Arizona republican., 1902-12-01
OTHER CONTESTS
 FOR THE GAVEL
The Crisp-MiIIs Struggle for
 the House SpeakerShip
Easy Victory of Uncle Joe" Cannon at the Present Time Recalls a Hard Fight of Dozen Years Ago When the Democrats Were in Control.

speakership, and there is a consider | ship of the Fifty eighth congress was settled so speedily It would nave put more life into the short session of the Fifty-seventh congress, for the canvass for speaker, when there is a contest, Is an interesting feature of a
 session which follows a congressional election. There was no trouble about | the number of starters in the race, and
 for a time 1t looked as If the favorite | sons of several states would be in 1t | long enough to at least get a compli- .mentary vote, but within two weeks
 after the election the veteran from the ! Sucker state, your Uncle Joe" the
 man with the waving arms and vigor-
 ous manner, in short, the Hon. Joseph
 G. Cannon, of Danville, Eighteenth Illinois district, was the choice of his
 party and destined to preside over the next congress.
 The last contest was the most excit-
 ing and prolonged that has been known
 since the ante bellum days, when
 caucuses failed to agree and Nathaniel
 P. Banks was elected in 1856. After
 the great democratic landslide in 1890
 the democrats had more than two
 thirds of the house. Nearly half the
 membership of the party were new and
 untried men. They were also men
 who had no utilization with any of the
 members of their party and were con-
 sequently not tied up by promises or past associations. The result was
 that when the session convened in
 December it was anybody's fight
 There were two prominent candidates
 and three others who had small hopes
 Had John c. Carlisle remained in the
 house he would have been elected
 without opposition. but he had been elected to the senate to succeed James Beck, and he left large hole in the democratic party of the house. The
 leading candidates were Roger O. Mills. of Texas, and Charles Crisp of Georgia, while William Hatch of Mis- , souri; William M. Springer, of Illinois. l and William $. Holman, of Indiana. were also in the race.
 Mills had been chairman of the committee on ways and means under D Carlisle and was author of the famous Mills bill in 1888. He was the nominal leader of the minority in the Fifty first congress after Carlisle went to the
 senate. Crisp was man who had l won Lis spurs in the Fifty-first con- . gress by a fortunate opportunity. but 1 he showed ability when his time came { He was a member of the committee on election, and had charge of the minor l ity side in the first contested election
 case taken up. This case was con- - sidered before the house had adopted n rules, and big Tom Reed was running k It under general parliamentary law f It was hot fight from the first. and s in 1t Crisp had number of tilts with I the speaker. which raised him in the - estimation of his party and gave him !; | prominence. "Bill' Hatch was ar - agriculturist, and old member. and q V good parliamentarian but did not have = the faculty of gathering about hin
 the men who vote for speaker. Springer S was known in the house as a humorist Q but he had a following in some of the x wstern states. His most ardent sup - porter was William J. Bryan, of Ne T braska. who first appeared in publi, n life at that time. In fact, Bryan con. a tinuod to vote for Springer after tn, V name of the Illinois man had beer n withdrawn and Springer himself wa. if voting for Crisp. Holman was tn, n great Objector." the man who tough V appropriations and the man whose ser
 vice dated back to 1883, although i
 had not been continuous.
 The preliminary canvass was mos
 bitter and the caucus could not decid,
 before the house met. The house wa! m Immediately adjourned after a rollcall U and the balIoting continued. Anothe
 adjournment was nessary on the seconC
 day and that evening at the caucus
 the break came. Hatch had been earl! z withdrawn, but his following split be
 tween Crisp and Mills. Springer wen
 over to Crisp. and after some clos
 work, in which Catchings of Mississipp
 Crisp's lieutenant, made some promises
 Holman withdrew, and with his hand '- full thrown to the Georgia man, wa d able to give him a bare majority.
 l. Mills was bitterly disappointed, a d were his immediate friends. He be ,s longcd to that coterie which clustere " about Carlisle and until the appear
 ance of Crisp on the scene, had domin r. ated the democracy Of the house Id Among them were w. C. P. Brecken ,e ridge of Kentucky; Clifton R. Brecken t. ridge O: Arkansas; Benton McMillin O r. Tennessee: William l.. Wilson of Wes le Virginia. and others who have passe Is from the stage of national affairs. Gee ,- Fred Williams of Massachusetts wa n serving his first term in the house, an 1e he was so disappointed that he woul k- not vote for Crisp on the house roll ne call after the nomination. Ben. T. Ca k ble, who was called in to help manag
 the western campaign for the demo r. crats this year, was also serving hi es first term in the house.
 " The result of the contest was re is markable in one particular. The prir Is cipal opponent of Crisp was not recoe he nized by a good chairmanship. Mil ct had once been chairman of the way )G and means committee, and 1t wa
 something of a surprise that Crisp di
 not appoint him. But the contest ha
 been too bitter, and pledges had bee - made. Springer was made chairma ay of the ways and means committee. an
 had pull enough to land Bryan on tf