Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1883-12-13
IRE sPEAkERsHuP HISTORICALLY

Whatever nay be popu srly thought
Of the President of the United States az
/ the chief of the political party which
elects him. the history Of the country
shows that the Speaker Of the House. il
be be man OF much force Of character.
il the real leader of the party TO which
he belongs. The House here, as the
II use of Commons ia England, is the
great political power. Ii initiates most
legislation and as TO appropriations and
ways and meaRs to carry on the govern
tnent. II has the exclusive right to orr
gina,e all bills for such purposes
though the Senate may amend or even
reject them under our constitution,
which latter the House Of Peers may
not do without peril of a national con
vUlslon. by examining the list of
Speaker with reference 10 the States
they represented, We NAV pretty accur
aiely understand which section OF the
union eomlnated the policy of the gov
erument from the First to the present
Forty eighth Congress. From lhe
First 10 the end of the Sixth Congress.
OF frp'u the inauguration of President
Washington 10 the incoming # Presl
dent Jefferson, the speakers were all
from States north of the Mason aud
Dixon line. With President Jefferson
came In Nathaniel Macon Of North
Carolina - Speaker of the Sew
entb Congress. He Was re elected the
Eighth and Ninth but at the Tenth a
Massachusetts man became Speaker.
named, Joseph b. Varnum, VIII Was
re- elected by the Eleventh Congress,
going out March 4, ISL. IN she middle
of President Madlson's first term. He
was -ucceeded by Henry Clay of Ken
tncky, who served AS Speaker of the
Twelfth aud Thirteenth Congresses,
from March 1. 1911, to January -. 1914.
and Mr.. Clay Was the popular leader of
the war element of 1872. which was agi-
lated with extreme violence year he
fore 1t Was declared. Clay, III January,
1913. was appointed one of the Coninis-
sioners OF Ghent to negotiate the treaty
of peace with Great Britain and Cheves,
OF South Carolina, succeeded him AS
Speaker till the close of the Ihlrteenl b
Congress. March I, 1915. At the next
Congress Clay was returned to the
House and again elected Speaker. which
position he coatinued to hold through
that, the next and to the end of the first
session OF the Sixteenth Congress, in
$50. he WAS again elected Speaker of
the Eighteenth Congress Decembe | g,
1873, serving to March 1. 1879, when he
WAS called 10y President John q. Adams
10 the post of Secretary of State. No
other man has served 50 often or 81
long IN the SpeakerShlp As Mr.. CLAY.
Inc backbone of the Adams party
was broken by the election of Andrew
Jackson to the Presidency in lsos. aud
after that for dozen years and more
the Speakers were the ost prominent
leaders of the Democratic party, among
them James Il. Polk, of Tennessee, and
IL. Nj. l. Hunter. of Virginia. Still
lat ,r, and after tbs overthrow of the
Democrats IN 1910 by the defeat of Van
Buren, for the Presidency. the House.
being Democratic, elected such notable
Democratic leaders as Howell Cobb, of
Georgia. and Lynn Boyd. of Kentucky
Its Speakers. After the beginning of
the civil war, the majority Of the Demo
Gratis of the House having seeded
theIefrom. that body became thorough.
ly Republican, and COlfaX, of Indiana
then very popular politician, whatever
ne may be now, VAS elected and re elect
ed Speaker from December I. 1863, to
March I. 1869, when he became Vice Pres
ident and went over to the other cham
Der. HIS successor was James &. Blaine
OF Name. MIR. Blaine had served
through three Congresses at the time
March !, 1863 when he was elected
Speaker. HE was twioe reelected and
his term of sarvice as Speaker did not
close till March 1. 1873. The Democrats
secured the Forty fourth Congress, and
Michael Kerr. "A conspicuous leader of
the western democracy. was made the
speaker. Dying in office, he WAS sue
ceeded 10y tue abiest and most popular
House leader of the party, S.,nIIo. i.
Randall of Pennsylvania, who was
twice re elected and held the place to
the end of the Forty sixth Congress.
when his party, Ill the succeeding cleo
ton, lost the House and Keifer Or. of
ONO was made the Speaker. Again, in
this Forty eighth Congress. the Demo
Gratis are in t g majority in the House.
and. as We have just seen. have returned
to the south for their Speaker
AS general rule tue Speaker has
been the popular leader of his party, as
III the instances of Clay for the old Re
publlcans and after them for the Wings:
Polk. Boyd, Howell Cobb, Stevenson of
virginia and Hunter of the same State
for the Democrats, and Blaine for the
Republicans. But to this there have
been exceptions Neither Keifer nor
Carlisle were ever taken by their re-
spective parties as leaders, nor Galusha
A. Grow of Pennsylvania, nor James l..
Orr of South Carolina, nor Pennington
of New Jersey. These have been chance
Speakers, rather ruled by the party they
belonged to than ruling or sharing its
policy. 1t Is a significant part of the
history of the Speakership that of all
the Speakers elected by the Democratic
party since Jackson's first term down to
and including Carlisle, there were but
from States nerth of Mason and Dixon
line. namely, Michael G.. Kerr of In
diana and Randall of PENNSYLVANIA,
and 1t Is probable that neither Kerr
nor Randall could have succeeded with
tue party but for the deep brand of sus
plcion which the public had set upon all
Southern States Democrats from the
time OF their secession and treason.
NO sooner do We see this brand over
grown 10y the hair of time than the
party returns .again to the control of it's
Southern bosses. and its free trade
craze, generated by jealousy of North
erh manufacturing prosperity under
the policy of protection, of which
Henry Clay. the citizen of the same
State with Carlisle. was the father. OF
the lW caucus votes cast for Carlisle ~
were from the South and but - from.
the Northern, Western aud Pacific
States. OF the - votes cast for Ran
dali but ~ We're from the South and 3.
from other States.-S. +. Chroa;cIp.
NOW 70 SECURE MEALTM.
1t ia strange any one will suffer from
brought on by impure
blood, when Scovill's Sarsaparilla and
Stillingia, or BLOOD and LIVER
SYRUP will restore health tO the phvs