St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-11-18
Several Distinguished Amer
cans Seek to BE Speaker
Of the House.
Nobody Likely to Secure
Votes Enough on the
Opening Ballot.
Reed Will Lead All His COM
petitors in the Early
Voting,
But the West May Combine
to Choose Mckinley or
Cannon.

Ooh1VAe
Special to the GLOBE.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 1.-THE men
VINO are to nominate the speaker of the
Fifty-first congress have not yet ar
rived in Washington, says the cOrre-
sp0ndent of the Chicago Inter Ocean.
No one of the candidates is likely to
have upon the first ballot enough votes
to secure the nomination, and the man
who will be speaker NAV be the man
who is now the second choice of ma
jority of Republican members. In these
three statements the speakership situa-
tion. as it exists at present, is probably
accurately summarized. Some of the
candidates have been electing them
selves with the aid of handful of men,
bers and brass band. The members
yet to arrive will hold the deciding vote.
There have been many changes in the
situation since the canvass for
the speakership first became act
i've. 1t is not so One-sided
race as has been claimed. The prize
isa great one, and none of the contest
ants will willingly retire from the race.
If not the first, then the second most
important office of the government is
that of the speaker of the house. 1t
may fairly be questioned whether the
actual power of the president of the
United States is equal to that of ofspeaker
of the house. The president, by virtue
of his right to make nominations to
Office. has more political influence than
the speaker, but he certainly
HAS NOT THE AUTHORITY
of the latter in shaping legislation. In
the senate the president of that body
can not appoint the committees, but in
the house the authority of the presiding
officer is supreme in forming the COM
mittees. The distinction, ability, serv-
ice and experience of members must,
and, of course. do influence in some de-
gree the selection of committeeman. but
the choice is practically made at the will
of the speaker. and it is most frequently
made in such.a manner as to shape leg
isIation in accordance with the plans of
the speaker. 1t has been suggested
that the contest for the speaker
ship in the caucus will be long
and exciting. There is nothing
in the existing situation to support
such a theory. There has been on
three occasions a deadlock over the
speakership which led to long and
exciting contest. That which occurred
on the meeting of the Twenty-siXth
congress lasted two weeks; in the
Thirty-fourth. sixty-one days; and in
the Thirty-sixth. fifty-eight days. The
conditions when each of these contests
took place were decidedly different
from those that exist to-day. In De-
cember. 1855, when the Thirty-fourth
congress met. the Whig organization
had passed away, the Knownothing or
ganization was rapidly following it into
forgetfulneSs, while the great contest
which has arisen over the repeal of the
Missouri compromise was forcing men
to divide on the side of
FREEDOM OR SLAVERY.
Practically, the same condition of
affairs existed two years later. But this
year there are but two parties i'm con-
gress. The Republican margin is small,
bat eight votes are ample for an organ
ization of the house. There will. doubt
less, be an animated contest for the Re-
publican nomination, but the speaker
ship contest will be settled in the Re-
publican caucus and there will be this
year but one ballot in the house of rep
resentativeS. Of the candidates for
speaker McKihley and Reed alone come
from states whose representatives have
ever welded the gavel. Kentucky has
been almost rs much a mother of
speakers as Virginia of presidents.
Carlisle was the fourth from that
state to be called to the chair. No
state has furnished more than that
number of speakers. and when the
aggregate time of service is considered
no other state has more distinguished
record. Henry Clay was the presiding
officer of six different congresses. An
other distinguished Kentuckian. Linn
Boyd, presided over two congresses and
John White over one. The Blue Grass
state has thus had the speakerShip for
eighteen years. Next to Kentucky,
Virginia has been represented the
Oftenest and the longest in the chair.
furnishing four speakers. three of whom
were reelected. Massachusetts hes
also furnished four speakers, their
terms aggregating ten years. Three
speakers have been chosen from Penn
svlvania and three from the Indiana
delegations. Ohio has furnished but
one speaker-Keifer. The occupants
of the chair who have served
THROUGH THKEE OR MORE
congresses have been Nathaniel Macon,
of North Carolina. three terms: Henry
Clay, of Kentucky. six terms; Andrew
Stevenson, of Virginia, four terms;
Samuel j. Randall. of Pennsylvania.
three terms; James G. Blaine, of Maine.
three terms. and Schuyler COlfax. of
TnAiono fhrna fnrpoc No cnaobn hao
ever been chosen from Illinois or from
any of the states beyond the Mississippi.
The South has had the Office oftener ana
for longer periods than the North. The
first Republican to occupy the chair was
Nathaniel P. Banks, of Massachusetts.
who was elected in 1885, after contest
of two months, on the 133d ballot.
The sprakership has seldom proved
stepping-stOne to anything higher.
But one ex-speaker. James K. Polk.
has ever reached the White house
Colfax Is the only one who has become
vice president, and Blaine the only ex-
speaker who has filed cabinet posi-
ton. Reed is working hard to combine
New England, New York, Pennsyl.
vania and New Jersey. He is aiming
York. so that. having twO-thirds of the
vote of that state, the rest will have to
vote for him whether they like 1t or not.
His friends claim that they will accom-
plish this, and that they will have a
pretty solid East for him. But If he
gets New York, New England. Pennsyl-
vania and New Jersey, as he expects to.
he will not then have enough votes TO
elect him, and the South and West may
look upon it as a combination against
them. aud may. in turn. combine. Both
Reed and Mckinley are working much
IN THE SAME FIELD.
and the friends of the latter are hopeful