Evening star., 1927-05-09
Moved Election by House.

tldS CD SlcClSu.
Moved Election by House.
"On Wednesday, February 2S-just
four days before President Grants
! term was to expire with no successor
to him yet declared elected-Mills
made the boldest and most dangerous
contribution to the confusion. He of
fered what he claimed, and what
really was, privileged resolution
that the House proceed Immediately
in obedience to the Constitution to
choose a President from the three
persons having the highest number of
votes on the list of those voted for as
President. This the Constitution re.
quires when no candidate has received
majority of the electoral vote.
"You see what this meant, don't
you? If would have meant shelving
the commission altogether and having
the House declare the election of a
candidate whose election would not
be admitted by the Senate and the re-
firing President Mills was deter
mined TO precipitate conflict. and
he was a clever and stubborn fighter.
If his resolution had come to vote
it would have been carried, for the
Democratic majority in the House was
tremendous, SO large that the Repub-
licans were powerless. and most of
the Democrats would have followed
Mills and Springer rather than the
sensible and well ll-balaced leadership of
Randall, Watterson and Wood.
Therefore, the future of the Nation
hung on preventing vote on Mills
resolution. If it passed, as it certainly
would. all efforts at peaceful solution
would go by the board and Tophet
would be let loose not only in Wash
ington. but in every place throughout
the land where passion ragged.
Blactburn's Famous Speech.
"In a flash all these momentous
possibilities passed through Randall's
mind. Could he avert the danger by
refusing, as Speaker, to recognize
Mills? He could not. Mills right to
present the resolution for vote. the
fact that it was a privileged one, could
not be denied. To deny it would in
furiate the Democrats. bring about
the dreaded clash, and only result in
the House overriding the Speaker and
passing the resolution. After that the
fate of the Republic would be on the
knees of the gods. Instantly Randall
uttered the pivotal sentence. He
promised Mills that his resolution
would be considered at the proper
time His word had never been
broken, and the most suspicious of
Democrats saw nothing to suspect.
Mills himself was satisfied and sat
down
Having averted the risk for a time.
the Speaker saw to 1t that the debate
should cover a wide field. 1t ran
through the next day, Thursday,
| March J. and toward morning Joe
Blackburn of Kentucky made a speech
that was famous for years. 1t was
picturesque in its extravaganza.
Blackburn, who was one of the most
radical Of the Democrats, assailed his
| own party for joining in the creation
of that electoral commission which
was now inexorably seating Hayes.
| Turning to the clock. now pointing
| past midnight. Blackburn said it was
| Friday morning, the day on which the
Saviour of the world suffered cruci-
| fixion, and the day whose night would
see constitutional Government, JUS
tice, honesty. fair-dealing. manhood
and decency crucifled among thieves.
| He regetted it that the blow had come,
not from his political opponents, but
| from his misguided friends. and / have
never forgotten his quotation:
so the struck eagle, stretched upon
the plain.
No more through rolling clouds to
soar again,
Views his own feather on the fatal
dart,
| That winged the shaft that quivered
in his heart