Telegram-herald., 1891-12-11

nous or representatives Was chosen
Monday. We have hau ifly-one COR
gresses. Int only thlrty-one speakers
fn2s 3 because such men as Henry
Clay and James G.. Blaine and SAMUEL
j. landau and John G.. Carlisle are not
numerous. When one is found he IS
kept IN the speakers char more than
oae term.
Mr. Blaine was the twenty-slxth
speaker. be had three terns; 20 did
scatiyler Coltax, who was Mr.. Biaine's
immediate predecessor. Three tsIns
ssein 10 be considered about the proper
thing for = ilrsi-class speaker. Mr..
Randall, tue twsaty-ninth speaker, WAS
three TIMES elected speaker, aud so was
Mr.. Carlisle, who followed nim iinm~di-
ateiy. Another three-term spt ax-r
WAS Nathaniel Macon. of North
Carolina. He WAS the fifth speaker.
hut tnA first from the south. Henry
Clay broke the record; he Was SIX times
elected speaker. In one congress he
resigned the speakership To 30 to Eu-
rope TO arrange the treaty OF peace
with Great Britain. But he came back
to the mex. congress aud received tie
spsakership again.
BY the rules # luck the thirteenth
SPEAKER should have been "hoodooed"
tie rest Of his life. But in fact he was
the only speaker who ever reached the
presidency. OF cours,, the name 10
guessed james X. Polk. And he WAS
elected president against Henry Clay,
another ex-speaker.
More than one man has left tho
speakrrshp with the presidential beo
IN his bonnet. John Bell OF Tennessee,
tweniv-tive years after he had btcI
speaker for one .ession, became the
nominee OF the constitutional union
party in 1860. Bell and Everett, tho
ticket was.
As q stepping-stone to the presidency
the speaErrshlp hasn't worked well.
But II is hy no means political grave
yard. There is a future for ex.speak-
ers. To of the six living ex-speakers
are now doing well-Mr. Blame In the
cabinet and Mr.. Mr.. Carlisle in the
senate.
The first speaker Of the house was q
Luthern clergyman--Rev. Frederick A.
T.. Muhlenberg. He had four straight
terms In congress, and IN the first and
third congresses he was speaker. He
died soon after.
Then came Jonathan Trumbell,
who went from thu speakership to the
s nate and then was elected governor
OF Connecticut eleven terms, dying In
Office.
jonathan Dayton, of New Jersey,
was speaker of the fourth and fifth
congresses and then senator.
Theodore Sedgwick, Of Massachu-
setts, died almost Immediately after
his single term ~ speaker.
Macon, who was the fifth speaker,
has been mentioned. He was kept in
congress after his service % speaker
until he was seventy years old aud de-
clined to run.
Joseph 3. Varnum, of Maseachu-
setts. went from the speAkership TO the
senate.
Clay was threa times . candidate for
the presidency, sat IN the senate twice
and served in the cabinet.
Laugdon Cheevss of South Carolina,
Jonn W. Taylor Of New York. ana
Philip p. Barbour Of Virginia. were al
interim speakers so to speak. That 10
to say, they were sandwiched III dnr-
ing Henry Clay's twelve years, holding
otflce while Clay was out attending to
other business. They never Locame
distinguished.
Andrew Stevenson the eleventh
speaker, was a three-times winner, but
he went out before the end Of his third
term 10 become minister TO Spain.
Bell, VINO WAS mentioned, was sena.
tor alter he was speaker. He WAS
also secretary Of war under William
Henry Hair son.
Robert NJ. 1. Hunter of Virginia.
took up the gsvel which James X. Polk
laid down. For twenty years after.
ward MIR. Hunter Was considered presi.
dental timber. His name was men,
toned Ia con, catlons. and 1860 he was
considered among the available men
for the head OF the southern confed-
erscy. Then for twenty years he was
forgotten, and in the midst OF Ar.
Cleveland's administration the country
was astonished to learn that this once
eminent democrat still lived and WAS
holding little 1900 office.
John White of Kentucky. John w.
Jones Of Virgipis, and John w. DAVIS
in succession bad one term each.
White went on the bench in Kentucky
after being speaker aud killed himself
the only suicide among the ex
speakers. Jones and Davis died IN
their prime.
Rober. c. Winthrop Of Massachusetts,
the protege Of Daniel Webster. wat
speaker of q e tlirtieth congress II
/ isi9 and went into forty years iehre
ment afterward.
Then Howell Cobb OF Georgia. AND
Linn Boyd of Kentucky, had each
term Of the speak~rshIp- Cobb va
secretary of the treasury afterward un
der Buchanan.
Nathsnlsl p. Banks came back y
congress ferty-four years after he had
been speaker. Between times he hat
been governor of his state aud . majo
general IN the army.
James L. Orr OF south Carolina, ant
/ William Pennington OF New Jersey
were the speakers of the next two con
gresses, bringing the record down q
the beginning oi the war They wer
scarcely heard OK aftes they went GU
OF congress.
Gzlasna A. Grow was the speaker o
/ the house which csBe in with Lsnesln
aud after him were, in succession, Col
1 far. Blaine. Mlchssi c. Kerr of lndi
ana. Randall, J. Warren Ksifer Of Ohio
l Carlisle ard Reed. Mr.. Kerr vas th
oaIv speaker who died While heldin
/ the oH1ce.
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