Evening star., 1938-05-15
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL P. KENNEDY.

How two Democratic members of the
House were unseated on the same day
in favor of Negro contestants without
roll call and with only one Democrat
on duty in the House. Representative
John T. OFerrall, later Governor of YER
mont, is vividly recalled after a lapse
of nearly half century by Joseph j.
Sinnot, veteran doorkeeper of the House.
This is one of the important events in
the Fifty-first Congress, 1889 1891, which,
with SO changes in personnel, gives
that Congress the record for shifts The
Republicans came in with majority of
and the famous Thomas B. Reed of
Maine was elected Speaker, but subse-
quently II Democrats were unseated and
the Republicans climbed to a majority
of 30.
Representative Edward Venable of Vir-
glnla was unseated in favor of Repre-
sentative John M. Langston, noted
Negro educator former dean vice presi-
dent and acting president Of Howard
University. who had been given i'm
portant civic and diplomatic posts by
Presidents Grant and Hayes. The DEM
ocrats had all trooped out of the cham
wa W SASdh a QltOl Jill AS SOO1l dS llllS
case was settled the House Republicans
clamored for another victim and the case
OF Miller vs. Elliott was similarly and
summarlly disposed of. Representative
William Elliott of South Carolina, who
had come out of the Civil War as
lieutenant colonel in the Confederate
Army. received the biggest surprise of
his life when he re-entered the House
ph q orohor A
What are you doing here? You're no
longer member" That was the first
he knew that he had been unseated in
favor OF Thomas E. Miller Negro edu-
Gator. who had served in the State House
and Senate. who was later president of
the State colored college of South Caro-
lima and who died recently in Phila-
delphia.
1t was early in the Fifty-first Congress
that Speaker Thomas B. Reed for the
first time made his parliamentary ruling
regarding the counting of a quorum. v
He had reached decision on this course
in the previous Congress when a two
weeks filibuster had been conducted bv
Representatives Oates of Ohio and
Weaver of Iowa. day and night with
one roll call after the other until the
reading clerks quickly succumbed and
doorkeepers had to read the roll. The
innovation OF counting a quorum came
in the final balloting. when Representa-
tive Charles B. Smith of West Virginia
captured the seat held by Representative
j. Monroe Jackson.
It was during that Congress that
South Dakota, formed from portion of
the Territory Of Dakota. was admitted
to the Union. and its first two Senators
and House members at large were seated,
December q 1889. Washington also was
admitted as State, and its two Senators
and one Representative at large were
also seated on December @ Wyoming
was admitted as a State and her two
Senators and one Representative at large
were seated one day earlier, December l..
1t was during this Congress that the
Territory of Washington was granted
Statehood, on February %, 1885, and its
two Senators and one Representative at
large took their seats on December 2:
the Territory of Oklahoma was formed
May 2, 1890. from that portion of the
Indian Territory known as the Public
Land Strip" and its delegate took his
seat December l, 1890; South Dakota
was formed from portion of the Terri
tory OF Dakota and admitted as State
into the Union November 2, 1889, and
its two Senators and two Representatives
at large took their seats December 2.
The Territory of Wyoming was admitted
to Statehood July 10, 1890, and its two
Senators and one Representative at large
took their seats the following December
l. One OF those new Senators from
wyoming was Francis E. Warren, born
IN Hlnsdale, Mass, volunteer in the
Union Army in the Civil War appointed
Governor of the Territory of Wyoming
by President Arthur, removed by Presi-
dent Cleveland and reappointed by Presi-
dent Harrison, was first Governor of
the State when it was admitted to the
Union.
The seat of Representative Clifton r.
Breckenridge of Arkansas was declared
vacant. The election was contested by
John M. Clayton, who was killed (said
to be assassinated before the beginning
OF the congressional term. Later Clay
ton was declared to have been elected
Breckenridge was subsequently elected
to the vacancy.
Representative Sydney E. Mudd (the
eldeD Of Maryland came into the Fifty
first Congress when he successfully con-
tested, the seat held by Representative
Barnes Compton. The Mudds, father
and son of the same name, held the dis
trict for many years. The present Rep
resentative is Representative Gambrill,
Democrat.