Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-28
blast KILLS >LABORER GEARS OF THE HOUSE.
Four Injured by Explosion Near Henry Clay Served Longest as
Chain Bridge. Speaker
ACCIDENT ON RAILROAD NINE AND A HALF YEARS
line AND A HALF YEARS
Joe Cannon, if Reelected, Will
Have Second Longest Term.
FOUR CANE FROM KENTUCKY
Men Who Have Filled the Chair
Since the First Session Of the
United States Congress.
Ely WILLIAM E. CURTIS.

Fly WILLIAM E. CURTIS.
Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
1t is conceded that Joseph G. Cannon
will be Speaker of the next House of
Representatives. He will be the choice
Of the republican caucus without oppo-
sition. and probably receive the entire re-
publican vote.
If he lives through the Sixty-frst Con-
gress he will break the record in length
of service as presiding officer. with the
exception of Henry Clay. who served nine
and a half years in the chair. to Mr..
Cannons eight years.
Mr.. Cannon has already broken the
record for length Of service on the floor.
His eighteenth term will begin on the
4th of March. He came nto the House
of Representatives March 4, 1873 If he
outlives the Sixty-first Congress. to which
he has been elected. he will have served
continually from March,, 1873. to March.
| 1911, period of thirty-eight years, with
the exception of two years, when he was
defeated for the Fifty-second Congress.
! The next record In length of service
is that of John H. Ketcham. who served
Westchester district. on the Hudson
river, New York. Gen. ketcham was
nominated for Congress twenty times
and nineteen times by reclamation.
| No other man n history was ever the
unanimous choice Of his party at nine
teen consecutive contests, covering
perio. of thirty weight years. Mr.. ketcham
was defeated by the democrats at three
elections and at seventeen he was sue
cessful
! Pig Iron Kelly and Gen. Fl. II. Bling
ham of Philadelphia both served fifteen
terms Bingham is still in the House
and good for several terms more. Charles
O'Neill and Mr. Harmer, also of Phila-
delphia, served fourteen terms each
! This is according to the custom of the
| Philadelphia republicans. who require
candidate to pledge himself TO remain
| in Congress as long as he is wanted.
This custom does not extend to other
parts of the country, much to the regret
| Of many statesmen.
Thirty-Three Speakers.
Since the formation of the government.
from March. 1850. to March 4. 1909. a
period of 40 years, there have been
thirty-three Speakers of the House of
Representatives who have served an av-
erage of about three years and eight
| months each. 1t is a significant fact
that the .czars'' have had the longest
| terms and have usually been reelected
with little or no opposition
This seems to indicate that the MEM
bers of the House are fond of the des
| potism that they complain Of. They
have consistently reelected the Speakers
who have ruled with the firmest hand.
| No Speaker ever had stronger hold
upon the House than Mr.. Cannon. Even
the fifteen insurgents" will vote for
his reelection. They say they are not
oppose. to him personally. but to the
rules of the House.
with the minority members as any man
| who ever filled the chair. If vote were
taken on the democratic side for re-
publican Speaker he would have little if
any. opposition.
! The only Speakers who have served
| longer than Cannon are Henry Clay of
| Kentucky, Andrew Stevenson Of Vir-
| gini;. and Thomas B. Reed of Maine.
| Henry Clay served nine and a half
years. He was first elected Speaker of
| the Twelfth Congress-; was reelected
Speaker of the Thirteenth Congress. with
out opposition. and resigned January 10.
1914. Langdon Cheves of South Carlina
! being selected to succeed him.
Mr.. Clay was again elected Speaker In
| the Fourteenth. Fifteenth and Sixteenth
Congresses, and again resigned October
| 20, 1870. when John w. Taylor OF New
York was elected to succeed him. In the
Seventeenth Congress Philip p. Barbour
Of Virginia. a "strict constructiOnist,"
| was elected Speaker over Mr. Clay. The
loose constructionists.' having a ma
| jority in the Eighteenth Congress. placed
| him back in the chair
| In November, 1894, there being no cleo
ton by the people. the duty of choosing
| the President fell upon Congress. When
| the electoral votes were counted, Febru-
airy DO 1873. 1t was found that Andrew
jackson had %. John Quincy Adams 81.
William II. Crawford Al and Henry Clay
81.
| For Vice President 49, votes were cast
| for John c. Calhoun and 7S for various
other persons. Mr.. Calhoun was there
| fore declared Vice Pres dent.
! The House of Representatives pro-
ceeded to vote for President. According
! to agreement the three highest candidates
| In the electoral college were voted for.
AS Mr.. Clay stood fourth on the list, he
was not eligible. Therefore his friends
! united on John Quincy Adams. who re-
! ceived the votes of thirteen states. while
Andrew Jackson rece we'd seven and Craw
! ford four.
| Stevenson Served Seven Years.
Andrew Stevenson of Virginia. demo-
| crat, was elected Speaker Of the TWEEN
tieth, Twenty-frst, Twenty-second and
Twenty-third Congresses. but resigned
June 2, 1884. having been appointed minis
! ter to Great Britain.
| Mr. Stevenson lived at Benheim, Able
| marie county, where he had a large PLAN
| tation, and was devoted to the interests
of the University of Virginia, of which
! he was rector at the time of his death.
| He remained at the court Of St. James
until succeeded by Edward Everett In
| 1871.
| Thomas 3. Reed was Speaker Of the
| Fifty-f1rst Congress, was defeated by Mr..
Crisp Of Georgia In the Fifty second and
! Fifty-third Congresses. was elected
| Speaker of the Fffty-fourth, Fifty-fifth
and Fifty-sixth Congresses and served
] one session Of the latter. when he re-
signed to practice law In New York.
David B. Henderson of Iowa was chosen
| to fill out the term.
! Mr. Reed and Mr.. Stevenson each served
| seven years, which is one more year than
Mr. Cannon has served. although he will
| surpass them by one year II he outlives
the SiXty-first Congress.
| Nathaniel Macon, Schuyler Colfax,
James G. Blaine and John G. Carlisle each
| served three consecutive terms in the
| Speakers chair. Mr.. Macon was from
North Carolina, a graduate Of Princeton