid, and he invariably
picked out the strongest men on
the Democratic side for the big CON-
mittees regardless Of his personal
feeling for them. and always from
the standpoint of ability to handle
the subjects coming before that CON-
mittee. OF course, some other fell
low thought he was q bigger man