Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1897-03-18
CANNOT He 4 LP II.
Speaker Reed Must Say Very
Smart Things
For He Was Born that Wly--Spsak-
ers Of the Past.
Nobody Escapes His Irsnchant Wrt-He and
President Endure One Another.

sASsAAiS' 10y es>~>~ - NSASo UHV1Bktx u G0t
house of representatives. As 1 predicted
some time ago In these dispatches, he was
renominated by the Republicans by &C.
clamation and without dissenting voice.
This triumphant reelection makes Mr..
Reed easily the second man Of the Repub
lican party. He is next to President Nc.
Kinley in power and Influence. Repub.
licans everywhere will bc glad to learn
that SO far the two chief men Of their
rarty, the men who have most 10 do with
the making of the record upon which tho
party is to be judged in the future, are in
perfect accord so far as the tariff and other
leading policies arc concerned. One of the
| first things President Mckinley did after
taking his chair ut tho White House was
to hold pleasant and satisfactory inter.
view with Mr.. Reed. The speaker Of the
house was assured TINT the new president
had no other thought, and never had any
other, than that Mr.. Reed was to be ne.
elected by the unanimous voice of the Ro.
publican members. Tho ice once broken,
the two big men got on very we'll together.
They discussed the tariff and the financial
commission BILL and when they parted Il
was with thorough understanding a. ia
the work in hand.
Smart, bat Faithful.
OF course it is true, as every ono here in
Washington knows, that Mr.. Reed docs
not love MIR. Mckinley very much. The
two men never bothered themselves about
sentiment. They never were chums OF
cronies in any sense. But they have never
quarrclcd, and there IL every reason to bc.
licve their present pleasant relations will
continue. Mr.. Reed loves TO say smart
things about every one he knows. Mr..
Mckinley Is not 20 sacred even as prcsi-
dent that he always escapes the speaker :
wit But Mr.. Reed was born that way.
He cannot help it. He has always talked
in n similar strain about Republican pres.
idents, and the Democratic president,
and every one else. He doesn't mean any.
thing by it. As one of Mr.. Reeds most
intimate friends explained to me: "Tom
cannot change his nature with every
change of administration. He is not that
kind of man. But he Is sincerely devoted
to the success of thaRepublican party. He
wants to make II record which will reflect
Republican congress two years hence.
He has just as much at stake in the polit.
ical future as Mr.. Mckinley has, and more
in one sense, because if the Democrats get
control Of tie next house Mr.. Reed will he
retired to the floor. Therefore you need
look for nothing else than the most cordial
cooperation of the speaker with every plan
of the administration for building up the
party
Mr.. Reed has now been three times elect.
ed speaker of the house. He is the eight b
man in the history Of our government to
enjoy the honor of third election Ma.
thaniel Macon was the speaker of the Sew.
enth, Eighth and Ninth congresses. Henry
Clay was speaker of tho Twelfth, Thir-
tenth, Fourteenth, Fifteenth, Sixteenth
and Eighteenth congresses. His six elec.
tons to that high office constitute the rec
ord, and it is one which is not likely to be
broken for many years to come, if ever
Andrew Stevenson was speaker of the
Twentieth, Twenty first, Twenty second
and Twenty third congresses. After James
X. Polk had been elected twice to the speak
ership, 1885 to 1889, single terms were the
rule for quarter of century, with the
single exception of Linn Boyd of Ken
lucky, who secured two terms. Schuyler
Colfax of Indiana was the next to gain
three elections, serving in the Thirty
eighth, Thirty ninth and Fortieth con-
crosses. Following him was James G.
Blaine, with three terms, and little later
Samuel j. Randall, with three terms John
G. Carlisle was speaker of the Forty eighth,
Forty ninth and Fiftieth congresses. Mr..
Reed closes the list to date.
Galusha A. Crows Record.
With this reelection of Mr.. Reed we be-
gin the one hundred and tenth year of con-
gress In that time there have been 80
speakers of the house. Mr. Reed was the
thirty first and the late Judge Crisp tho
thirty second Only four men in the his
tory of the congress have been rechosen to
the speakers chair after once stepping
down from it. +. A. Muhlenburg of Penn.
sylvania was speaker of the first and third
congresses. MIR Clay's extraordinary rec
ord has already been mentioned. John W
Taylor of New York twice followed Mr..
Clay in the chair, and now comes Mr..
Reed twice elected after an interregnum
of four years, during which the Democrats
were in majority In the house. OF all the
great men who have occupied the SPEAKERS
chair only one ever reached the presidency,
James X. Polk Only three ex speakers
are now living-Galusha A. Grow. John
W. Kcifer and John G. Carlisle The first
named, who was speaker SO years ago. is
still a member of the house
Mention of the olded times reminds me
of little gossip heard the other day con-
corning the great Daniel Webster. A SEN
ator having referred to Webster as the
greatest orator the American people ever
knew, another senator took issue with him
and said Webster was not an orator Mt NIL