Omaha daily bee., 1909-12-11

When no one political party controls a
majority of the votes in the house of rep
resentatives the matter OF electing u
speaker becomes a vital question OF ma
tlonal moment OF course, no such condl-
ton is possible when there are but two
parties, as is usually the case, both claim
ing and receiving the loyal support Of
every subscriber to their respective polit-
ioal ereeds, In such cases the question Of
who Will be speaker Is decided in the
caucus OF the majority party, and the
minority caucus selects It's leader and Of
fers him for the empty honor Of the minor
ity candidate for the speakership. Every
speaker since the beginning OF the civil
war has been named in caucus, and there
has been no spectacular fight for the chair
In the house itself. The party caucuses
have been the scene of some pitched bat
ties and they often nave been preceded by
q season OF wire pulling, patronage prom
Using and political ~chieanery. Usually,
however. the majority has chosen the
logical" candidate for speaker, although
notable exceptions are the preference
given in 1891 TO Charles r. Crisp over Roger
Q. Mills and in 1859 to David B. IIender-
son over Joseph @. Cannon. Mr.. Cannon
has been four times elected speaker, equal
ing the highest record for successive cleo
lions to that office, held by Andrew Stew
enson Of Virginia. At each Of these four
elections Mr.. Cannon has been the log
ical" choice OF the majority of the majority
party,
But when there are three parties in the
house, or when any party eannot control
its own msmLers and dislntegratss, and
when this arrangement of bi-party lines
goes to the extent thai no one faction has
an absolute majority, then the house Itself
must select its speaker. For the first
time in many years there is a prospect Of
such a situation in the house. The 'insur-
gent" or antl-Cannon republicans n the
Fitzgerald fsction of the democrats, hold
the alanoe Of power between the two
parties in this congress. The regular dem
ocrats must depend FOR every atom Of hops
upon the "insGrgent" republicans, the
cannon or regular republicans must de-
pend for their control Of the house upon
the continued support Of the twenty three
democrats who follow the leadership OF
Representative Fitzgerald. Representatives
for the sixty-seeond congress win be
CHOSEN at the polls next fail and it is
within the realm OF probability that the
next house WIN ave neither a straight
republican nor a regular democratic major
lty. In that event. the successor to
speaker Cannon will be chosen in an open
fight In the house.
The Thirty.fIrst congress met on De-
eember 3, lb49. the slavery question had
begun to destroy party lines by forming
geographical groups. The wings were in
the majority. but the party discipline was
lax, the %southernsrs being defiant and the
northerners not inclined to yield their views
even for the SAX Of organizing the house.
Robert q. winthrop Of Massachusetts.
speaker in the preceding congress, was the
regular whig nominee. Howell Cobb OF
Georgia was the democratic candidate.
Thirteen free soii'' wings held the balance
OF power Under the leadership OF Joshua
Giddings eight OF these refused to supper;
Winthrop because he had ignored the anti
slavery sentiment in appointing the com
mittees u the Thirtieth congress. They de-