The Butte inter mountain., 1902-01-02
Washington Post.

w IDSl. y
The office of speaker OF the American
congress as scarce second in dignity to
the position of vice president of the
United States or chief justice of the
supreme court. In political power 1t is
only second to the transcendant station
of president of the American union. or,
as Thomas b. Reed better expressed It:
THE office has no peer and but one su-
perior." and Mr.. Reed was the man who
did most to give to the speakership the
tremendous Importance that now at
taches to It. The speaker of the British
commons Is little else than presiding
officer with a certainty of peerage
when his successor Is chosen. PreSid-
ing over the deliberations OF the national
house of representative Is only one of
the functions OF the American spec er,
and by no means the most important of
the function attached TO the position.
In England the position Is scarce poll
tical and one individual presided over
the commons for more than a generation.
In America the office Is purely political,
and the speaker Is invariably chosen by
| the dominant party in the house. I It
Political Power Of the Speaker. .
| The official patronage of the speaker Is
| insignificant, but his political power Is
| enormous. No legislation can be enacted
| without the assent of the committee on
| rules and the speaker creates and dom
| mates all other committees and fashions
| all the important ones in accordance
| with his political views. For example,
| Mr.. Samuel j. Randall was speaker OF
| the forty-fifth congress, and though the
| majority side of the house was anxious
to enact tariff bill, no such legislation
was had because the speaker was oppos-.
| ed to 1t. He selected a committee of
| ways and means that refused to report
| bill, and thus tariffff legislation was
blocked, as 1t was in the succeeding con-
| gress, of which Mr.. Randall was olso
| speaker. Mr.. Carlisle was speaker OF
| the Forty-eight congress A majority
| of the house favored bill for the free
| coinage to it, and so constituted the
committee on coinage, weights and mea-
| sures as to prevent action on the sub
| ject.
In England there are no committees of
| the commons other than the cabinet
which proposes all legislation thus with
holding from the speaker the overshad-
owing power and relieving him of the
tremendous responsibilities of the Ameri-
can speaker. A presiding officer should
be as important as judge on the bench;
a speaker should be as relentless 'as a
general on the field.
Henry Clay Served Longest.
During the 112 years the house of rep
| resentatives has existed under the con-
stitution of the United States, 56 con-
crosses have legislated, ana they have
been presided over by 33 individuals
regularl ychosen to the Office of speaker.
Henry Clay served longer than any
other speaker--nearly nine years in all
and twice he resigned the office to ac-
cept other public service He was speaker
of the Twelfth, Thirteenth, Fourteenth,
Sixteenth and Eighteenth congresses.
Michael C. Kerr was speaker of the
Forty-four congress, mad served from
December 6, 1875, till his death, August
10, 1876 His was the shortest service
of any speaker. William Pennington was
speaker of the Tirty-slxth congress- He
was the oldest man chosen to the office
SO years. r. M. T. Hunter was speaker
of the Twenty sixth congress. He was
the youngest of the speakers-only 30.
Andrew Stevenson was speaker of the
Twentieth Twenty first, Twenty cond
and Twenty-third congresses His was
the longest continuous service-nearly
seven years. Nineteen speakers came
from north of Mason Dixon line and Is
from the South, though during more than
half the existence of congress a man
from the South has been speaker. David
Il. Henderson Is the only man yet chosen
to the office who comes from west of