Los Angeles herald., 1909-12-10
The American Congress
XVIIT-Great Speakerslip Fights
Bv Frederic j. HaSkin

a third section, made up of Wings and
southern Know Nothings held the ball
ance of power. on the first ballot five
candidates ppeared-William A. Rich
ardson of Illinois, Democrat, "A votes;
Lewis ID. Campbell of OHIO, anti
Nebraska, So; Humphrey Marshall OF
Kentucky. Democrat and Know Moth
ing, 80: Nathaniel z. Banks of Massa-
chusetts, Nebraska, 21 Henry
Fuller Of Pennsylvania. National Know
Nothing, IT, and twenty-nine scattering
votes. The Immortal seventy-four'
of the administration minority were
loyal to Richardson, but the majority
was unable to agree upon candidate.
For two months the house was dead
locked. Men slept In the chamber, the
sectional strife began to show its ugly
features and the whole country was In
an uproar. Finally the Democrats, in
the belief that the southern Wings and
Americans would rally to their sup
port of Aiken of South Carolina, passed
a resolution providing for plurality
election. The slip occurred betwixt
cup and lip, and on the one hundred
and thirty-third ballot Banks received
103 votes, Aiken 100. with IL scattering.
Precedent required that a plurality
election be ratified by resolution. The
clerk of the house, John w. Forney,
feared that another vote, such as would
have to be taken on the resolution,
would defeat the question, so he re-
solved upon the heroic action OF de-
clarng Banks elected. Governor Aiken
Immediately acquiesced and escorted
Mr.. Banks to the chair Thus ended
the two months struggle. Its chief
result was not the election of Banks,
but the actual organization Of the
Republican party.
In the next congress the Democrats
again had a clear majority and elected
James L. Orr speaker without difficulty
by vote of 128 to 84 cast for Galusha
A. Grow, Republican. But II was but
a temporary truce, and then the thirty
sixth congress met on December 5,
1859, the clouds of the great storms 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 109 Republicans, 88 admlnistra-
tion Democrats. 29 southern Americans
and northern Americans. No party
had a majority. The Republicans did
not agree upon candidate at first, and
on the initial ballot 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 sup
port of Sherman. Then came the read
ing in the house of the Endorsement Of
the book by Hinton Rowan Helper,
"The Impending Crisis of the South
How to Meet It." Both Sherman's and
Grows names were signed to the docu-
ment. Sherman explained that his was
placed there only by proxy. but his ex-
planation could not win him the neces-
sary number of votes from the Amerl-
can contingent to bring about his cleo
ton. 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 hail dlsgraced by
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 COM
promise and a plurality election was
destroyed by q combination which
agreed TO prevent such a change in the
rules. Finally the Republicans brought
forward William Pennington, 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 the forty-third ballot, on Jan
uary 81, Henry Winter Davis. a south
ern American from Maryland, cast his
vote for Pennington. The clerk called
Davis name three times and he did not
reply He was walking to and fro at
the back of the chamber with his hands
behind him. After the roll was com
pleted he asked the clerk to call his
name and he voted for Pennington.
That gave the New Jersey man 1l6
votes, only one less than a majority.
on the next day, February 1. 1860,
Briggs vote elected Pennington by, one
majority. But It was Henry Winter
Davis who made history by deserting
his political companions and making
the election of a speaker possible.
Despite the handicap of ignorance of
parliamentary forms, Speaker Penning-
ton was an impartial presiding officer.
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
representatives who refused to use the
power Of his office for either personal
or political urposes.
Since the election of Pennington there
has been no contest for speaker In the
house, the party candidate of the ma
jority having been elected on the first
ballot at the beginning of every con-
gress from the thirty-seventh to the
sixty first. If the sixty-second shall
witness the continuation of the fac
tions now quarreling at Washington
there may be something new to tell
about electing speakers.
Tomorrow-The American Congress;
XIX-The Reed Rules Controversy.