the Committee on Ways and Means. He was the acknowledged
leading advocate of a high protective tariff to which the Republican
party was then pledged, though the party was then honeycombed with
free-traders, some of whom edited leading newspapers. Some of the
latter in New York, Chicago, and Cincinnati, took occasion to assail
me for appointing Mr. Kelley, and to give weight to their unjust
attacks made many false statements as to the organization of other
committees.(15) In this they were inspired by Mr. Blaine, and a
very few others outside of Congress, who imagined their dictations
should have been regarded, or who were otherwise disappointed in
not being able to say who should be Speaker. The Speaker could
not go into the newspapers and contradict these and like malicious
stories, and hence some of them are still ignorantly repeated.(16)

After fuller acquaintance with the members, it became obvious that
in assigning them to committee work I had overrated some and
underrated others, but a better working Congress never met. Its
work abundantly proves this, not only in amount of work done, but
in the importance and character of the legislation, and its freedom
from all that was corrupt or vicious. I cannot recall that even
the weak and vicious slanderers or disappointed lobbyists ever
risked charging me while I was Speaker or during my eight years in
Congress with favoring any corrupt measure pending in Congress.
Polygamy, notwithstanding it had maintained itself in the United
States for fifty years, and was then more firmly established in
Utah than at any time before, was given a blow, under which it has
since about disappeared. The first three-per-cent. funding bill
was passed by this Congress. Pauper immigration was prohibited,
and immigrants were required to be protected on their way across
the sea; national bank charters were extended, letter postage was
reduced to two cents, and many public acts wisely regulating the
Indian and land policy of the government were passed. Liberal
pension laws were enacted; internal-revenue taxes were largely
reduced, and there was a general revision (March 3, 1883) of the
tariff laws. The Civil Service Act was also passed in this
Congress.

More bills were introduced for consideration in the Forty-seventh
than came before Congress in the first fifty years of its existence.

In discharging the duties of Speaker I had no strong parliamentary
leader of my party on the fl