Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1897-04-09
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE
Many Who We're Famous az Many
Who Were Not.

VINO Were Not
There have been "a congresses
There have been 80 speakers Of the
house Of representatives. When the
term Speaker" originated in Eng
land, it was the custom Of the sover-
eign to deliver orally to parliament
such communication as he desired TO
make at the commencement of a SEES
sion The house so addressed re-
spondcd TO the communication. The
presiding officer headed the process
sion Of members of the house, waited
upon the sovereign and read the re-
spouse, hus speaking for the whole
body; therefrom comes the term
speaker" which we adopted from
the British parliament, The first
congress heard Washington's address
and prepared reply, which the
speaker, accompanied by the mem
bers of the house, delivered to the
president May 8, 1889
Thomas Jefferson determined that
his communication to congress
should be made by written message,
and that no answer would be ex-
pected. This led to a general change
in this regard in congress and other
American legislative bodies Not
withstanding this, the title speaker"
has adhered, and many of the former
speakers may be included, if not, in
deed, all Of them, in one of
two classes: Either they have
become celebrated 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, secretary of
state, and repeatedly candidate for
president; John Bell, of Tennessee,
who was secretary of war, United
States senator, and candidate for
the presidency in 1860; James Is.
Polk, who was the eleventh president
of the United States, inaugurated in
1915, ten years after he becamespeak-
er; Robert NJ. II. Hunter, of Virginia,
who was United States senator and
confederate secretary of war; Rob
ert G. Winthrop, of Massachusetts,,
who was United States senator from
the Bay state: Howell Cobb, Of Geor-
gia, who was governor of that state,
secretary Of the treasury under Pres
ident Buchanan, and a member of the
confederate congress; Galusha A..
Grow, veteran member of congress,
who, born in Connecticut in 1923,
was elected in November a represent
alive from Pennsylvania; Nathaniel
P. Banks, Schuyler Colfax, after
ward vice president; James G.. Blaine,
twice secretary Of state, a United
States senator from Maine and re-
publican candidate for president in
1884; John G.. Carlisle, afterward
United States senator and now sec
rotary Of the treasury; Charles f.
Crisp, Of Georgia, and Thomas B.
Reed. These are some-but not all
of the speakers who have obtained
celebrity.
The list of speakers who are little
remembered is perhaps even longer.
In recent years there has been j. War
rem Keifer, of Ohio. Before the war
there was William Pennington, of
New Jersey, who had been governor
of that state-he was elected gov
ernor 90 years before he became
speaker-and there was Andrew
Stevenson, of Virginia, who presided
over the deliberations Of four success
sive American congresses, and wasthe
only speaker to do so. Few persons
Of the present day and few students
of American history remember even
The name of Stevenson; fewer still
know from what state he came. The
speakership of congress is either a
stepping stone for an ambitious
statesman or the eliminating point of
Official service for a negative man
whose choice is sometimes dictated by
the desire or necessity for compro-
mise. With the enlargement Of mem
bership in congress the powers of
the speaker increase, as the enlarge
ment Of the senate has a contrary
effect by limiting the influence of the
vice president.-N. Y Sun.