Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-11

Orr speaker without difficulty by a vote
Of lbs to 81 cast for calusna A. Grow, re-
publican. But It was but a temporary
truce and when the thirty-sixth congress
met on December 8 1859, the clouds Of the
great storm Of civil war were hanging low.
For the first time a new congress met In
the hall of the house of representatives
now in use. The membership was COM
posed Of 100 republicans, So administration
democrats, % southern Americans and 4
northern Americans. No party had a ma
jority. The republicans did not agree upon
a candidate at first and on the initial ball
lot the votes were divided among sixteen
candidates.
Grow and John Sherman were the leading
republican candidates, but Grow withdrew
after the first ballot and the republicans
rallied to the support OF Sherman. Then
came the reading in the house of the en-
dorsement Of the book by Hinton Rowan
Helper, 'HThe Impending Crisis in the
South-How to Meet It." Both Sherman's
and Crows names were signed to the doc
.ument. Sherman explained that his was
placed there only by proxy, but his ex-
PLANTATION could not win him the necessary
number of votes from the American con-
tingent to bring about his election, The
contest was the most bitter ever waged.
Members OF congress were armed with
pistols and bowie knives and everybody
feared that any moment might see the new
hall disgraced by a pitched battle, Only
with the greatest difficulty was even the
semblance Of peace maintained.
Violent threats were made in almost
every speech and all hope OF a compromise
and a plurality election was destroyed by
a combination which agreed to prevent
such a change in the rules. Finally the
republicans brought forward William Pen
ningtonr a former governor of New Jersey,
who had Just been elected to the house and
who had no record to make him enemies.
He gained a few votes and Briggs of New
York promised that when one vote would
assure his election he would cast 1t. On
tho forty-third ballot, or January 81,
Henry Winter Davis, a southern American
from Maryland, cast his vote for Penning-
ton. The clerk called Davis name three
times and he did not reply. He was walk
ing to and fro at the back Of the chamber
with his hands behind him. After the roll
was completed he asked me clerk to CAN
his name and he voted for Pennington.
That gave the New Jersey man 116 votes,
only one less than a majority. On the
next day, beDruary L. 1901, BrlgBs vote
elected Pennington by one majority But
il was Henry Winter Davis, who made
history by deserving his political com
panions and making the election OF a
speaker possible. DESPITE the handicap of
Ignorance Of parliamentary forms, Speaker
Pennington was an impartial presiding Of
ficer. He was In the speakers chair at the
time OF the secession of the southern
states, at the most critical period Of the
national history, yet he was the last OF
the speakers Of the house Of representa-
lives who refused to use the power Of his
office for either personal or political pur-
poses.
Since the election Of Pennington there
has been no contest for speaker in the
house, the party candidate of the majority
having been elected on the first ballot at
the beginning Of every congress from the
Thirty-seventh to the Sixty-first. II the
Sixty-second shall witness the continue
ton OF the factions now quarreling at
Washington there may be something new
to tell about electinE speakers.
PR1DMaTC ,. ZAsKN.
Tomorrow-The American oOngrsSS-Ths
Reed Rules ~ControvSrsy.
H