Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1909-03-25

followed, Banks had not been CHOSEN
speaker. This protest occasioned an ex-
hlbltion Of feeling which showed that
southern chivalry was not oil sham.
Clingman, Aiken, and other southern
democrats rebuked the cavillers. and
maintained that Banks had been fairly
and legally chosen" Cobb himself rose
to his feet in defence Of tho man who
had been chosen by the Same rule that
lad elected him. Amid storm or
applause, in which both sides heartily
joined Aiken. Campbell. and Fuller es-
corted Banks to tho speakers char.
The outcome wns the first victory OF
ration wide import for the new Repub-
lican party
Four years after the contest Of 1885, KS,
occurred another that was even more
bitter, and thnt covered almost exactly
the same length of time The House
was composed Of 100 republicans. IS nd
ministration democrats. Il anti-lecomp-
ton democrats. and American,
c'Know Nothings.'O most Of whom
we're from the southern states. No
party had majority On the first bal
lot the republicans were divided be-
tween John Sherman and Galusha a.
Grow. On the second. Grow withdrew.
md the party vote was united on Shcr-
man. From tho first the conflict vas
marked with the bitterest sectional feel.
ing At the very start the democrats
offered two resolutions aimed at Sher-
man. One OF them declared that n,
one who had expressed approval o'
THE Impending Crisis" the anti-slav-
cry book of Hinton r. Helper, whose
death was only last week chronicled
vas At to be speaker. .Decond reso
lut!on declared unfit any member who
approved OF auti-slavery agitation.
RLOODSHED NARROWLY AvERTEL
These resolutions. which OF course
! could not pass, we're the signal for the
breaking loose OF a long series OF BIZ
ter attacks by southern members or
northern men and institutions. For The
nest part. the republican members AZ
tempted no reply. Loosed from the re-
straint OF parliamentary rules. and De
ycnd the control Of the clerk who pre-
sided, the excited harangues we're con
tInued day after day. On many day.
nc ballots were taken. The desks OF
the members had been removed. and tx
ccsa proximity OF the speakers seemed
to increase .he danger OF personal en-
counters The galleries we're packe+
with partisans, whose applause AM
/ kissing added to in. confusion.
Frequently personal encounters were
narrowly avetted. Once in heated ar
gument, Haskin. New York represent
alive OF the anti-lecomp,on democratic
faction who had voted most OF the
time for Sherman. dropped pistol or
the floor. Southern members. witt
hands in their hip pockets, crowded for
ward. and II looked fo- moment a.
though a bloody conflict could not b,
averted. "Th, members on both sides,
! wrote Senate Grimes OF Iowa, 'art
mostly armed with deadly weapons. am
n Is said that the friends OF both arr
armed in the gallehes." At length. or
January 40, the republicans shifted fror
sherman to William Pennington of New
| Jersey. who was serving MS frst term
and was without a political record {
arouse hostility. 1t was understood tina
some OF the anti-lecompton men WIN
balkeI at support Of Sherman wou't
support Pennington. 30 It proved. ant
on February l. 1860. nearly two months
after Congress convened. Pennington re
ceived. on tho forty-fourth ballot. II
votes. exactly the number required Il
eleit.
| This was the last serious contest fo
| the speakersh'p, not because the I'm
! portahce OF the Office Is less for it has
steadily gone on increasing. but because
OF the greater unity OF parties since the
C.vil war and the fact that In eacf
! Congress some one party has possessed
! 6 clear ra1ority.