The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-05
EBB AND FLOW OF
THE GREAT TIDE
Pages Sometimes Return as Re-
representatives..
MANY A POLITICAL DEREllCI
Case of Committee Clerk Being Re
turned to Congress as Law Max
err - One Instance of a
Doorkeeper.
MANY A POLITICAL DERELlCT

Washington, February 4-(Special.) I'm
teresting is the ebb and flow OF the con-
gressional tide, The water comes in and
the water recedes. Neap tide occurs every
two years, and there is always u very
strong undertow. Pages In both the house
and the senate in the lapse of years have
returned here as representatives and sena-
tors Congressman themselves, when swept
out to sea by the undertow, frequently re-
turn as employees of either the house or
the senate There is many a derelict and
much hotsam and jetsam on the sea of
politics. Occasionally a congressman is
swept to sea, and returns on the next tide.
Others float back to Washington in yari-
Gus capacities, and are finally lost to their
constituents.
The other day representative old in the
service met the Hon. Roswell p. Bishop,
of Michigan, on the floor of the house, and
asked for information concerning affairs
In the military committee. Mr.. Bishop said
that he was not member of the commit
tee and was unable to give the inforua-
ton. Tho answer dumfounded the repre-
sentative, but the mistake was quickly eX
planned. Mr.. Bishop had been the clerk of
tho committee on military affairs when
Gen. Byron NJ Cutcheon was its chairman
in the tifty-first congress. General Clutch
con was beaten at the next election by
DEMOCRAT and four years afterward the
clerk Of his committee was elected to con-
gress from the same district. He has al
ready served two terms and is about to en-
ter upon his third If Speaker Reed should
make him chairman of the military COM
mlttee, there might possibly be an opening
for General Cutcheon. Bishop is now an
efficient member of the committee on rivers
and harbors. Like Cutcheon, he was a UNI
ion soldier. He lost an arm at Lees Mills,
Va, but he never loses his head in the
house. More quiet and reserved than the
general, he is equally as able, and fully as
popular
Another similar case is that of Hon.
James Rankin Young, of Philadelphia. Mr..
Young was for years the executive clerk of
the senate. On retiring from this service he
went to Philadelphia, and succeeded John
e. Reyburn in congress. His majority was
AZ, GIL, the largest ever given in a congress
sional district. The late superintendent of
the National library, Mr. John Russell
Young, was his brother. Mr.. Young, like
William e. Barrett, fascinating repre-
sentative from Boston, was formerly
Washington correspondent The Hon. An
son G. McCook, of New York, was the an
tithesis of James r. Young While Young
left a clerkship in the senate and took
seat in the house of representatives, Nc
Cook left congressional life and became
secretary of the senate.
Another empoye of the house now serv-
ing in congress is the Hon. Walter Preston
Brownlow, of Tennessee. He was door
keeper of the house of representatives in
the Forty-seventh congress- Like Young
and Barrett, he is also newspaper man.
L L. ha nf P1rSnn RrOWnlOW
once governor of Tennessee and United
States senator. He represents a district
which claims to have furnished more white
soldiers for the union army than any other
district in the United States.
Another Tennesseean VINO was an en-
plove of the house was John G. Houk, son
OF the late Leonidas Houk, as quaint a rep
resentative as ever graced the halls OF con-
gress John c. Houk was assistant door
keeper in the Fifty-firSt congress, while his
father was a member. This was the con-
gress which elected Thomas B. Reed speak
er for the first time. 1t was in this con-
gress that he assumed the right to count
members present and not voting to make
quorum. For weeks the house was IN
continual turmoil. The democrats ire
uuently left it, making 1t quorumless. AT
one time the speaker ordered the doors
| locked so as to keep the democrats on the
floor. John c. Houk was placed at the door
on the left of the speaker. New YORK
| representative demanded exit. Houk re-
nlied that the door was locked by order OF
| the speaker, and without the order of the
sneaker refused to open it. Thereupon the
| representative broke the door open with
| his shoulder. The lock had brass tongue,
| which bent under pressure. When the door
| was opened H. Dudley Coleman, OF LOUIS
lana Ashbel p. Fitch, OF New YORK, ana
| several others passed into the lobby. Houk
| bent the lock back again and closed the
| door. At that time the celebrated Buck
Kilgore, of Texas, sat in the democratic
cloakroom with an enormous Jack-knlfe IN
| his hand He was about to cut away the
wire screen opening into the corridor, when
| the New York representative said: why
| cut the screen? If you want to get out go
| through the door, as the others nave Done
At this the Texan went down the main
aisle placed his big foot against the door
| of the lobby, bent anew the brass tongue
| of the lock and forced the door open. 1t
opened with such force that it struck Gov
| ernor Dingley, of Maine, in the face MI
| Kilgore then went to the gallery set aside
| for the correspondents and reported his
feat. They dressed up the story and cred
tied him with breaking down the door.
Young Houk came back to congress as a
representative, filling the vacancy OCCASION
ed by his fathers death. He served two
terms. and was then swept aside by the
nomination and election Of Captain Richard
Henry Gibson. Houk ran on an independ-
emit ticket against him and was defeated.
Charles R. Crisp, son of Charles F. Crisp,
of Georgia, was clerk at the speakers ia
BILE while his father presided over the
house When Ex-Speaker Crisp died. after
winning his fight for the senatorship, young
Crisp was elected to congress to fill the va
cancy.
The son of Congressman Kendall, Of Ken
lucky, who was committee clerk In the
house, also fell heir to his fathers seat
after his fathers death.
Charles s. Voorhees,, son of the Tall Syc-
amore of the Wabash, was assistant dis
bursting clerk of the house in the Forty
sixth congress. He was turned out of office
in the following congress, when J. warren
Keifer was elected speaker. On leaving
the house he predicted that he would re-
turn as a Representatives His prediction
was fulfilled when he returned as a dele
rate from Washington territory in the