Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-12-10
Historic
Deadlock.

the three-cornered fight be-
tween n. P. Banks of Massachusetts and
various other candidates for the speaker
ship that lasted for two months and aroused
the bitterest partisansfdp. Mr.. Banks was
the nominee of the American, or Know
Nothing, party, which held a balance of
power in the House membership. In The
Star of December 6, 1855, occurs the fol-
lowing account of the proceedings of the
House, serving as an example of the record
for many weeks following:
I'm the House, on coming together, they
proceeded to ballot for Speaker for the six
teenth time, with the following result viz. !:
Whole number of votes cast, 221; necessary
to a choice, Ill. Mr.. Richardson received
-; Campbell of Ohio. 70; Banks, 6; Penning-
ton. o; Fuller of Pennsylvania, 20; Smith Of
Alabama. II; Mace, 1; Walk, 3; Carlisle, i;
Wheeler, 10; Puryear. 1; Nichols, /; Oliver
son, l. So, no choice being. effected. they
proceeded on the seventeenth ballot with
the following result: Whole number Of
casts, 221; necessary to a choice, Ill. Mr.
Richardson received 20; Campbell of Ohio,
Sc: Banks, IA; Pennington, 10; Fuller of
Pennsylvania, 81; Smith of Alabama, TO-;
Mace. / Lake. 1; Walk. /; Wheeler, 1; Pur-
year, /; Oliver of New York, /; Thurston, q;
Zolicoffer. /; Whitney, l."
In the course of some days the votes We're
concentrated upon Richardson, Banks and
Fuller of Pennsylvania. Banks receiving
close to the requisite majority.
X
The experience of cities about Norfolk
with the yellow fever during the preceding
summer gave the people of
sanitary Washington occasion to look
Warming. sharply to their own welfare
in the matter of sanitary pre-
caution, and from time to time the news
paper press warned the authorities of the
necessity to clean up the city to prevent an
epidemic here. Judging from some of these
publications, Washington was in a filthy
condition. In The Star of Thursday, De-
cember o, 1865, occurs one Of these warn
ings, describing certain conditions in terms
to cause amazement now that such things
could possibly be In the capital of the ma
ton even so long ago as half a century.
Continuing, The Star said
THE approaching summer will ripen and
bring into action those fatal ingredients
which pervert nature in her healthy course
defying the efforts of the kind nurse and
experienced physician. The dreaded yellow
fever will grapple us with grasp made
more horrd and fatal by neglected admoni-
ton. Oceans of money will then not avail.
Let the present time for prevention pass
by and the case is hopeless-to care for the
sick and bury the dead will be our only oc-
cupation. Why must this be so? Rouse
your energies, citizens, and have the evil
removed and preserve to Washington the
reputation for health she is entitled to. Dr.
Thomas Miller flor many years president of
the DOarC OF health ana now q MEMBER
the beard of aldermen) is preparing a bill
embracing our entire sanitary regulation.
The bill was thought unexceptionable, and
yet 1t was rejected and no effort made to
improve 1t. Those of US who have thus neg
leeted so important a trust may live to feel
how remiss they have been In the perform
ance OF their duty"
These are not the only days of big things
Even IN the middle OF the last century some
giants were occasionally
The Land found. as attested by the fol-
NJ Size lowing paragraph of The Star
OF December T. 1855:
"Mr Abner II. Young of this city today
exhibited to us several vegetable curiosities
from the Golden State sent to him by Mr..
Robert Kellen, his son-in-law, resident
of that country. The cluster OF potatoes,
nine in number, was grown from single
seed and 1t has, owing to the regular man
ner in which they connected, been CALI
ed the bouquet of potatoes They have
but few eyes and are sound apparently
as they were on the day they were disin-
TERED. A potato about eight inches in
length Is clustered with its healthy-looking
companions. and the first-nauled serves as
a stem. The onion Is 'bouncer,' twenty
inches In diameter, and, as the Intelligent
Ger says, large enough to bring tears from
the eyes of a whole nation. Besides these
there was a fine specimen of oats of the
ordinary kind in size almost that of orange
seed. Truly. Judging from these vegetables,
the soil nf California Ia ertremeIy fertila