Show SUCCESSOR TO BLAND t Who Will Take His Place In House of Representatives NEW LEADER IS NEEDED i I MANTLE MAY FALL UPON PIERCE OF TENNSSEE a Long Fight Dignified and Fierce Made By the Dead Congressman In Behalf of Silver Industrial Comission Coming to Salt Lake to Investigate Mining Industry + Special Correspondence Washington June 20The Elijah of tho silver cause in the house of representatives representa-tives has passed on and it remains to hen he-n if there is an Elisha capable of takIng I I tak-Ing up and carrying forward his work Tor a quarter of a century Richard Parks j Bl Tid was the recognized silver leader in i oppress and he foughtfor his cause with ability energy and rare fidelity He was IIi I-Ii < ruggedly honest man and believed that I I I the restoration of silver would be followed follow-ed by the genuine and abundant prosperity pros-perity of the people He was a devoted I Democrat and yet he was one of the first to revolt from Democratic leadership i when President Cleveland sent to congress the message that was followed by the repeal I re-peal of the Sherman law Few who heard I it will forget his ringin declaration in the house that no arm was strong enough to reach in there and throttle the expression I of the will of the representatives of the people This was the first open Democratic defiance de-fiance of the Democratic national administration admin-istration That he accurately judged the sentiments of the Democratic congressmen congress-men was amply demonstrated when the repent bill came to its passage It received re-ceived only a minority of the Democratic I votes and the administration was saved from defeat by the preponderance of j Republican votes cast for the measure i RfR plf at11n I Bland was not a politician 11n the ordinary ordin-ary acceptance of tho term he cared nothing for the importance of postmaster ships and federal patronage as aides to continuance In congress Ho fought the administration strictly on principle afterward after-ward being tho first signer to the proclamation procla-mation by Democratic congressmen announcing I an-nouncing their I conviction that the party i was for the free coinage of silver and their determination to see that the party r platform majority expressed the will of the party I Lived to See Victory Bland lived to see a Democratic national I na-tional convention by an overwhelming majority ma-jority commit the party to the advocacy of I this principle and to see the gold Democracy I Demo-cracy absolutely obliterated in congress To a man of singleness of purpose and i intensity of conviction this was a very i satisfactory victory I The silver cause has lost much In the i I death of this sturdy champion Democratic Demo-cratic I leaders are already looking about not without misgiving to see if it is possi blc tofind successor who will be even measurably successful In his place Mr Bland was a member of the house committee com-mittee on coinage weights and measures during the entire period of his congressional con-gressional service He was its chairman in the Fortyfourth Fortyfifth Forty sixth Fortyeighth Fortyninth Fiftieth Fiftysecond and Fiftythird congresses and the ranking member of the Democratic Demo-cratic minority in the Fortyseventh Fiftyfirst Fiftyfourth and Fiftyfifth congresses During all these years he was a member of every conference committee of the two houses considering coinage subjects and the Democratic house leader > in all of the discussions of the silver question I I ques-tion in tho many phases It has presented 1 In that long period of time The selection of the new Democratic leader of the committee on coinage weights and measures will be made by the i I Republican speaker of the house Tho ranking Democratic member of this committee com-mittee named by the speaker will be In charge of the Democratic time In debate I and have the preparation of minority reports re-ports for the committee There Is no reason to believe that the sneaker will I depart from precedent In naming the committees com-mittees and therefore It Is extremely probablethat the now ranking member of the committee will be chosen from its minority membership In the lat congress con-gress If Charles S Hartman of Montana had remained In congress he would undoubtedly un-doubtedly have Inherited the minority leadership IIp was next to Mr Bland I i upon the committee and during his congressional con-gressional service was very attentive to I his duties as a member of it I I Successor to Bland i I i The minority member of most experience ex-perience is Rice A Pierce I of Tennessee who first entered congress In 1SS3 Since that time I 1etel has had a somewhat Intermittent I Inter-mittent experience serving live terms He I has been from the first one of the strong i est sliver men lit oongress trod one of the best speakers oil the Democratic side lie I Is an old confederate soldier serving when a boy suffering two years imprisonment imprison-ment and leaving the service In his seventeenth seven-teenth year He is now In his fiftieth year I and is full of vigor and resources and will if chosen make an able Democratic Demo-cratic leader on the committee Sam B Cooper of Texas another member of the I I committee is an able and energetic man I but he Is also ea rankjng member of the minority of two other house committees which are likely to prove preferable to him It Is apparently a good prediction to say that Rice A Pierce will succeed the late Mr Bland as leader of the Democratic portion of the committee on coinage weights and measures and + there Is no reason to doubt his entire fidelity to the silver cause He will keep it well to the front In so far as the minority can do so It should of course be understood that It Is in the power of the speaker and the house majority to wholly sidetrack the sliver question in tact u Is expected that the financial legislation to be attempted by the majority this winter will not be of u character to be considered by the I coinage committee It will come either from the judiciary committee or the committee com-mittee on banking and currency Colonel D B Henderson who is to be the new speaker Is chairman or a select Republican Republi-can caucus committee which has been considering financial legislation at Atlantic At-lantic City I CityAn An Elaborate Plan + I It Is said that they have formulated I I quite an elaborate plan for presentation I to the new congress the most material feature of which Is expected to > em the retirement I re-tirement of the greenbacks This legislation I legisla-tion If proposed in the house will not be I referred to the coinage committee and In this connection that committee will lose temporarily at least much of the proml I I I nence it attained during the consideration 1 of free coinage It Is however of importance that the mountain states have a representative on the committee By the retirement of ex Congressman Hartmann the only Rocky Mountain member of Mr Blanda committee com-mittee this region is deprived of representation repre-sentation on the committee which deals with legislation concerning tho precious metals This will undoubtedly be a good assignment for Congressman Roberts of Vtah or Congressman Campbell of Montana Mon-tana both new members of the house with constituents closely Interested In legislation pertaining to the coinage There are several vacancies In the Demo cratlc membership which might make their appointments easy i J Another Important committee which Is I I now without Rocky Mountain renresen tntlon Is that on mines and mining Places I on this committee ought to be within I f easy reach of one or the oth r of the gentlemen I gen-tlemen named for here again the casualties casual-ties of the last campaign have left a number I num-ber of vacancies I To Investigate Mining The Vnlted States Industrial commission commis-sion which has been taking testimony here at intervals for several months past will soon adjourn for the summer But i this does not mean that Its work Is to be interrupted during this period The commission has divided Itself Into a number num-ber of subcommissions for the purpose of continuing work during the summer months In various portions of the country coun-try One of the most Important of these subcommissions Is that on mining which Is composed of Commissioners M D Ratchford of Indiana John C Bell of Coorado and Leo Mantle of Montana I months This subcommittee of July 1 and August will In spend the Rocky the Mountain states taking testimony and I ccrductlng Independent Investigation for I the purpose of obtaining information re I II I biting to the mining Industry The com Ur ihre ihfst mittee will leavethis city soon after the first of Julythat Is to say Messrs Ratchford and Bell who are In the city will leave at that time They will be Joined in the west by exSenator Mantle While the exact route of tho subcommittee subcom-mittee has not yet been arranged It is prcbablo that the first stop and hearing will be at Denver Here they will spend somo time calling as witnesses a number of prominent mineowners and laboring men employed In the mines From Denver they are to proceed to Salt Lake and thenco to Butte and the Coeur dAlenes The length of time spent In each state will depend upon circumstances but be subject sub-ject to the necessity which the members are under to complete the Independent work by the first of September Work of Other Committees The subcommittee on mining hap selected se-lected as Its stenographer Mr Watson E Coleman formerly a well known news paper man a native of the west and quite familiar with tho subject matter to be considered in these investigations He will join the subcommittee upon its assembling as-sembling at Denver In addition to this committee the Vnlt ed States Industrial commission will have a number of other committees at work during the summer months the most Important Im-portant of which are those upon aericul tvre transportation and manufactures All of these are expected to push their work as diligently as possible as the commission com-mission desires to make Its first formal report to congress upon the reconvening of that body In December President McKinley Is now In Xew I f England and the consideration of his western trip Is delayed pending his return re-turn There Is I still a strong prospect that ho will be able to make the trip and spend I about two weeks In Colorado 1tah the I Park and Montana cities along tho line of the schedule heretofore given In this I correspondence The presidents private JI I secretary said today that it was too cantor I can-tor him to undertake to giver tho itinerary with any particular detail f I |