The Austin weekly statesman. (Austin, Tex.) 1883-1898, 1897-04-08
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE.
Many Who Were Famous and Many More
Who Were Not.

MANY Who We're Famous and Many More
Who Were Not.
There have been 81 congresses. There
have been 80 speakers of the house of
When the term "speake
err" originated in England, it was the
custom for the sovereign to deliver orab
" to parliament such communicating
as he desired to make at the COM
mencement of a session. The house 50,
addressed responded to the communiI
cation. The presiding officer headed
n procession of members of the house,
waited upon the sovereign and read the
response, thus speaking for the whole
BODY; therefrom comes the term speak
err" which we adopted from the British
parliament. The first congress heard
Washington's address, and prepared a
reply, which the speaker, accompanied
by the members of the house, delivered
to the president on May 8, 1888.
Thomas Jefferson determined that his
communications to congress should be
made by written message, and that no
answer would be expected. This led to
a general change in this regard IN con-
gress and other American Legislative
bodies. Notwithstanding this, the title
speaker" has adhered and many OF the
former speakers may be included, If not,
indeed, all of them, in one OF two
classes; either they have become cele-
brated afterward in the field of national
politics or they have become totally
obscure In the former class are to be
included: Henry Clay, who was the
speaker in three congresses, and was,
moreover, a United States senator, Sec
rotary of state, and repeatedly candl-
date for president; John Bell, OF Ten
nessee, who was secretary of war,
United States senator, and candidate
for president in 1860; James X. Polk,
who was the eleventh president of the
United States, inaugurated in 1S45, ten
years after he became speaker; Robert
NJ. I. Hunter, of Virginia, who was United
States senator and confederate secre-
tary of war; Robert G.. Winthrop, OF
Massachusetts, who was United State&
senator from the Bay state; Howell
Cobb, of Georgia, who was governor OF
that state, secretary of the treasury
under President Buchanan, and a men,
Der of the confederate congress-; Galu-
sha A. Grow, q veteran member of con-
gress, who, born in Connecticut in 1923,
was elected in November representa<
tive from Pennsylvania; Nathaniel P.
Banks, Schuyler Colfax, afterward vice
president; James G. Blaine, twice Sec
rotary of state, United States senator
from Maine, and republican candidate
| for president in 1854. John G. Carlisle,
afterward United States senator and
now secretary of the treasury; Charles
+. Crisp, of Georgia. and Thomas 3.
Reed, the present speaker of congress
and the slated speaker of the next con-
gress. These are some-but not all-of
the speakers who have obtained cele-
brity.
The list of speakers who are little re-
membered is perhaps even longer. In
recent years there has been j. Warren
Keller, of Ohio. Before the war there
was William Pennington, of New Jer-
sey, who had been governor of that state
he was elected governor 23 years be-
fore he became speaker-and there was
Andrew Stevenson, of Virginia, who
presided over the deliberations of four
successive American congresses, andwas
the only speaker to do so. Few persons
of the present day and few students
of American political history remember
even the name of Stevenson; fewer still
know from what state he came. The
speakership of congress is either step.
ping stone for an ambitious statesman
or the eliminating point of official
service for negative man whose choice
is sometimes dictated by the desire or
necessity for compromise. With the
enlargement of membership in congress
The powers of the speaker increase, as
the enlargement of the senate has cons
trary effect by limiting the influence
OF the vice president.-N. Y. Sun. :,