Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-10
STORY OF THE BIG FIVE

CPEAKER CANNON and Representatives
~ Payne. Dalzell. and Dwight are spoken of
Representatives at Washington. because of
their alleged teamwork and the success that
follows their legislative endeavors.
Several close observers of national affairs
have recently asked veteran to tell the story
of The Big Five, who dominated the Fifty
an unusual story.
The use of the guillotine in our Republic is
not uncommon. because every aspiring politi-
clan mercilessly tries to send to the political
graveyard every man who stands in the path
way of his ambition. When Mckinley was de-
feated for the Fiftysecond Congress, Reed
of Maine gleeful1y said to his friends, THAT
takes away one of the presidential candidates r
Because of the d. position to crowd others
off the stage, it is remarkable fact that every
one of The Big Five of the Fifty-frst Congress
remained on the stage, and everyone of them
Prospered in the subsequent years.
The Big Five were candidates before the
Republican caucus for the Speakership. They
were Thomas B. Reed of Maine, William Nc
Kinley of Ohio. Julius c. Burrows of Michigan,
David B. Henderson of Iowa, and Joseph G..
Cannon of Illinois. In the matter Of relative
strength at the beginning of the caucus, they
stood about in the order named. After few
ballots. however, Thomas B. Reed was chosen
for the Speakership. albeit he was not the most
popular man of his party.
The defeated candidates were expected to
drop out of sight politically: but they did not.
and thereby all political precedents were shat
tered. Two of the four defeated ones fell by the
wayside. When it became known. that William
Mckinley and Joseph G. Cannon had been de-
feated at the polls in 1890. the wise old owls in
Washington said that they would never again
be heard of, and that Burrows and Henderson
would be defeated in the next elections.
Speaker Reed was all smiles. The ambitious
politician is always happiest when he sees
others whom he recognizes as capable antag-
onists falling bv the wayside He was particu-
larly glad tt.at Mckinley had been defeated,
because Mckinley was regarded as a possible
presidential candidate. Reed was an avowed
candidate. and with Mckinley out of the way
his candidacy was naturally enhanced
But the unexpected happened. For the
Fifty-second Congress, Joseph G. Cannon was
elected, and he has been reelected every two
years since that date. William Mckinley kept
to the front, and was made chairman of the
apolis. He was then elected Governor of Ohio.
Next, McKinley's presidential candidacy began
to grow, and ultimately he overthrow Tom Reed
an was elected and reelected to the presidency.
speaker Reed was presiding officer of the
Fifty-fourth and Fifty-fifth Congresses and
then resigned. Meanwhile, Colonel Henderson
had been kept in the background; but he had
remained in Congress. He forged to the front
in 1899 and won the Speakership. He held it
for two terms.
Immediately upon announcement of the re-
tirement of Colonel Henderson, Joseph G.
Cannon rushed to the front as a candidate for
the speakership and won it. He had been
elected to that high office four times.
his defeat for the speakership, Julius c. Bur-
lows of MICHIGAN was f,leffed tn the Ca,,of6