Omaha daily bee., 1889-11-05
THE VEST AND THE spEAKERsHrp

THE " EST ANDTHES ESPEAkERSHIP
The Chicago Inter Ocean, discussing
the present aspect of the speakership
contest, remarks that the only hope for
the west lies in concentration upon one
candidate. Regarding Mr.. Mckinley,
OF Ohio, as u middle state rather than Il
western candidate, our Chicago con
temporary says the three representa-
tives OF the west in the field are Mr..
Cannon, OF Illinois; Mr.. Burrows, of
Michigan, and Mr.. Henderson, of Iowa,
and 1t declares that 'if all three re-
main in the field all will be defeated"
Naturally it couusels q union OF western
representatives in support of Mr.. Can
non.
All the arguments presented by the
Inter Ocean in favor OF seating u western
man in the speakers char of the next
house of representatives are good, but
their application to MIR. Cannon may
not be regarded as altogether sound,
particularly by the supporters
of the Ohio candidate. They may
fairly ask why Mr.. Mckinley is to be
counted as any less a western man
than the representatives of Illinois and
Michigan. There is no good reason
why those states should not be placed
in the same sectional division as Ohio,
and as matter of fact they arc so
placed in the popular mind, and very
properly. Half of Michigan is as far
east as the center of Ohio, and the
Mississippi, which Is now the rec
ogniaed dividing line, bounds Illi-
nois on the west, thus de-
priviag it of any fair claim,
or indeed any better claim than Ohio,
to be considered a western state.
Correctly speaking, therefore, there
is but one western candidate for speaker
now in the field, Mr.. Henderson of Iowa,
| and the fact that his candidacy was not
announced as early as that of Mr.. Cam
| non, and that his support at the outset
| promises to be somewhat less
than that OF the Illinois repre-
| sentative, has no bearing whatever
| upon his claims. No one pretends
that Mr.. Henderson is not as we'll quail
! fed for the position as either Cannon
| or Burrows, and since it is both Just
| anu ueSlraule IndL Ule SDeuhefSnlp OIL
the next house should be given to the
west, the Iowa candidate Is obviously
| the man upon whom the western repre-
sentatives should concentrate.
The inter Ocean is right in the view
that the time has come when the
republican party cannot afford to
roject the claim of the west
in this matter, and the section west OF
the Mississippi, which is the strongest
and surest bulwarlS of republicanism
having candidate for the speakership
who is in every way qualified to honor
ably fill the position, has an indisputa-
BILE claim to be recognized. If the
speakership contest is to be determined ID
upon sectional considerations, which
now appears likely, Mckinley, Cannon
and Burrows must fairly be held
to represent the middle sec
tion, leaving Henderson alon c
in the field. as the repre-.
sentative of what is popularity regarded
and is in fact, the west. If western
representatives are faithful to their
section it is the Iowa candidate upon
whom they will concentrate their sup
port, and it is the probability of this
being ultimately done which leads the
friends of Mr.. Henderson to regard hi!
chances of success with a great deal o.
/