The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-06-03
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

/ 1.-The speakership of the present house
IS giving our republican friends consider
| able trouble" said democratic member of
congress- in the lobby. Hopkins, of Illi-
nois, has appeared to have the lead here
tofore, but his success now Is being doubt
ed. There is renewed talk in favor of his
| colleague. Mr.. Cannon, a representative OF
long experience. Mr. Cannon's enemies try
to injure him by applying ITO him the cpl
thot of Honest Representative Hender-
son, of Iowa, IS strong man and a strong
candidates. and so Is Representative Sher-
| man. of New York. In fact, Mr.. Sherman
is especially an admirable man. From these
four members the successor OF Mr.. Reed
| will probably be chosen, and therefore they
| become of interest to all Americans, since
the speakership of the house is the second
most important office in our system of gov
| ernment. All that we democrats have got
to do in regard to the canvass now SO
| actively in progress is to stand aside ana
| hope for the success of the best man.
| do not pretend to give opinion as to
| who the best man really is, for such eX-
preston from a democrat could promote
no useful purpose. In point of age, Sher-
| man at Il is the youngest candidate, and
| Cannon at So the Oldest Henderson, who
| is a Scotchman by BIRTH is 50, and Hopkins
is 50. In point of service in congress, Can
non is about the Oldest member of the
house He is now serving his twenty-fifth
year"
Asked il the president would be likely to
! take amy part in the speakership contest,
the democratic member said:
mo; certainly notl Ine president Will
have nothing to do with 1t. He will not
| speak a word for or against eny candi-
| date, for all the candidates are openly and
| avowedly his friends and supporters of the
| administration. OF course, it is OF great
Importance to tho president hat the
| speaker of the house should be in entire
| accord with his policies And none but a
Mckinley supporter could hope for cleo
| tom Reeds anita gonism to Mckinley
served directly and effeotually to drive the
late speaker from power. Reed is a great
man, in some respects, but even his iron
will and his courage had to give way in
| the end Reed or Mckinley had to master,
and it was foregone conclusion that Reed
must fall. There is no doubt that the
famous meeting on Jekyll island between
ranged Reed was then and there told
that he must come across to the admlnis-
traton or get out of the way. His pride
forbade him to bend the knee, and 50 his
political Punishment was decreed, and he
was forced to yield. "A lawyers desk in
New York takes the place of the speakers
stand, and the passing of Reed is accom-
plished So fell Cogkling, and others be-
fore him.
~ have for years known Representative
Richardson, whom the Staliings letter has
brought so conspicuously forward said a
| Tennesseean last night. 81 was born and
brought up near his home, Murfreesboro,
and remember him when was a boy. de
waas born in Rutherford county, but shortly
after the close OF the war between tho
states, i'm which he fought confederate
soldier, he began to practice law at MUIR
| freesboro. He was highly respected ak a
good citizen; but nobody thought Of him as
being great. He was very neighborly and
amiable, and was considered an excellent
lawyer as he had been a good soldier"
Representative Richardson is Sc years cd,
and has been a member of both branches
of the Tennessee legislature. He was
speaker of the house at Nashville when he
was twenty-eight years old.
Lucien V. LaTaste, the recently elected
president of the Travellers Protective as
ISOLATION of America, is in the city in the
| interest of his business as representative
| of large text book publishing house of
| New York. Mr.. LaTaste, who resides in
| Montgomery, is one of the most active
| and successful commercial travellers in the
| country. His success and popularity were
practically demonstrated at the recent
meeting of travelling men in. Louisville.
| when they elected him on first ballot as
president of their great national organiza-
| ton Mr.. LaTaste has been one of the most
| active promoters of the Alabama division
of the association and was its president at
| the time he was chosen national president.
He was enabled to speak at Louisville in
| the name of 600 members residing in Ala
bama- To the ordinary citizen this will
seem to be a very large number of COM
mercal travellers for this state. 1t indi-
| Gates hard work and q thorough organi-
cation. There are about 100 commercial
| travellers whose headquarters are in Bir-
mingham. ''Drummers," as a rule are a
|
| ly deserving of the warm esteem in which
| they are held by the public. They are the
| restless evangels of commerce and trade,
| and they WELD very powerful influence.
|
| William L. Clay, of Huntsville, has
| been spending several days with his broth
| err ]. Withers Clay, on the South High
| lands. Mr.. Clay was for many years sec
| rotary of the state senate, occupying that
responsible position probably longer than
any other man ever held it. His work as
| secretary was quite without fault, as no
| error of record was ever charged against
| him. similar reputation for faultless
| work was enjoyed by the lamented Ellis
| Phelan. long the clerk of the house. and
! subsequently secretary of state, and finally
a county judge in Connecticut; man who,
| in all the walks of life, honored a proud