Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-04-12
CAPITAL CHAT,
Speaker Cannon as a
Senator from Illinois,
Many Earlier Speakers Have
Gone to the Senate.
Tact Of the New President in Deal
ing With Congress.

| washington, u. C., April 9.-(Spec-
la).-The renewal of gossip about ILL.,
nols throwing a senatorial toga over
the shoulders of Uncle joe Cannon
| IS particularly interesting because
| such thing has happend to several
Speakers of the House of Representa-
tiVes. Every Speaker, Democrat and
Republican, for many, many years has
| had his filings and quips at the ex-
pcnSe of the Senate. All the same
| nearly every one of them has been will
| ling to have the senatorial toga thrown
over his shoulders. No Speaker, how
| ever, has been willing to step down
from his scat of power at the South
end of the Capitol to occupy a little
Greek temple, which the late Speaker
| Reed sarcastically said, every Sena-
| tor had for his own use.
The late Speaker Blaine, of Maine,
| became a Senator. 1t was after he
| had served three continuous terms as
| Speaker and had become a plain Rep
resentativc in Democratic House
| during the F'orty-fourth Congress. AL
most the same thing happened to for
| mer Speaker Carlisle as happened to
| former Speaker Blaine Mr.. Carlisle
| Speaker and then the series of Demo-
cratic Houses gave place to a Repub-
lican House in the Fifty-frst Congress
Mr.. Carlisle became a plain Democrat
| ic Representative, while Reed was ele-
waited to the Speakership. Then SEN
ator Beck of Kentucky died and MIR.
| Carlisle was glad to have a senatorial
| toga.
| So ii Mr.. Cannon should now accept
| a senatorial election from the Illinois
| Legislature he would be setting pre-
| ccdent, certainly as far as recent
| times are concerned He is the third
man to have four successive elections
| as Sreaker-the other two having been
| Henry Clay. who was elected Speaker
| SIX times, and Andrew Stevenson, of
| Virginia, who was elected four times.
Henry Clay resigned the Speakership
| twice, once when he was to serve as a
| Commissioner to assist in the negOtia-
| tons of peace following the war of 1914.
| But the Speakership was not in those
| days the important office that it now
| is and was not regarded as the second
place of power under the American
| government. Clay was a United States
Senator before he was ever member
| of the House and later he rounded out
| his Legislative career as a Senator.
| On the whole. very few Speakers
| have ever attained the Senate and now
atlays a Speaker regards himself as a
very much more important man than
| 81 Senator Roger O. Mills. of Texas.
| fully expected to become Speaker of
| the Send. Congress but he fell short
| Of a1cct ion and yiypn Spn1tO-
rial toga as a sort of consolation.
| Crisp who won the SpeakerShip when
| the Democrats came into control of
| tho House. over Mills, died soon after
he laid aside the gavel and almost the
same WAS true of Reed who practiced
| law a year or two in New York. Kicf-
er, of Ohio, the Republican Speaker
| OF the 47th. Congress, has sought Il
| toga from Ohio more than once but he
| is now a plain Representative in the
| House from the Springfield district of
| the Buckeye state. Samuel J. Randall,
| who vas Il great Democratic Speaker,
| came from Pennsylvania. n strong Re
| publican state and therefore never had
any senatorial opportunities.
1t is doubtful whether Speaker Can
non would be very much at home in
the Senate and, while he is very mum
on the subject. it is to be doubted
whether he would care to have a toga
even from the great state of Illinois.
He would have to take back scat in
the senate. At best he could play
| only q minor part for a while. The
committee plums have al been dis
tributcd and therein he would he at II
great disadvantage. For the term for
which Illinois is expected to elect a
Senator began March 4 last. AS the
Legislature has been dcadlockcd and
refused to return Senator Hopkins