The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-12-10
THE sPsAkERsHIp IN HISTORY.
Ex-speakers VINO Are Row with tina
Living.
From The Nel0 York World.

From the Nei0 York World.
WASHINGTON, Dec. There are about
half a dozen ex-speakers living, and only
two of them-Blaine and CarlisIe--have
any prominence. Keifer, the last repub-
lican head of the House, is living in a mer-
tied retirement at Springfield, o.. growing
against the fates that keep his greatness in
obscurity. Galusha A Grow. who burst
forth into the political horizon away back
in the sos, like a great sky rocket, as the
Youngest meTnber of the lower house. liyei
on his reputation until, after a decade. he
got to speaker, and then petered out Do
litically w2en he was still under 40. Rob
ert G. Winthrop finished his career in the
House of Representatives with the speaker
ship, and he still lives, an old man of so in
Massachusetts. Nathaniel P Banks i
another speaker of the past, and not long
ago ne was happy in being United States
marshal.
1t is lucky for speakership candidate To
come from a state which has had the
speakership before. The office seems IN
run in states. Kentucky has held it fully
one-fifta of the entire history of congress-
commencing with Henry Clay and ending
with Carlisle. Virginia had fourteen years
of it, and pennsylvania ranks next, having
held the office for twelve years. Sam Ran
dali, who Is now lying sick in his hon "a
near the capitol. served for five years as
speaker, and the first speaker of all was a
Pennsylvanian. His name was Frederick
A Muhlanberg, rich merchant of a now
erful family in Philadelphia, and what is
supposed to be statue of him, but which
in reality represents his brother, stands in
the statuary hall of the capitol Grow was
also from Pennsylvania, and he still lives.
believe, il That state.
Massachusetts, has had the speakership ten
years, Indiana eight years, Maine, North
Carolina and New Jersey six years each.
and Georgia, when Howell Cobb was
speaker, two years. Twenty-four of the
states have never furnished a speaker. and
we have never mad speaker west of Indi-
ana. Henry Clay was the youngest speaker
in point of age and term of service in the
House. He was elected when he was only
80 years old, and held the speakers chair
longer than any other speaker. He was re-
elected five times and he resigned more than
once. If Reed could carry out the policy
of Clay, the party would lose nothing by
having him in the chair. Clay did not let
his speakership office prevent him from tax
ing art in the debates and he was one If
the most frequent speakers in congress dur
ing his term as presiding officer.
Next to Clay in terms of Office come,
Alexander Stevenson of Virginia. He was
for eight years the biggest man in congress.
d hundred who knows anything about him.
Colfax, Blaine and Nathaniel Mac IN each
had six years of the speakership, and it was
after Colfax's term of service that he was
nominated for the vice presidency. While
he was speaker he once left the chair to
move the expulsion of an Ohio member.
who had made speech urging the reco1-
milton OF the southern confederacy. This
action was much censured at the time.
hos hnH 4ha
once, and that was away back during John
Quincy Adams administration. when
John W. Taylor was speaker. Tavlor sue
ceeded Henry Clay in 1920, and he was
again elected in 1926. He was a noted con-
gresham in his day, aud was the first
member of the House who put himself on
record against the extension of slavery
he was born and brought up in New York,
and during his latter days went to Cleve-
land, o., where he died in 1913
The present speakership IS looked upon
somewhat as giving its successful candidate
move toward the presidency. The
record of history shows that only one
speaker has ever reached the presidency.
while the greatest of the speakers of the
past have miserably failed in their attempts
to get toere. Blaine, the plumed knight of
the House of Representative. has been
beaten again and again in the tournaments
for the white house. Henry CLAY, the most
magnetic and the most brilliant sneaker
the house has ever had, died disappointed
man because he could not step from the
speakers chair into the presidential man
sion, aud the only speaker who has ever
been elected President was James X. Polk
OF Tennessee, who was speaker for two
sessions during the administration of Presi-
dent Van Buren,.
FRANK G. CARPENTER.