The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-26
NAMES pOLLTICAL GIANTS.

unusual political tact. and he too while
sun a young man was chosen to repre-
sent his district in congress. Within a
term they commanded respect; within
another such influence as placed them
among the leaders of their party upon
the floor of the house. They were often
called Blaine's heutenants. They were
more than that, for although Blaine
leaned with perfect confidence upon
them, yet they commanded by their own
abilities influence thereby outside of and
beyond any that the speakers favor
might secure them. Therefore during
Blalne's second and third term as
speaker it was a common thing to hear
men say, Maine directs the house of
opinion was correct. Both Hale and Frye
We're ready debaters; Hale polished,
courteous. his Shafts coated with polite
veneer; Frye, aggressive, earnest, quick,
mittee work. their singular aptitude for
seIf-possession in such turbulent body
as the house of representatives is, brought
them to be with Garfield, leaders upon
the Republican side.
Hale afterwards might have served in
a cabinet post had he been inclined to
give up parliamentary life. Frye would
In all probability have been chosen
lew months earlier been elected sena-
tor from Maine. Mr.. Hale had been elected
to the. senate as the successor of Han
mbal Hamlln. and Frye to the vacancy
he might enter Garfields cabinet as sec
rotary of state.
THE RISE OF DINGLEY.
States senator from Ohio in the winter
OF 1880, common opinion pointed to FNrye
as prominently indicated as the leader
OF ms party in the house. He was already
spoken OF with confidence as the next
speaker. in case the Republicans gained
majority of the members at the next
election. Such majority was secured.
and undoubtedly Maine would again have
won the honor of speakership had FRYE
remained in the house
When Frye went to the senate, many
OF MS old associates of the house said.
On. his district will not send another
Oh congress, a small quiet man went
forward to take the oath as Frye's sue
cessor. the old members eyed him Curl
ousIy as though it were almost an as
surance for him to hope to maintain the
ln1uence that district had secured
lie mad been, 1t was true while still
young man, Governor of Maine but
mat might not count for much So far
as aggressive leadership is concerned the
doubling members were correct. The new
new member had no conspicuous CAPACITY
OF that sort, but in intellectual force he
was soon recognized as the equal of any
OF MS colleagues and the other day he
was named leader of the house. by virtue
OF MS post as chairman of the commit
tee on ways and means. OF him it has
been said by those who have had long
service with him in the house, that Gov
ernor Dlngley is one of the ablest men
VINO ever sat in Congress-" Thus Maine
again assumes through it's representa-
tive, the leadership of the house. as she
does its executive direction through her
conspicuous son, who is its speaker.
FROM BLAINE TO FRYE; FROM
FRYE TO REED.
1t is said by those who have Thought
D0IItipql Of ],
that 1t IS an extraordinary thing. that
since the beginning of the first admins
tratlon OF Grant whenever the Republic
can party has controlled the lower house
Of Congress, the representatives from
MAINE nave in larger measure than those
from any other state been of conspicroI1s
influence in that body. Out of the ten
Years since 1869 that the Republicans
were in majority in the house of renre
sentatives, Maine has had the speaker
snip eight years, and would have nos
sessed 1t in all probability for all ten
years had Mr. Frye not retired from the
house. 49,
Mr.. Blaine has been thought to rank
with Clay, and one or two others who
were deemed ideal speakers. Yet Mr.
Reed in his single term as speaker focus-
ed to himself perhaps greater puhIic in
terest at least upon one momentous oc-
caSlon than any other speaker ever Sc
cured Inc succession of the leadership
went by state heritage from Blaine to
Frye, and from Frye to Reed And the
extraordinary coincidence unparalleled
IN this history of the country is now es-
tablished. that Maine in the person of
a speaker of the house presented one
candidate for the presidential nominal
ton, preemfnent among all other candi-
dates. and then after an interval of
twenty years, and at the first opport11n-
ity it could be done, presents in the per
son of another speaker a candidate for
the nomination, who stands forth con-
spicuous among all other candidates.
DANIEL STRONG.