New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-02-19
HIS1nRIC1L COLLECTIONS.

n
NJ Albany recalls TO an Albany correspondent
or . Sunday NEWSPAPER who adds to the charms
Of \ lmpd style a quite Timber imagination
opd = certain familiarity with political history
which does not depend upon books of reference.
a thrilling incident which he thus describes:
Away back before the war, when Nathaniel y:
Ranks was a candidate for Speaker or the HOUSE Vi
REPRESENTATIVES the clerk refused to call the name
of the State OF New-Jersey, on the srouh" tha'
there was n contest from that state inv" uP
sprang John Quincy Adams. eXcairnnlS' Inv"
will call the roll. \ member of this House sUicE
has the right perform an act when he u',,S"'eS
to n subordinate" And he did call the roll anu
General Banks was elected Speaker.
Il is quite unimportant. Of course, but III
order to prevent the pcrpctuation OF hlStorl''l
inaccuracies, however slight il should be S'a""
that this dramatic episode did not occur AVA!
back before the war" On the contrary " WIS
lust prior TO the outbreak of I'll" next war. vi
minor importance IS the circumstance llat
there was no contest from Ncw-lcrScy Wh'n
General Banks was Il candidate Tor Spcah'''
for there easily might have been mat VIC
Clerk did not refuse To call the roll Is "i loss
consequence. for there is no reason 10 oo"D'
that he would have refused had there p'eh Il
contest from Ncw-Jcrscy. Nor do we cohS'"'r
the interest inspired by the incident III any
way diminished by the circumstance mat al
the time Banks was candidate Tor speaker
John Quincy Adams had been dead five years.
For there Is every reason to believe that hau
there been contest from NeW-Jcrscy' anu
had the Clerk refused to call the roll Mt.
Adams would have risen up and called the ron
himself Not that he ever did H. but he did
say in 1899 under similar conditions: i VIII
put the question myself" 1t would have pc'h
unusual OF course, for n man who had D"ch
dead five years 10 take such nm active interest
In politics. but 1t must be remembered mat II
has always been a popularity OF the Adau'S
family that they do unusual things at uneX-
pccted times. A great many things came up
I'm the Speakership contest OF 1NI' That were
out Of the common run. And II MT ADAMS
had come UP. as described. no one would nav"
been surprised had he appeared. leaning on the
arm of his old and intimate confidential friend
Andrew Jackson, who had been dcnd only three
wears longer than himself.
In the interest Of absolute historic accuracy.
however II should perhaps be stated that IN"
incident TO which the correspondent refers TOOK
place during the hcptarchy when the Long
Parliament was very much divided over me
deal made by Publius Quinctilus NaruS Win
Aaron Burr, by which the services ot 'hr'e
Roman lcgions were swappcl for farm MORT
cages In the Mississippi Valley. During the
debate Appus Claudus. who was Speaker "l
the House. was about TO break MP the sitting
upon the pretcxt that II was unconstitutional
TO 90 behind the returns. when John !. DaNen-
mort. who was then Duke of Alva, opened the
dilxos and flooded the whole country. NJ the
same moment Arnold Won Winkclrcl landed
Mt the Battery and gathering the poles OF sew
erol EXPRESS wagons In his bosom, said: Make
way for liberty" The way being opened by
this act of patriotism, Steve Brodic proceeded
up Broadway and jumped of the Brooklyn
Fridge After which he opened n saloon. me
next day Robert Toombs called the roll of his
clans under the shadow Of Bunker Hill Monu-
mcnt and Captain Kidd remarked to John
| Y. McKane: "The world Is governed too much
We are not inslstent upon absolute historic
accuracy, for we are aware that In world
where SO many things have happened and keep
| happening It is not easy 10 classify and set
1 them I'm chronological order. Nor do we ollcr
anv criticism OF the Albany correspondent on
the score OF the minor inaccuracies which we
have pointed out We simply call attention to
| the facts.