The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1891-12-20
STATESMEN'S YARNS
Sherman Describes His Famous
Speakership Contest.
HOW BARKSDALE LOST HIS WIG
Something About the Biggest Telegraph Office
In the World-HOw Press Messages are
Sent in Europe and Their Cost.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 16-[Special Cores
pondence of THE HERALD. The House of
Representatives has not yet gotten over
discussing the late speakership contests
There is considerable dissatisfaction over
the prospective arrangement of commit
tees and the friends of Crisp and Mills are
not working together in the most harmoni-
Gus manner. Speaking of the speakership
contest, had talk with Senator Sherman
last night about his famous speakership
fight of 1859 when the House of Repre-
sentatives spent nine weeks in ballotng
and when Sherman, during the whole time
had a plurality vote, and once or twice
came within two or three of an election.
This was thirty-two years ago. Sherman's
hair was black. He had a full black beard
and he a was tall, why, angular man of
thirty-slX. He was the youngest man in
Congress when he was elected to the
House and he had made q reputation as
one of the committee sent out to Kansas to
investigate the troubles there. He was the
speakershlp candidate OF the northern Re
publicans and opposed to him were all the
elements of the South. On the first ballot
votes as Sherman, but on the second ballot
he dropped out and all his votes went to
Sherman. Senator Sherman tells me the
true inwardness of this movement and his
story Of the contest has never been pub
lished. Said he:
Mr. Grow and 1 had private arrange
ment that the one who received the most
votes on the first ballot should have the
votes of the other thereafter. The result
was that he threw his votes to me and on
tie second ballot l got 107 votes. From
that time on until the close of the contest
Ely friends stood by me. Thaddeus Stew
ems said he would vote for me until the
crack of doom, and my friends stuck to
re until l saw there was danger of a com
biuation between the old Wings of the
south and the Democrats, and threw my
T3te TO Pennington, of New Jersey, and he
wss elected on the forty-fourth ballot. The
contest was, / think, the longest Speaker
ship contest in our history. 1t lasted from
the Eth of December till the LIST of Feb
rukry and the House was in an uproar a
great part OF the time. There were many
iIaay incidents during the contest and q
nun Der of times 1t lnoked as though we
would have general fight in the House.
he DENT crats were on one side of the
House and the Republicans on the other.
nuch as they are now, and | remember
that we tried to keep the parties separated
sad the aisle between them clear. Potter,
q Republican from Wisconsin, and very
large ana powerful man, got into fuss
with Barksdale, of Mississippi. They sat
across the aisle from one another and
Barksdale said something that made Pot
ter very angry. He jumped fol
intending to jerk him up from his
seat and pound his face, but IL
and behold, Barksdale's whole head seemed
10 rise up in Potuer's hands and the house
found out for the first time that Barksdale
wore a wig and his pate, as bald as bill
lard ball shone out under the gaslight
while the House roared. That same night
heltt, of South Carolina and Galush A
Grow came near having a fight Keitt
called Grow q BLACK Republican Puppy
and Grow retorted by saying that keiti
was Negro Driver'' and that he should
not crack his whip over him. / sat at this
time very near Mr.. Covode of Pennsyl-
van1a and he, thinking the fight was going
10 ne general one picked up one of the big
iron spittoons which the House then used
and held 1t above his head ready to use il
as weapon. Unfortunately for him, how.
ever the splttoon was half full and the
tobacco juice dripped down and soiled his
clothes. During the whole contest we were
on the verge of physical combat Many of
the members were armed and the bitterest
of political feeling prevailed. The fight
against me was very bitter, but after al
had, to a considerable extent, the vic
tory, for l was able TO elect the Speaker,
and when Mr.. Pennington made out his list
OF committees he took the ones which
had arranged when l supposed that
would be elected, and he made me chair
man Of the ways and means committee
thus giving me the position that made me
leader of the House"
''Who was the clerk of that House. Mr.
Sherman" said l.
1.-The clerk was John w Forney,n re
piled Senator Sherman, land he wa
elected by one vote. A funny incident oc
Cured during the contest in regard to him
We were anxious, you know, to get the
votes of the so-called South American
members, and we We're making any com.
blnations that we thought would give u!
these votes, and majority for me. It wa!
privately understood that my friends would
vote for F'orney, but we didn't wan to &C
knowledge any such understanding, nor U
have II anything else than private. One O.
the Pennsylvania Congressman was Joh1
Schwartz, big Pennsylvania Dutchman
who was fully as broad as he was long.
was in my rooms at Wizards hotel with
crowd of members about me whe1
Schwartz waddled in and held out hi
hand, and said in a loud tone:
''How do you do, Shon Sherman. / tinl
we understand each other. l votes 70
you and you votes for Forney!=
''Yes, yes,n said l. az am glad to see yoI
but we will settle the clerkship after w
have fixed the speakership.'
Eyes, yes, dots all right" reptile,
Schwartz. But | votes for Shon Sher
man, and Shon Sherman votes for Forney
Sop'
BY this time the crowd in the room wa
Laughing and / had all l could do to ge
Schwartz 10 let me off without positiv
pledge then and there that myself and m
friends would vote for Forney for clerk
We did intend to vote for him but we di
not intend to say so publicly. The Who'll
contest however. was full of queer Incl
dents. Sharp things were said on bot
sides and the Democrats were not back
ward IN saying that they intended to rui
the Republican leaders as far as possible
Clark of Missouri was one of my CHE
opponents and remember that at the clos
of the last ballot when Pennington wa
elected he told story in whicl
he spoke of hunter who was out turkey
shooting. The hunter had shot bird an,
had broken its wing and though he faile
to get his shot, he said, II did not kill yo
but have the satisfaction to know tina
you will fly considerably lower for the res
of your life" AS Clark said this he poini
ed at me and l doubt not he thought that
was effectually ruined by my defeat.
was Clark who raised the fuss about tn
Helper book and charged me with bein
the friend of the negro which was one
.he leading issues of the contest
SENATOR BRIcE's SEAT.
Senator Sherman says that any questio