Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1891-12-20
STATESMEN'S TALKS.
Senator Sherman Describes His
Spcakership Contest.
BRIGGS SEAT ALBERT CALLATIN.
Rmv uoGarrahan ana Ills claim-Wana-
makers Scheme for Postal Teie-
graph - Earopean oGlcss.
,s,.,,,,, corre.pondenoe Of Tho Dlsoa,ch.l


fspec,nl correspondence Of tho Dispatch.l
WASHINGTON, December i9.-Tho House
~ Representatives has not yet gotten over
discussing the late speakership contest
There Is considerable dissatisfaction over
tie prospective arrangement OF commit
tees. and the friends OF Crisp and Mills are
not working together in the most barmo-
n;ous manner. Speaking Of the speaker
shin contest had a talk with Senator
Sherman last night about ms famous
speakership fight Of 1883. when the House
III Representativ spent nine weeks IN
balloting 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. lie had inI
black beard aud he was tall, wlry, angular
man of thiTty-slx. lie was the youhg"St
man In Congress when he was elected 70
the House. and be had made reputa-
fion as one Of the committee sent out 70
Kansas TO investigate the troubles there.
He was the speakership candidate or tne
northern Repu blicans. and opposed 10 MN
were ali the elements OF the South. On
the FIRST ballot Gslusha n. Grow had near
lv as many votes as Sherman, but on the
second ballot he dropped out and all bis
votes went 90 Sherman. Senator sherman
tells me the true inwardness OF this move
ment. and his story Of the contest mas
never been published. Said he:
Az AoRIEMEET.
"Mr. Grow and had a private arrange
neut 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 bis votes TO me and on
the second ballot got one hundred ana
seven votes. From that time on until tht
close of the contest my friends STOOD by
me. Ihaddeus Stevens sad he wOuld yol9
for me until the crack OF doom, and my
friends stuck to me until / saw there was
dancer of n combination between the old
Whips of the South and tho Democrats and
7 threw my vote to Pennington, OF Now
Jersey. and be was elected on the Iorty-
fourth ballot. The contest was, thlnk, the
longest speakeTshlp contest IN our history
IL lasted from the 5th OF December III the
LAT Of February, and the House was IN an
nuroar a great part of the time. There
Uere many funny incidents during the
contest. and a number of times IT looked
as though we would have general hghJ
in the HOusS. The Democrats were on
ono side Of the House and the RepuOHcahs
on the other much as they are now, ana
/ remember that we tried to keep the par
ties separated and the aisles between them
sin. and q very large and powerful man,
cot into a fuss with BaTksdale. OF Mlsss-
sipui. They sat across the aisle from one
another. and Barksdale said something
that made Potter very angry.
HI WORE A WIG.
al He Jumped for him ana grabbed him by
the hair Intending TO jerk hlln up from
his seat and pound bis face, but, 10 and be-
hold, Barksdalc's whole head seemed 10
rise up IN POtter's hands, and the House
found out for the first time that Barksdale
wore a WIG, and his pate, as bald AS bIl-
lard-ball shOue ont under the gasllght,
while the House rOareG. That same night
KeItt Of South Carolina and Gaiusha A.
Grow came near having hgnC. Nett
called Grow black Republican puppy
and Grow TetOrted by saying that heitt
was a 'negrO-driyer that he should not
crack his whip over hin. / sat al
this time very near hr. OQ'oue' on
PENNSYLVANIA, and he, thinking the
frlt was gong 70 be general
one. plckpd up one of the big iron
cpittons which the House then used and
held II above his head ready 10 use u as "a
weapon. Unfortunately for him, however,
the spittOon was hali-iuIl, and the tobacco
luice drIpped down and solled ms clotheS'
During the whole contest we we're on the
verge of physical combat. Many OF the
politica. feeling prevailed Inc hGuI
against me was very bitter, but aiter ali i
lad a considerable extent the victory. for
/ was able TO elect the Speaker. aud when
Mr.. Pennington made out his list OF COM
mittees he took the ones winch ! had ar
ranged when ! supposed that Woul1 DC
elected ana he made me chairman o. the
Ways and Means COMMITTEES, thus giving
me the position of leader of the House"
foRSEY INCIDENT.
who was the Clerk OF that House, Mr..
Sherman 7" SAID /.
The Clerk was John W. Forney," re-
piled Senator Sherman, land he was
elected by one vote. A funny incident
occurred during the contest Ia regard 10
him. We were anxious, YOU know, TO get
the votes OF the sO-Called South American
members and we were making any cOmbi-
nations that we thought would give us
these votes and q majority for me. 1t was
privately understood that my friends
would vote for ForneY, but we didn't
want to acknowledge any such under
standing nor to have II anything else than
priyate. One of the Pennsylvania con-
cressmen was John Schwartz, big Penn
sylvania DutChman, who was fully as
broad as he was long. / was IN my rooms
mt Wizards Hotel with crowd OF mem
bers about me, when Schwartz waddled IN
and held out his hand and SAID IN loud
- How do you do, Shon shcrman2
tink we understand each other. votes Tor
you and you vote for Forney2
"'Yes, yes,' said |. l am glad TO see
you. but we will settle the clerkshlp after
we have fixed the speakership.n
Yes, yes dots al T 9I Sbo Ie Sbsr
man and Shon Sherman votes for Forney.
SOP
by this time the crowd lnthe room was
laughing and had all l could do TO get
Schwartz to let nue. of without O positive
pledge then and there that myself and my
friends would vote for Forney for Clerk;
We did intend TO vote for him, but we did
not intend to say so publicly. Ihe whole
contest, however, was full OF queer incl
dents.
TURKEY STORY.
"Sharp things were said on both sides
AID the Democrats were not backward IN
saving that they intended 10 ruin the lie
publican leaders as far as possible. Clarh
of Missouri was one of my CHIEF oppo
nents, and remember that at the close OF
the last ballot when Pennington was elect
ed he told a story IN which he spoke OF
hunter who was out turksY-shootlng. Inc
hunter had shot at a bird and had broker
its wing, and though he failed TO get hl:
sbot he said. : l did not kill you, but
have the satisfaction to know that you
will fiy considerably lower for the rest OF
your life.' AS Clark said this he pointed
at me, and doubt not that he thought
that 1 was eTectually ruined by my defeat
IL was Clark who raised the fuss about the
Helper Book and charged me- with being
the friend of the negro, which was one o.
the leading issues OF the contest"
SENATOR BRICE's SEAT.
Senator Sherman says that any question
as 10 the seat of Senator Brice must com,
from the Legislature Of Ohio and that the
Senate will have 10 take action upon it i
the Legislature makes the point. He say,
that the Senate is always non-partiSan il
such matters and that Senator Brees title
will be impArtially passed upon. Ques
tions OF this kind. he says, have come be
fore the Senate before, and in two notable
cases senators have lost their seats through
non-residence in the States in which they
were elected. One Of these was IN the cAso
Of General james Shields. Of Illinois, ant
another notable case, but of a different
nature, was that of Albert Gallatin. Gal
latin was born in Geneva, and he had beer
thirteen years in this country when he Wa
elected senator from Pennsylvania. liz
had been naturalized, however. only eigh
years, and the law provides that a maj
1. 60.