The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-11-25
STATISTICS CONCERNING
 SPEAKERS OF THE HOUSE
Leslie J. Perry in the New orlean fr4y,,oe fac,,.o.~ot

1 HE speakers of the house have kCD generally been comparatively
 young men. Of the thirty-four representatives who have yielded the gaveI since the origin of the house in 17se. William Pennington of New Jersey Is the oldest He was sixty-three when chosen as the compromise candidate in the great deadlock of 1859 over the speak ership of the thirty-sixth house.
 John Sherman, then thirty-six years old and serving his third term, was the choice of the republicans, who lacked a clear majority of the house. They per- sistently balloted for him for two months, when he peremptorily withdrew perceiving that the struggle was hopeless although he was within three or four votes of the necessary majority most of the time
 Since the First congress, Clay and Pen nington have the distinction of being the only men ever chosen speaker in their first term in the house. It thus fell out in Pennington's case because he was the only republican who could command one or two anti-slavery know nothing votes in that house necessary to decide the tre- mendous contest.
 The oldest speaker after Mir. Penning- ton is the incumbent, MT. Henderson. who was fifty-nine when chosen. Only six of the thirty-four had passed the fffty-year mile post when elected speaker, viz. ;: Messrs. Trumbuli. Sedgwick. Boyd, Pen- nington, Reed and Henderson. Eighteen rf lrar hoH when called. Of these seven ranged from thirty-six down to thirty
 The youngest speaker the house ever had was R. M. T. Hunter of Virginia, who was only thirty and in his second term when chosen. Speakers Clay and Cobb were thirty-four. Dayton and Orr thirty-flYe, Taylor and White thirty-six. Bell thirty-seven, Cheves, Barbour, Jones, Winthrop and Grow thirty-eight, nine. Polk and Colfax forty, Stevenson forty-three, Macon forty-four, Keller forty-flve, Davis and Crisp, forty-six Varnum, Kerr. Randall and Carlisle forty-eight, Reed fifty. Boyd and Trum- bull fifty-one and Sedgewick 1fty-three when called to preside over the house.
 Tn tenure prior to his elevation to the chair, sixteen years. Mir. Henderson leads all the speakers. Linn Boyd served four teen years, Randall thirteen. Reed twelve Macon, varnum and Grow ten, Cofax and Grips eight Blaine and Car lisle six, Stevenson four and Trumbull Hunter and Banks only two years before reaching the speakers chair.
 In view of these interesting data the speakership for the Fifty-eighth congress may be classed as a remarkable even- tuality. He will not only be the member of longest service prior to the event. but the oldest man ever chosen speaker of the house. The fruition of his splendid parliamentary career has certainly long been deferred. He was first elected to congress in November, 1872. the year General Grant defeated Horace Greeley for the Presidency. x Up to date the late William s. Holman of Indiana holds the record for longest service in .he house-thirty years. But at the close of the present congress, on the fourth of March next, the tenure of the Hon. John H. Ketchum of New York will tie that of MT. Holman precisely, Mr. Ketchum was elected to congress in the fall of 1864 thirty-eight years ago.
 Like the Holman record. however the Ketchum tenure has not been continuous. He missed the forty-third and forty fourth congresses, but landed again in the forty-flfth, holding on thereafter con- tinuousiy for sixteen years. He declined a renomination to the ffty-third congress because of i'll health After another hia- tus of four years he was again elected in 1S96 and has since served in the ffty-nfth, fifty-sixth and fifty-seventh congresses, and was reelected on the 4th instant to the fifty-eighth.
 If he lives through his next term Mir Ketcham will have beaten the longest house tenue by two years. He is very likely to do SO, as he is only 70. and tough as a stout old oak.
 These long records are reminders that extended service has apparently advanced no claim to the speakership, except in MT. Cannon's case. Six of the speakers only are found in the list of long-termers, that is, members who have served twenty years and upwards. They are Nathaniel Macon of North Carolina. John W. Tay- Tor of New York, Nathaniel P. Banks of Massachusetts, Samuel J. Randall of Pennsylvania, and Thomas B. Reed of Maine; and David B. Henderson of Iowa. Bue General Banks was chosen speaker in his second term, and sixteen years of his service were put In after he left the chair. Macon served ten years and Tay- Tor six after filling the office of speaker. The democrats dropped Randall because of his tariff views and made Carlisle speaker, but his Philadelphia constitu- ency continued to send Randall to the house until his death in 1890 Reed had been in congress eighteen years before he reached the speakership, in 1889. Like MT. Henderson, he declined a reelection speakers chair.
 Holman, Kelley O'Neill farmer, Cox John Reed, Mercer and Bland each with quarter of a century's service in the house to his credit. all failed to reach the speakership. So did Alex H. Stephens. Joshua R. Giddings and several other eminent statesmen with house records lit- tie short of those named.
 Therefore, after having served so long as twenty eight years in the house. 1t is a notable event that MT. Cannon. when nearing his 6Sth year, should at last be