The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1903-10-24
into whirlwind of excitement and
demonstrations Of approval as they

crowded around the speakers desk
like the waves of an angry sea, lash
ing the Rock Of Ages, which moved
and shuddered not. 1t looked for Il
time as if personal assault might be
made on Speaker Reed. Next day, in
referring to the incident, Mr.. Reed
said to a friend:
IL do not know what would have be,
come of me when the Democrats got
at me, but l do know what would have
happened to the first man that came
within reach of my gavel."
At the st. Louis convention, in the
contest for the presidency, Reed met
his Waterloo, and his retirement from
office followed in due course. Mckin-
ley in that convention Won from him
as readily as he had won from Nc
Kinley the speakership prize. Reed
had been uniformly successful in his
legislative career, but his great am
bition, the presidency, was doomed to
disappointment, in the same manner
as We're the ambitions of Webster
Clay and Blaine. He was taking him
all in all, {: giant i'll intellect, great
wit, one of the greatest parliamentary
ans, but, after all, was Il poor loser. In
the latter period of his career his
shafts of sarcasm were pointed at Nc
Kinley and he kept away from the
White House. In Il cut-andt thrust de-
bate Reed had no equal in the House.
His peculiar voice, with it's nasal
twang, his great size. dignity. his
sarcastically humorous poisc and the
singing point Of his periods, over
whelmed all his OPPONENTS. No one
who ever witnessed Il scene in the
house when the blood of the members
was up, and every one was full of
the ''joy of BATTLE" can forget this
The MillS-CriSp race for the speaker
ship was one of the most exciting. and
the contest was really test of the
strength of Grover Cleveland in con-
gress. which left wounds that are yet
unhealcd. and paved the way for the
great schism that followed. Tho lead
ing candidates were Roger O. Mills, of
Texas, and Charles f. Crisp, of Gcor-
gia, while William Hatch, of Missouri,
William NJ. Springer of Illinois. and
William $. Holman, of Indiana. 1.-The
great obiector," We're also in the race.
Hatch had been early withdrawn and
his following split between Crisp and
Mills. Springer Went over to Crisp.
but after some close work, in which
Catchings. of Mississippi, Crisp's lieu
tenant, made some promises. Holman
withdrew. and with his handful
thrown to the Georgia man, was able
to give him a bare majority Mills
was bitterly disappointed, as We're his
immediate friends. lie belonged to
the coterie which clustered about Car
Isle, and until the appearance of
Crisp OH the scene had dominated the
Democrats of the house The con-
test had been so bitter that Crisp did
not reappoint Mills to the Ways and
Means Craftsmanship, which was Civ
en- to Springer, who landed William
J. Bryan on the same committee. APP
propriati lions. Another striking contest
for the spc;llership With five candi-
dates. occurred just previous to the
Fifty second congress. These were
Reed. Mckinley. Cannon. Henderson
and Burrows. After the first ballot
the last three dropped out, and the
contest remained between Reed and
Mckinley. Reed was elected by Il
fair majority. Among the prominent
members of the house who realized the
disappointment of their ambitions for
the speakership are Serene Payne of
New York Champ Clark of Missouri,
Underwood of Alabama, Richardson
of Tennessee, Bailey of Texas. Little
field of Maine, Sherman of New York,
and many others. Holman, Kelley,
O'Neill, Harmer, Cox, John Reed,
Mercer and Dick Bland, each with Il
quarter of century in the house to
his credit, all failed to reach the
speakership. So also did Alexander
Stevens, Joshua r. Giddings and sew
eral other eminent statesmen with
house records little short of those NAM
ed. Sunset Cox furnished an example
of disappointed ambition. He was
several times the popular candidate
for speaker, but being known as "thc
member Of infinite jest" he was de-
fcatcd by the solid qualities of Sam
ucl Randall, the protection Democrat,
whose work. against the Force bill,
and whose rugged honesty of convic
ton. commanded the admiration Of
Democrats and Republicans alike. and
enabled him to gain a sufficient fol-
lowing to defeat MOrrison'S famous
tariff bill. General Charles II. Gros-
yenor. McKincy's spokesman on the
floor Of the house, Hepburn of Iowa,
Babcock of Wisconsin. Tawney of
minnesota, and DalZcl of Pennsyl-
vana, may also be- mentioned as
among those who have been DESTROYS
of reaching the speakership, but rs yet
have not succeeded in attaining their
ambition. Blaine and Reed did not
Ion" survive the disappointment of