Show TilE SPEAKERsHIP AND TIlE SOUTH I TUE HERALD confesses to a great deal of surprise that Mr MILLS should hare been beaten for the speakers hip though this statement comprises all the re I great it can feel over the nomi nation of Mr CRISP As we said the other day there is probably essential preference to the views of any other one of the five candidates over any one of them upon the leading public questions though We think Mr MILLS position was the strongest before the people on account of the general recognition of his leadership Having before them the similarity of views held on tho chief Issues by the sev eral candidates the Democratic members of Congress have seen fit in voting in caucus for a speaker to look to grounds of action largely personal to themselves or to the details of the business of legislation The itruettlo for this or that chairmanship or place on a committee interest in the canvas of friends for a subordinato office or concern in particular measures suppo dly influenced by the speakers appoint men1sall have their weight and it is por hap natural that it should be so It is to those considerations wo ascribe the length of the struggle If any Republican supposes sup-poses that it means any check to the sentiment senti-ment of tariff reform ho will find him self greatly mistaken For the first time at least since the full rganization of the Republican party the Southern Democrats in the House of Rep tsentatives are outnumoered by the Northern Democrats New England < New York Pennsylvania Ohio New Jersey and Illinois furnish to that body exactly us many members namely SO as the eleven states embraced in the Southern Coaled racy and it is curious how near those figures fig-ures were the respective votes of the two leading southern candidates for the speak rship through the early balloting in the caucus Adding Missouri Kentucky Mary land West Virginia and Delaware to the columns of the solid south and the Democratic vote is only 115 southern to 120 northern and western states and yet the Republican newspapers are seeking to make it appear that the southern element has attempted to dominate the northern In the vote for Mr MILLS the strongest antiprotection sections of the north are represented whilst the Repub lican newspapers all committed to Mr 3HISP have not been able to conceal their Interest in the latters canvas Mr McMiLLiN and Mr HATCH are also representatives of the south that is to say of former slave state and Mr HATCH was in tho Confederate army but whilst ho latter is of the four southern candidates the best known for his identification with that cause his vote practically confined to his own state which did not secede from the union was the smallest And finally it i was the length of service experience and prominence of theso Congressmen their parliamentary knowledge and suitableness which made them candidates and not because be-cause of tho section where they live In the apppintment of committees in the management of tho business of Congress no less than in its general public policy will the Democracy be the party of the whole country The nearly equal division of the House between tbe north and the south shows the national character of the Democratic party to begin with and wear satisfied this obliteration of sectional lines will prove to be of universal good |