The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1910-04-04
Problem of Ills Successor Be-
comes Interesting
KINDS NAME TO FRONT
"CIerlx Mt the Speakers Desk Is the
Hossfest BOSS of Allie Is in
Reality tie Power Behind
the Throne

The date under which this dispatch Is
written makes the topic it discusses-that
of electing a non-partisan speaker of the
House of ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
aproros The idea that the members of
the stormy lower house will ever, at any
time this side of the millennium, so far
forget their political prejudiees as to
choose some one to rule over them whose
chief qualifications for the office VIII
be his willingness to be fair to the MI
nority, is, of course, Utopian.
Nevertheless the matter has been the
subject of more or less serious discus
sion here. The Cannon incident has about
thrashed itself out. with the net result
that nearly everyone has come to the con-
clusion that the speaker has no chance OF
succeeding himself.
, That has brought up the problem of his
successor. and discussion of his successor
has brought to the front the question of
a non-partisan speaker. Reaching this
point. the mind glides easily over to a
contemplation of the most non-partisan
non-partisan of them all-namely, Asher
C. ENDS, adviser extraordinary to speak
ers since the time of Reed and candidate
par excellence for the post of speaker
ship should ever the non-partsan era
in American politics arrive.
There are bosses and bosses-just as
Pope informs us there are feas and fleas-
but Asher c. Kinds is the bossiest boss
of them all. He steps in and bosses where
bosses of lesser degree fear even to tread.
He is the boss who bosses the boss of the
United States House of Representatives.
Mr.. Kinds official title is clerk of the
speakers desk" In reality he is the pow
err behind the throne, the man who fur
nishes the legislative brains that enables
the speaker to speak, the nerve ganglia
that rules, controls and directs every
movcne nt that the House itself makes.
Mr.. Kinds is all this simply because ma
ture in her infinite wisdom has decreed
that mind is greater than matter. He is
boss of the speaker because he knows
more than the speaker does. He is boss
of the House because the House in its
composite and conglomerate wisdom is
only a pulling infant compared to him.
Take an instance from recent history.
Not many months ago the House work
ed itself into one of it's periodical tan
trums and when 1t had finally exhaust
Gu ltSt.l IL lOuHu llStll liidliy up lHlO
such a parliamentary maze that 1t didn
know which way to turn. A half dozen
points of order had been raised and the
speaker himself was in a complete daze.
At this interesting moment Mr.. Cannon
was seen to turn and whisper hurriedly
to. the young man at his right. The
young man was Mr.. Kinds. Rule.
Rule!'' shouted the House. The spours Ell
turned YEARLY to the excited crowd be-
fore him.
THE speaker will rule" replied
THE speaker is now endeavorng tc
find out how to rule"
A moment later Mr.. Kinds had sci
the speaker back on his mental equi-
librium, the speaker in a brief decision
had cut the parliamentary knot into
which the House had tied itself and the
House was at liberty to throw an
other fit.
1t was Speaker Reed who discovered
Mr.. Kinds. He knew him when he was
a newspaper man in Portland, Me-, and
appreciated his qualities. When Reed
was elected speaker of the Fifty first
as his secretary.
"Hinds." he said, II want you to be-
come a great expert in parliamentary
law"
Mr.. Kinds has mind that is natural
ly precise; he has a native faculty for
getting at the root of things and grasp
ing first causes. He is resolute, self
possessed and well balanced. His mind
works just as clearly in the heat of leg
islative battle as 1t does at home in the
quiet of his own library.
The young man took Mr.. Reeds order
literally and began to devote his days
a i0rll &c tC ba nj iru for n l.
understood subject of parliamentary
procedure. He delved into the records
and presidents, and in a surprisingly
short space of time he had SO well
equipped himself that he had become
absolutely indispensable, not only to
Mr.. Reed, but to every speaker who has
succeeded him.
He repaid Mr.. Reed for finding him in
an exceedingly striking manner. In the
evcntful days that preceded the war with
Spain the administration was struggling
to prevent war, and relied on Speaker
Reed to repress the growing disposition of
the republican members to yield to what
appeared to be the clamor of their con-
stltuents. The democrats were determined
to force the issue, and the republicans
were threatening to go over to them.
AT this critical time Mr.. Bailey of Texas,
then minority leader, proposed as a ques-
ton of privilege in order that he might
not be taken off the floor by demand for
the regular order, resolution recogniz-
ing the republic of Cuba as a free and
independent state. If such a resolution
once got fairly before the House Reed
knew that 1t would be passed, and If it
passed 1t meant only one thing-namely.
war. Reed knew that Bailey's resolution,
was not privileged, but he feared to over
rule 1t because of the danger that an APP
peal to the decision of the House would
override him. In this dilemma he needed
an apt precedent to tip the shaft of his
fcrceful argument in reply to Bailey.
"H!nds," he said, ''get me a precedent
ard get 1t quick
An instant later the much-needed
something" was on the speakers desk.
Kinds who has been watching all that
was going on. had ripped 1t out of one, of
his scrapbooks. He started to explain it.
Say no more" said Reed; II can see
that this is enough"
The skill with which Mr. Reed used this
precedent is still gossip in the House
clookrooms. He routed Bailey completely
and prevented the resolution from coming
before the House.
Mr.. Kinds is a New Highlander. He was
born at Benton, Me-, February 6, 1868, and
for D. long time lived at Portland. where
he engaged in newspaper work on the Adj
vertiser and Press. He is a frequent Iec-
turer before students of civil govern
ment.