Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-28

church in Pennsylvania he was elected
to the Continental Congress and was
chairman of the first constitutional con-
vention OF Pennsylvania. He was MEM
Der OF the First, Second and Third Con-
crosses was Speaker Of the First and
Third Houses, and was influential in To-
eating the seat of government on the
Potomac.
His brother. John Peter Gabriel Muh-
lenburg. was also a member of The First.
Third and SIKH Congresses, and repre-
sented Pennsylvania in the United States
Senate He was a clergyman of the
Church of England and rector of a
church at Dunmore Shenandoah county,
Va. when the revolution broke out.
He told his congregation There is
time for all things; time to preach and
a time to fight. and now Is the time to
fight
That was his farewell to the pulpit He
raised the sth Virginia Regiment, COM
manded il for two years. was made a
br gadier general and afterward a major
general. A third brother. Henry L. A.
Muhlenburg. also served n Congress and
was in the diplomatic service
On the principle of rotation in office"
Jonathan Trumbull of Connecticut was
elected Speaker of the House in the
Second Congress. The administration of
Mr.. Trumbull not proving so satisfactory
as that Of Mr.. Muhlenburg. the latter
was again elected Speaker of the Third
Congress. After sharp contest between
Mr.. Muhlenburg and Jonathan Dayton
OF New Jersey for Speaker in the Fourth
Congress, the latter was chosen by a
vote of 46 to 81. Mr.. Dayton was re-
elected Speaker in the Fifth Congress
and served for one session, when he re-
signed TO take seat in the Senate.
Contests Over Speakership.
There have been several long and ex-
citing contests over the speakership In
the Twenty sixth Congress the organiza-
ton of the House was delayed three
weeks on account of a contest in the
New Jersey delegation, the five cand.-
dates who had been returned as elected
at large having their seats contested by
the five democratic candidates on the
ground of a miScOunt in one county
For thFee days the clerk, who under
the rules always presides during the
election of Speaker. refused to put any
motion save to ADJOURN. The PROCEEDINGS
were disorderly.
John Quincy Adams. ex-President of
the United States. disguised with the
behavior Of the clerk. took the chair
called the House to order and declared
he would entertain any parliamentary
motions. The first motion was to elect
him Speaker pro tenn. and he presided
for two weeks. until Robert NJ. 4. Hun
ter of Virginia. a whig, was elected
Speaker.
The Thirty-f1rst Congress was badly
mixed up. politically, neither party having
a majority. There were no democrats,
100 wings and nine free-soilers The lat
ter refused to vote for either the wing or
democratic candidates for Speaker.
After sixty-two fruitless ballots 1t was
agreed that on the next ballot q plurality
should elect. Howell Cobb Of Georgia, a
democrat, and an advocate of the extern
sion of slavery. was then elected by the
vote OF the pro-slavery wings.
Election by Plurality.
The Thirty-fourth Congress was another
''conglomerate' body, the democrats hav-
ing small majority in the Senate and
neither party a majority in the House.
There were 1OS anti Nebraska and re-
publican members, IS democrats and AZ
Americans and pro-slavery (southern)
wings
After 1873 ballots had been taken without
result it was agreed that a plurality
should elect. Nathaniel P. Banks jr., of
Massachusetts. an ant Nebraska repub-
! lican, was elected Speaker.
The Thirty-sixth Congress was equally
"conglomerate." the democrats controlling
the Senate and no party controlling the
House. The democrats had 101 members.
the republicans 113. and the Americans 23.
John Sherman of Ohio was the caucus
, nominee for Speaker. His Endorsement
of helpers impending crisis" was made
an excuse by Humphrey Marshall of Ken
lucky and Henry Winter Davis of Mary
land for ''bolting'' his nomination.
After two months of fruitless balIoting--
Mr.. Sherman several times lacking but
two votes for eiectiOn-Wfliam Penning-
ton of New Jersey was chosen Speaker.
With but two or three slight and neces-
sary changes. Speaker Pennington imme-
ID iately announced the committee list pre-