The Washington herald., 1914-07-22
HISTORY BUILDERS.
How Don Cameron Mysti6ed the
Politicians.
ny DIR. 4. ,. EDWARDs.


Col. william r. Morrison. who served
many years as a Representative OF Con-
gress for one Of the Illinois districts ana
was chairman Of the Ways and Means
Committee under the speakership OF John
@. Carlisle, was esteemed as adroit
technical politlcian-adroit in the tech
nique Of politics-as any man OF nis
time. at least any who sat upon tho
Democratic side of the House Of Repre-
sentatiyes. He directed the canvass
which resulted in the election Of Mr..
Carlisle as Speaker, in the fall Of lsSS:
with extraordinary ability, the actual
vote differing by only two from the per-
sonaI canvass Col Morrison had made
Col, Morrison was Of sufficient breadun
Of mind to be willing to accord due praise
to any Republican leader who had been
successful In managing difhcult can
vass. / doubt n he ever gave higher
praise to any Republican speaker for po-
litical ability than was contained in
few words. with which he described the
canvass for the Republican nomination
for Speaker OF the House Of Representa-
tives in the last week Of November. Bsl
He was chatting with me at the OLD
Riggs House. in Washington. few days
after the Republican caucus OF the
House had nominated Gen. Joseph war
ren Kelfer for Speaker.
"ReIfer is a good fellow" he said. He
was a brave soldier and he understands
parliamentary procedure fairly well But
I should think that some weeks must
pass before he gets over the oeWilder-
ment occasioned by the sudden and bril-
liant stroke which made It possible for
him to defeat Frank Hiscock In the Re-
publican caucus.
II have not yet beeR able to learn ex-
actly how II was done. But my friends
on the other side tell me that II was
accomplished single-handed by Don Cam
eron.
FOR a week before the Republican
caucus Frank Hiscock's nomination for
Speaker seemed TO be inevitable. was
certain that he would be nominated, and
even went so far as TO congratulate
him on his probable success.
''Of course, you know that Gen. Reifer
was occasionally spoken Of as candidate
for the Speakership, and had some fol-
lowing, but II was presumed TO be purely
complimentary and 10 have been created
for the purpose OF securing for Keifer
either the chairmanship OF the Ways and
Means or Of the Appropriations Commit
tee
"Don Cameron had been plowing very
deeply and very silently. You know he
fishes with a very deep line. Is the poll
ticians say. apd has never failed to nsh
successfully.
"In some way he was able TO swing
the Pennsylvania delegation over TO Rei-
fer. He made combinations Of which the
Pennsylvania delegation was the key
note, and did II so quietly and so swiftly
that nobody suspected what was going on
until the vote showed that Reifer was
elected.
II wish I could fnd out exactly how
he did It. Nobody seems to know. Ger
tainIy those who do know-if there are
any such-are not willing to tell
Il have an idea that this nomination
OF Gen. Keller as Speaker was the rrst
step in the direction OF the Presidential
nomination OF 1884. / suspect that il may
mean the nomination OF Sherman. Don
Cameron and Sherman are good friends
1 also suspect that II Garfield had lived
the administration would have taken
part in the Speakership contest and the
Speaker would have been a man who had
Garfield's complete confidence
so. YOU see, there are two features
Of this nomination OF Reifer which are
Of great interest TO me. One is that as
ISOLATED with the very skillful politics
which made II possible. and the other Is
the relation under Don Cameron's lead
ership Of Reifer's nomination for Speaker
to the Republican Presidential nomina-
ton in 1854"
Copyright. 1914. b DR. z. J. Ed~ards All rights
Tomorrow DR.. Edwards will tell OF
The Congressman Who Would Not Be
an Errapd Roy