The Washington herald., 1907-12-02
BY FREDERIC j. HASKIN.

Long before the members OF the House
OF Representatives prepared TO come 20
Washington for the opening OF Congress
to-day. they knew whom they would
choose 10 De Speaker They knew. and
the country knew. so soon as the returns
from the last Congressional election
showed that the Republican party was
stin in the majority in the House. When
/ the American people choose a new Presi-
den the country is IN the throes Of a hot
campaign, before and after the uOmina-
tiOns. for more than q year. There Is
rarely a hot campaign for Speaker. for
l the House finds him BY elimination and
keeps him until he IS eliminated.
/ Yet the Speaker Of the House occupies
/ a position Of Importance and power sec
ond only 90 the President, and in some
ways he is even more powerful than the
( President. Hon. Joseph g. Cannon. OF
/ VermLIion County, H.. to-day taking up
T the gavel for the third time. knows full
/ wei the measure OF the power De pos
( sesses. But two men have been elected
Speaker Ofteuer than three times. Henry
Clay was six times led 10 the chair. and
/ Andrew Stevenson was elected four times.
Mr.. Cannon shares the honor OF three
/ elections with Nathaniel Macon. Schuyler
I ColfaX. James @. Blaine. John g. Car
/ lsIe. and Thomas 3. Reed. Thirty-fiye
different men have presided over the
House in the hfty-uiue Congresses which
have been completed. But two eN-Speak-
/ ers are living. John G. Carlisle and John
/ W Kcifer the latter now a member or
I Congress
+ The election Of a Speaker is a work FOR
/ the caucus Of the majority party. Only a
/ few times has this duty fallen 70 the
House itself, because OF the narrow mar
gin Of the majority. OF the division OF the
/ House into three or more factions. The
nrst exciting contest was IN 1893. The
I New Jersey delegation in the House was
! contested. Without the New Jersey mem
/ hers there were ll9 Democrats and 1S
/ Wings The clerk would call the roll
/ until he reached the New Jersey deIega-
ton Then trouble began After four
days Of disorder that approached rioting-
/ John Quincy Adams. the venerable eN-
T
its duty and effect an organization The
/ clerk refused 20 put any motions. and
when Mr. Adams moved thar those mem
/ bers from New Jersey holding certificates
/ signed bv the governor be seated. some
one asked: But who VIII put the gues-
tiOn2" Adams replied Il viii put the
/ question myself" Thcreupou r Barn
we'll Rhett- "A South Carolina nre-eater,
jumped on a desk and moved that "the
/ Honorable John quincy Adams. OF Nassa-
chUseJtS, take the chair. He put that
question. declared IL carried. and escorted
the ex-President 10 the chair. After sev-
eral days a few Democrats Joined with
The Wings and elected = n r. Hunter.
/ an independent" from Virginia. 70 be
( Speaker.
! The second exciting contest was ten
years later. in 1Si9. The slavery question
was becoming acute. and the question al
issue in the election OF the Speaker Vas
whether the Territories and District OF
Columbia committees should De organized
as favorable or unfavorabie 10 slavery.
The Free Soil Wings and Democrats had
left the old parties and were acting in
dependently. After ffty-nine ballots, the
House at last agreed 10 surrender its
majority rule. and provided that after
three more roII-caIIs, if no candidates
should have a majority. on the fourth
roil-caU the candidate having the highest
number of votes should De declared elect
ed Thus Howell Cobb became the first
minority Speaker winning his place 10y
the bare plurality of two votes after a
three weeks struggle.
The greatest contest over the Speaker
ship took place in 1850 '56 The fight last
ed from the first Monday OF December
until the first Of February. At times il
was impossible TO arrange pairs, and
members slept and ate in their seats
fearful 70 be away from their posts foI
five minutes The old Whig party had
broken up. the Republican party was
merely a name and had not yet been or
ganized. The opposition 90 the Democrats
were known as "Anti-Nebraska Men.
Then there were the Know -Nothings. "
members OF the American party. They
were divided. too. and were known rs
| North Americans and South Americans
Horace Greeley was on the ground. and
for once a newspaper man was the genius
Of the Capitol. Greeley made 4 fight fOE
] NltnIulel =. BANKS lie persisted l4
the face OF mighty odds, directing his
forces from his room in the Nati0na
Hotel and all the time telling about thS
| fight in the New York Tribune.
Finally the Democrats seemed absolutely
assured Of q plurality for Aiken. O.
South Carolina. Greeley knew that Banks
could win on a plurality vote. Both side.
being confident. both consented 70 th'
plurality rule and Banks was elected
| The Greeley organization to elect Bank!
was the real beginning of the Republican
| party There is out one member of tha
Congress iiving-Judge John Y. Wright
| Of Tennessee, who has been an attOrnel
in the Government Land Office at Wash
ington for many years. Russell Sage VA
a member of that Congress. and for
long time he and Judge Wright share'
Il the honor of being the oldest veterans il
/ Congress. Since Mr., Sage's death, Judg
/ Wright is the oldest living eX-Congress
/ man, in point of priority Of service
L The last great fight fo- the Speakershil
was IN 1853. just before the great civi
war The House consisted Of 100 Republi
cans. s. administration Democrats. 13 anti
Lecompton Democrats. and p Americans
No party had a majority, and none Of IN
factions looked upon any Of the other
l with favor. John Sherman was the Re