Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1944-12-03
Capital Sidelights
BIZ Will p. Kennedu,

South Tr1mbie, 30 years young, Will
break his own all-time record for longev-
ity as House clerk when the new Con-
gress assemblies in January and he is
nominated by the Democratic caucus for
the 18th time for that Office and elected
for the 18th two-year term by the
House. He now is the busiest man in
the Capitol, preparing for the new
Congress. The duty of organizing the
new House falls upon him, as the one
continuing officer, to preside until
Speaker Sam Rayburn is reelected
Speaker.
Mr.. Trimble was Speaker OF the Ken
lucky Legislature In 1900. during the
memorable Goebel election contest.
and was an unsuccessful candidate for
Governor of Kentucky. He was elected
clerk of the House in four Congresses
under the Wilson regime (Sixty-second,
Sixty-third, Sixty-fourth and Sixty
fifth; he again was elected clerk in the
Seventy Congress under the
Hoover administration and has since
continued in six consecutive Congresses
during the F. D. r. regime. The law
requires him to make up the roll Of
members-elect based on certificates of
election from the State authorities,
which usually are signed by the Gov
ernor and attested by the Secretary Of
State. and carry the great seal of the
State. AS each Representative-elect has
the Thanking privilege from the date Of
his election-with the notation "Onacial
Business, NJ C.-Elect," Mr.. Trimble has
been collecting the signatures of all new
members to have dies made Of their sig
natures to be used on the franked en-.
velopes.
In this present lame duck" session
OF Congress there are 81 House mem
bers defeated for reelection. The larg-
est recorded flock Of lame ducks" was
in 1894, when President Cleveland did
his inadequate best to satisfy the crav-
ing for Government jobs Of those who
had served him faithfully to their own
undoing The luckiest lame duck" in
the history of the American Congress
was John Hollis Bankhead, father Of
the present Senator from Alabama and
of the late Speaker william B. Bank
head. After serving four years in the
State offices, he was in the House for
20 consecutive years. In 1906 he was
defeated for denomination by Capt.
Richmond Pearson Hobson Of Merri-
mac fame. In the Senate there were
two veterans, Gen. John Tyler Morgan,
aged 80, whose term was to end March
4, 1907, and Gen. Edmund Winston
Pettus, aged IS, whose term would end
March 4, 1909, both of whom the Ala
bama electorate intended should serve
as long as they lived. The State Legis-
lature met only once in four years, and
few believed either Of the two aged
Senators would live out their terms, so
it was decided to elect alternates for
these venerable and venerated Senators.
Col. Bankhead led in this poll, and
when Gen. Morgan died on June II,
1907, Col. Bankhead succeeded him on
June IS, three months and II days
after his long House service terminated
"a clear case of being kicked up
stairs"
The nearest approach to this is the
case of Henry Clay Hansborough Of
North Dakota. He was defeated for
denomination to the House In 1890, but
the State Senate, elected that year,
chose him for full term in the United
States Senate, starting the very day
his House service ended.
There are many instances in American
history when big issues have been de-
cided by a single vote, but extensive
research reveals only one case where a
candidate for high office was defeated
by fraction Of vote-that Of Gen.
Francis Marion Cockren Of Missouri. In
1874 when he and his friends saw him
about to achieve his hearts desire to
become Governor, he lost the nomina-
ton In the State convention by one
sixth Of one vote-and later was Senator
for 80 years.
Three Taylors engaged in q triangular
contest In Tennessee-Bob Taylor was
the Democratic nominee for Governor,
his brother ALI the Republican nominee
and their father the Prohibition
nominee.
Senator Nat Claiborn defeated his
father for the Virginia Legislature.