Evening star., 1933-03-02
The Political Mill
By G. Could Lincols.

nomination for Speaker OF the House
in the Seventy-third Congress, which
is to be staged late today in the Demo-
cratic caucus, calls to mind the last
big fight among the Democrats for
Speaker, which resulted in the nomina-
ton and the election of the late Repre-
sentative Charles F. Crisp Of Georgia.
It was at the opening Of the first
session of the Fifty-second Congress, in
December, 1891. that Mr.. Crisp ana his
followers fought the matter out with
four other aspirants for the Democratic
nomination for Speaker, r. @. Mills
Of Texas. w. q. Springer OF Illinois,
Benton McMillin Of Tennessee and VIII
liam H. Hatch of Missouri.
In the congressional elections Of 1890
the Democrats had been swept into
power in the House, just as they were
in 1892. by an avalanche Of votes. The
Democrats had 236 members OF the
House and the Republicans only 88,
and a sprinkling Of members Of the
Farmers Alliance made up the balance
of the membership, which was much
smaller in that day. The contest for
the speakership was harG-fought and
lasted for weeks, beginning long before
the Congress assembled on December
Z, 1891.
The Democrats of the House started
their caucus on Saturday, December 8.
The account published In The Star
pointed out that the first trouble arose
nomination should be taken--by open
or secret ballot The question was re-
ferred to a Committee en- Rules, con-
sisting Of one member named by each
of the candidates. At first all the
members of the committee except one,
Mr.. Bynum, favored a secret ballot.
Bynum was Mills representative on the
committee. When he began vigorous
protest against a secret ballot the other
members of the committee agreed TO
an open ballot, saying they did not care
to insist, and that sooner than have
contest over the matter they would
give in. So the ballot was an open
ballot, and the name of each member
and the candidate for whom he voted
were taken down by the clerk Of the
caucus. When the caucus opened, 221
members were present, requiring ia
to nominate On the first ballot, the
vote stood Crisp, "a: Mills, 78; Spring
er, So; McMillin, 18. and Hatch, IA.
The Democrats fought, bled and died.
for hours, and finally adjourned until
Monday at 10 am. The first ballot
taken on Monday was the eighteenth,
and showed Crisp ahead with "a votes
and Mills second with 80. with the rest
of the field having considerably less.
No nomination was made and when
the House met at noon. the election
of Speaker could not proceed. After
a brief recess the Democrats went back
into caucus, and on the thirtieth ballot
succeeded in nominating Crisp. with q
vote of 119 to los for Mills. 1t was
not until about 10 pm, however. that
the weary Democrats ended the strug-
gle. The next day Mr. Crisp was elect
ed Speaker of the House and served
as Speaker for three Congresses.
The struggle in 1891 lay between a
man from the South, man from the
Southwest and a man from the Middle
West. 1t is almost duplicated in the
present contest for the speakership
nomination, in which Representative
Rainey of Illinois represents the Middle
West, Representative McDuffle OF Ala
bama the South and Representative
Byrns of Tennessee the Democrats q
little west of South. Crisp proved too
strong, however, and in the end some
of the Middle West members turned to
him rather than to Mills, making his
election sure Should there be q dead
lock in the Democratic caucus today.
and should the break come from Mr..
Rainey, the candidate Of the Middle
West for the nomination, McDuffle Is
likely to be the heir of many of the
Rainey votes, it is said. Certainly a
great deal of work has been done for
McDuffie in the last few weeks. and
many of the Northern Democrats are
count I'd upon by tt McDuffie campaign
mana yers to aid L. The nomination OF
the Alabama man.
Speaker Gamers nomination for the
speakership was accomplished practical
ly without a contest He was assured
the nomination long before the Demo-
Gratis assembled In caucus two years
ago to name a candidate for Speaker.
The late Champ Clark Of Missouri was
the only Democrat to hold the Office Of
Speaker in the period between Speaker
Crisp and Speaker Garner. Mr.. Clark
had the matter well in hand, too, long
before the party caucus assembled.
Like Mr. Garner and Mr.. Crisp, he had
been the Democratic floor leader before
LlIC llLllC IdlllC 1Ok 4lAAll w NC CACSbCa
Speaker. Mr.. Rainey, the present Demo-
cratic floor leader, insists that he is en-
titled to have the office of Speaker by
all the precedents, which elevated floor
leaders of the party to the speakership.
The Republicans broke away from
this rule, however, when they nomi-
mated Representative Smell of New York
for Speaker following til death Of the
late Speaker Nicholas Longworth.
Former Representative John @. Tilson
of Connecticut had been floor leader
during the Longworth terms as Speaker.
Mr.. Smell, who Is now the Republican
floor leader and who has been nomi-
mated for Speaker by the Republican
caucus Of the House, made contest for
the speakership nomination against Mr..
Tilson and defeated him. As it hap
pened. he had to be content with the
floor leadership of the Republicans, be-
cause before the Congress could as
semble the narrow majority which the
Republicans had Immediately follow
ing the 1880 elections was wiped out
by death and special elections to flll
vacancies before the Congress met In
December of that year.
X X
An effort Is to be made to have the
votes IN the DemOCTaClC CAUCUS TAKEN
by secret ballot today, it is said. What
will be the attitude Of the candidates
and the caucus to this proposal re-
mains to be seen when the caucus as
sembles. Many of the members are rep
resented as being unwilling to be
placed ION the spot" in this vote for
Speaker. However, II the question is
raised in the caucus as to whether there
shall be an open or secret ballot, they
find 1t dificult to vote for secret bal
lot. If all the candidates are satisfied
to have a secret ballot, however, that
Is likely to determine the matter.
Former Gov. Harry Flood Byrd Of
Virginia, when he takes the oath of
office as Senator Of the United States
on Saturday to fill the vacancy caused
by the resignation of Senator Claude
Swanson, who is to be Secretary of the
Navy in the Roosevelt cabinet, will sat
isfy an ambition which he has enter
tanned for a number of years. MT.
Byrd is q young man. He is likely to
90 far in his public career If he re-
mains In the Senate. As Governor OF
I,a v>rovad ON aycellent eYecll.