Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-04-21
SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE
How They Have Been Geographically and
Politically Distributed.
Completion of Mr.. Reeds Third Term
contest for His Successor Likely
to BE a Sectional One.


terms Speaker of the House of Repre-
sentatfves. He was elected after a sharp
contest at the opening of the Fifty-first
Congress, which marked the beginning of
the Harrison administration, and again,
after two Crisp Congresses. to the speaker
ship in the Fifty-fourth, the last half OF
the Cleveland administration, and in the
Fifty-fifth, the first half of the Mckinley
administration. Mr.. Reed has thus been
Speaker under three Presidents-Harrison,
Cleveland and Mckinley. He did not like
Harrison very well. and is supposed to have
coined the term IAN ice cart for him. Mr..
Reed had less to expect from President
Cleveland, and perhaps on that account
liked him better. AT all events, their re-
lationS became fairly cordial, and Mr..
Cleveland, in an interview some time be-
fore the st. Louis convention of 1896 said,
in effect, that he did not see why the re-
publican party snould think of nominating
| anybody for the presidency except MIR.
Reed, who, in his opinion, was by far its
greatest man.
From Speaker Crows Time.
There have been thirty-two Speakers of
the national House of Representatives.
Since the beginning of the Lnco admins
tration there have been nine-1ve republic
cans and four democrats Mr.. Grow, who
is now d member of the House, elected
from Pennsylvania at large, was Speaker
in the Thirty-seventh Congress, 1851 TO
1863. No Speaker before this tine is still
living, and he is seVenty-slN years old.
He was followed icy Schuyler ColfaX of In
diana, who was Speaker for three Congress
eS-the Thirty-e.gnt the TnirtY Y-ninth and
the Fortieth. He was elected Vice Presi-
dent with Grant in 1868 and so Mr.. Blaine
was chosen TO take his place as Speaker
OF the House. This position Mr.. Blaine
held for three terms in succession. from the
opening of the Grant aImiulSt ipr the
loss OF the House TO the democrats IN 1874.
Mr.. Kerr of Indiana then became Speaker,
but did not live cut a first term. SamUe.
j. Randall OF pennsylvania was elected to
I'LL out the rest of the term, and for the
two succeeding Congresses. These three
democratic Congresses covered the .ast two
years of the Grant administration and all
OF the Hayes administration. y republican
House was elected III 1850 with Carried.
and John Warren Keifer of Ohio was made
its Speaker. The republicans lost the three
succeeding Congresses. in the Arthur and
hrst Cleveland administrations. ard for
! these three terms John @. Carlisle was
Speaker With the incoming of the Harri-
son administration Thomas L. Reed was
made Speaker.
Three terms seem to be a favorite
length of service. Counting fractions as
full terms, the three-term Speakers have
eeeh e Reed. Carlisle, Randall, Blaine, Col
fax, Stevenson and Macon. Henry Clay
was speaker during the whole of the
Twelfth Fourteenth, Fifteenth and Eieh-
teenth Congresses and in part of the Thir-
teenth and the Sixteenth His record IL
VIII be rather hard to break
The Geographical Distribution.
The geographical distribution of the
| speakership is somewhat significant. But
fourteen states have been thus bopored.
Kentucky, Virginia and Massachusetts have
each had four Speakers. or twelve of the
thlrty-two. New York has had but one.
John w. Taylor. who served two terms
the latter ending in 1927. Virginia's four
Speakers, Barbour, Stevenson. Hunter and
Jones. have been pretty generally forgot
ten' while kentucky's four. Clay, White
BOYD and Carlisle, have made a lasting i'm
preston upon the great office. Earnum
was the Chly Massachusetts Speaker who
served TWO terms. Sedgwick, Winthrop and
Banks We're each in office only one term
New England has had, besides these four.
three other Speakers Blaine apd Reed of
Maine and prumbull of Connecticut Penn.
sylVanta has had three Speakers Muhlen-
burg, Grow and Randall. New Jersey has
had Dayton and Pennington. OF the thirty
two Speakers, fifteen have come from states
Soutn OF Mason and DiXons line This in
Guides, besides Kentucky and Virginia two
each from Tennessee, South Carolina and
Georgia and one from North Carolina. The
west has had but four Speakers, one from
ohio, Keifer and three from Indiana Da-
Wis, ColfaX and Kerr. James X Polk is the
only Speaker of the House who ever he
came President of the United States.
Sectional Contest.
1t is quite likely that the contest for Mr..
Reeds place will develop into a struggle
between the east and the west In the Fifty
sixth Congress the republicans have very
few southern representatives and of the
1S5 men who will so into caucus seventy
three will belong to the twelve states east
OF the Alleghanies and seventy-eight to the
nine midwest states of Ohio Indiana uli-
nois' Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Wiscon-
SIN, Kansas and Missouri. That leaves
thlrty-four votes from the extreme west
and south combined.
Hull Favors Western Man.
DES MONIES, Iowa, April 2l.-Represen-
tative Hull, chairman of the committee on
military affairs, stated today that the
Iowa delegation had not Yet made up its
mind who it would support for the speaker
ship of the House of Representatives
He said; Il understand Representative
Hopkins of Limos will be candidate |
regard his chances very bright | be-
neVe the west is entitled TO the speakership
OF the next Congress, There mas never
been Speaker who lived west of Ohio and