The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1897-02-02
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE.


SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE.
May Who We're famsus and Many xor.
Who We're Not.
There have been 50 congresses There
have been 80 speakers of the house Of
representatives When the erm speak,
er" originated in England, it was the
custom for the sovereign to deliver oral
" to parliament such communication
as he desired to make at the COM
mencenent of session. The house 50
addressed responded to the communi-
cation. The presiding officer beaded
\ procession of members OF the house,
waited upon the sovereign and read tie
response, thus speaking for the whole
body: therefrom comes the term speak
En-" which we adopted from the British
parliament. The first congress heard
Nashinston's address, and prepared
reply. which the speaker. accompanied
by the members OF the house. delivered
to the president On May g. 1ySo.
Thomas Jefferson determined that h.a
communication to congress should Be
made by written message. and that nc
answer would be expected This led &c
general change in this regard in COZ.
grsxs and other American Legislative
bodies. Notwithstanding this the :itls
speaker" has adhered and many OF thu
former speakers may be included. II not
indeed. all OF them. in one Of two
classes; either they have become cele-
hrated afterwsra In the held 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. ard waA
moreover, a United States senator, sec
rotary of state, and repeatedly q candfs
date for president; John Bell, Of Ten
pcssce, who was secretary OF war
United States senator, and n candidate
for president in 1850: james z. Polk,
who was the eleventh president OF the
United States. tnaugurated In 1s4s, ten
years after he became speaker; Robert
MTHunter. of Virginia, vhowas United
States senator and confederate secre.
fary OF war; Robert c. Winthrop, Of
,.who was q United States
senator from the Bay state, Howell
Cobb, of Georgia who was governor OF
that state, secretary OF the treasury
under President Buchanan, and a mem,
Der of the confederate congress; Galus
sha A. Grow. q veteran member of con-
gress, who, born in Connecticut In lss5
was elected IN November a representa-,
tve from Pennsylvania; Nathaniel p
Banks, Schuyler Colfax, afterwsrd vice
president; James @. Blaine, twice sec.
rotary of state, United States senator
from Maine. and republican candidate
for president in 1854 John G. Carlisle,
nfterward United States senator and
now secretary of the treasury: Charles
f. Crisp, of Georgia, and Thomas n
Reed, the present speaker of congress-
and the slated speaker of the next con.
grcss. These are some-hut not all-o1
the speakers who have obtained cele.
brity.
The list o: speakers who are little ri
mcmberc6 is perhaps even longer. Ii
recent years there has been J. Warren
Keifer, of Ohio. Before the war there
was William Pennington, Of New Jer~
sey, who had been governor Of that state
-he was elected governor 22 years be,
fore he became speaker-and there was
Andrew Stevenson. of Virginia, who
presided over the deliberations Of four
successveAnrrican congresses, and was
the only speaker to do 60 Few persons
Of the present day ard few studens
of American political history remembea
even The name of Stevenson: fewer stin
know from what state he came. The
speakershir of congress is either a step
ping ctono for an ambitious statesman
or the .culrainatdng point Of ofsciA
service Sor n ncsativc man whose choice
is sometimes dlctsoed by the desire OF
necessity for compromise. With the
Of membership in congress
the powers OF the speaker increase. a.
the enlargement Of the senate has a con-
trsry effect by limiting the influences
of the vice prcsdeut.-N Y. sun