Show I VOTE Or TiE SPEAKER I Rarely Recorded Except When Necessary to Break Tie l Famous Coup of Sam Randall Exercised His Right I Y at Critical Juncture During the HayesTilden Imbroglio e Im-broglio and thus Made the Electoral Commission Possible and Prevented Civil Strife How Speaker Henderson Differs from His Immediate Predecessor 1 Tom Reed Copyright iOO by r Correspondence Tribune Washington March 2There is nothing noth-ing peculiar about this walkingstick with a crooked It Is I an cverydny affair would not dismount hundlc A horseman ls mount to nlclc itup If he now It lying In thu street It was cut from a tree on time battlefield of Corinth Its owner wounded there nnd was desperately ooundc I 1 has had three amputations of the leg since then Ho Is i now the Speaker of k the United States House of Representa tive lllLC hear the sharp click of the 2 cano lv on the tesselatod floor as he leaves his room all enters tho carpeted lobby on his way to the chair which has sent one Speaker Into the Executive Mansion I and made another the VicePresident o I tin United Slates Henry Clay who occupied oc-cupied It tor tel sessions of Congress Jlei or wall rcpeatpdly i candidate for the 1 Presidency and was defeated James G Klulne another unsuccessful candidate 1 candi-date for the Presidency sat there during I dur-ing eight sessions of Congrjsn As Gen Henderson outers lime I House and ascend tlu steps leading to the I chair one foot at a llmr with the aid of his lane the members take their Beats and the I hum uf conversation I ciius s Tho Speaker places the OHUC be jieath the slurry banner above him and 1 I seizes thogavel At tho stuno time the i selha 11 ta 1 mrn lifts tho great marc to its pedestal und tho Stars amid Stripes act thrown to the breeze from the south wing uf the Capitol Brof1d houlcl red S silverhaired strongminded and pleas antfaced the Speaker in u manly voice says The House will come to order He pronounces thc word house with u good square American aeconL In this he differs from Speaker Reed who drawld out The howus and from Carlisle who termed It hosE After a pause Speaker Hell dersnn crosses his hands upon the hm cJ lie of the gavel bows his head and suys Tli chaplain will offer prayer All the members present rise and are reverent In manner If not in soul As tho chaplain pronounces the words Ah men the Representatives either resume i re-sume their seats or stum tor toward thu cloakrooms while the Spciker says Time clerIc will read the Journal THE TRUE GUARDIAN After this the business of the day begums be-gums The Speaker lays before the House whatever executive I I documents have hcun sent to him as well as any papes from tho departments From ibis rime on the House is I practically Jn control of the loader of the majority If ho desires 10 I bring up Important business 3 bus-iness it would be l useless for anyone to ask unanimous consent Cor the consideration consid-eration of uny bUr whatever There is usually till much privileged business on the calendar that the regular pathway uf JcglsJatlin can ho l blocked at any I lime The rules < lUll that all billy i j CcirrjIng uppiuprTatipiis director oher I wln shall be considered In coinmlLlee of Hit whole Moie than half of the time of the lloune Is spent in commit lee the Speaker selecting the presiding I ollletr Ylillu tin > House Is In committee commit-tee he usually retires to his private apartment whit lie confeis with the party leaden and others and discusses proposed legislation He watches all moasuresb reported from thv sixty corn mi I tUos of tin House and like I tht editor edi-tor of a groat dally newspaper carefully care-fully supervises tlum He is perfoice the great biak on legislation Watchdogs are all well enough In their way but iho Speaker is I the true guardian of the treasury The rules arcs so framed as to give him this guardian Hhlp The regular appropriation bills are privileged All others aro practically practical-ly l controlled by the Commute un Kulea where the Speaker is predominant predomi-nant It will require a special order i from this commute to bring up the Nl Z cavacjua canal bill and thousands uf others leveled at the treasury If one hal olthosu already Introduced were passed tlu Government would become bankrupt With u < oric < u idea uf lime snmH reiilrud io 1 miry on the Government Govern-ment under the regular appropriation bills and a fair estimate of the receipts of iho treasury the Speaker knows how y much more money can bo taken from the treasury without iMidangerlng It At llme the slluailuii must be i appalling V Vlthi a duo regard for the Interests oC the country lu undoiibtudly has an ap Ired 1101 of party i interests I Add to this the shower of personal bills everyday every-day and U will be seen that tin Speak i 1 ei ship Ss by no moans a bed of roses IIKNDEHSON AND REED 1 Ion Henderson is Tar more popular with the members than ttIS his predecessor < prede-cessor He has a Manual suavity of J I J iminner that I never leaves him retaining i the opd will of those husv vuciuiuiti are rcfusid and granting those made j I by others without acting as though he j were conferring a favor In ihesc I re I Kpcets In differ homewhat rom his I lirudecehsur s Sneaker Reed was blunt and at timer almost brutal in his frankness frank-ness Henderson IK I slnilshtfonviirdmiid inclined to be Indulgent Reed was poa Itlve and ut times arbitrary ilendeison i Is equally positive but never aibltrary JloeuH bluntness repelled mjuiy an applicant ap-plicant Hendersons good naiiUe oils I hiu sense of duty He presides In the Jlyuse easily and gracefully The favors fa-vors of recognition are distributed equably and considerately The wound received at Corinth has never perfectly I I healed yet he maintains I his uqulpulsa and retain I perfect selfcontrol Unlike lilss predecessor lie In In ptrferl touch with the Administration Thus far his sympathies have never controlled his Judgment Afldi from his wound he has a i magnlllccnt physique and Judgment Judg-ment unexcelled Heeds rulings In the House were tre fienlly Irritating and productive of violent scones Whether unfair or not they were often regarded as tyrannical by the minority No suchiscenes have been wltnesSed under the rulings of Gen Henderson At tlmes he has ref versed the precedents establlshedby his predecessor One case in nolnt A bill giving the Sccrclan of the Navy the same power to settle cases of desertion as that held under the law by the Secretary Sec-retary of Wai was called up In the morning hour In the I FlftyHfth Con gioss Speaker Heed ruled It out of order or-der because It appeared upon the union calendar and constructively I Involved an appropriation The deserter who disabilities dis-abilities were thus removed might make an application for pension The minnie bill wa railed up In the morning hour In the present Congrohs A point of orT or-T dot was made against It on the ground that It was on the union calendar 4 Speaker Henderson ruled that It had been Improperly placed upon this calendar cal-endar and that It ought to appear on lhi > house calendar When a further Point of order was made on the t ground that It might involve peualon uppropria jtloiiK hi again overruled the point of order Tliw rule Hpoctfled that It muBt Involve an appropriation and not that I It might do so Such are some of the characteristics evolved by the new Dc1kcrlu the three months undmoru I I Amos J Ciiimnlngs In which the House has been in session They indicate that David R Henderson Is a worthy successor not only of 1 Thomas J5 Heed but of John G Carlisle I Car-lisle Samuel J Randall Michael C Kerr and Henry Clay I The cleric will call my name said I I the Speaker when the vote was taken I upon the Porto Rico bill II The Speaker shouted the clerk Aye responded the Speaker and his vole was recorded among the yeas Gen Henderson has voted four times since the opening of the present session ses-sion of Congress when his vote was not required to break a lie His vote made a tie and hat t tie sealed the doom of Gaston A Robblns whose seat was contested by William F Aldrich Ald-rich This is the third lime in succession succes-sion that Aldrich has been seated on a j contest Speaker lloed rarely recorded his vote on a rollcnll When he did so I in the last Congress It appeared lo have I been given to emphasize his animosity toward the Administration i A MKMORAWLrc CONTEST I Six times in the history of the couji I I try bus the Speakers ote broken a r tie Cine of the most memorable occurred oc-curred on Dotember 5 1S7G the year of the President lal election Avhen Samuel Sam-uel J Tllden and Rutherford 13 Hayes Aero the opposing candidates Michael C Kerr Speaker of the House had died In the interim The second session ses-sion was called to order by George MAdams M-Adams the clerk James G Blame and W II nsirnum had resIgned their I seals iiiihe House after they had been electee Inlted Stales Senators Colorado Colo-rado had been admitted to the Union by I the Presidents proclamation and had I elected James Belford better known us I the Redheaded Rooster of the Rock I los II to the House of Representatives The clerk had not placed his name upon the roll as he lad no oillclal information in-formation that I Colorado was n Slat An effoi to have the name put upon Ih roll before candidates for Speaker wore named failed The clerk ruled that it was not in order An appeal was taken from his decision but the clerk was sustained I I Samuel J Randall was then elected Speaker B M fords case was referred to the Committee on Judiciary AbramS Abram-S Hewitt offered a lesolulion providing provid-ing for the appointment of three special spe-cial I committees by l the Speaker One of fifteen members was to go to Loulsi i ana one of six members to go to Florida Flori-da and a third of nine members to go to South Carolina to investigate the Presidential election and report all the farts essential to an honest return of tile voles The committees were to have leave to report at any time Hewitt Hew-itt asked Unanimous consent for the consideration of the resolution and was refused Afterward ho moved to suspend lime rules and pass the resolution resolu-tion The chair decided Ihe motion In order and Mr I Kassnp of Iowa app ap-p aled The appeal was not sustained lotions to adjourn were voted down and Hewitts resolution was finally passed IfiG to TS exactly twothirds of the voles required to suspend the rules LIKE A BOMBSHELL The committees were not announced by the Speaker until the following day Then a bombshell was thrown Into I camp After time reading of the Journal I Jour-nal with other business Intervening Mr Plaisted of Maine arose lo a question I ques-tion of privilege He announced that he had voted No on the llewitl resolution reso-lution and that his vote did not appear ap-pear In the Journal although he had heard it rend In a recapitulation of the vote A bitter discussion arose Plais ld Insisted that his recollection of the matter was veiy distinct because of a reinatk made to him by a member on the outer row of seats when he voted The member said that perhaps the clerk did not get his vote or hear him In consequence of that remark said Plalsted I listened very attentively atten-tively and my name was read among those who voted in the negative Of course the recording of Mt Plnls I teds vote would destroy the twothirds vote of the preceding I day and prevent the appointment of the committees Henry W Blair of New Hampshire declared I de-clared that he heard Plalsted vote No in a loud and clear voice The discussion continued for an hour or I move and the Speaker much to the I chagrin of the members of his own I I party I deckled against the Icchnlcall Illes I of the ease declaring that the word of Mr Plnisted himself could not be questioned and told the clerk to record I re-cord his vote This decision was rendered ren-dered despite the bitter protests of his Democratic colleagues Including Sunset Sun-set Cox Then a second bomb was exploded Renonl S Fuller of Indiana mira bile dlctu alleged that although he had voted in the nnirmatlve his name was not recorded In the Journal When tho roll was called he said he was In hi scat and voted Aye Two gntlemen near him remarked thai porhfps the clerk had nol heard his response He added thai he went to the clerks desk and asked if his name was recorded in the ainrmntive He was told that It was and he then went back to his sent satisfied Mr Throckmorton of Texas and Mr Hill of Georgia both leslffled to the correctness of time statement of time gentleman from Indiana and Hill said he hoard the clerk tell Fuller that his name was recorded in the afllrina tIc Speaker Randall announced that the same ruling would apply to the recording re-cording of the vote of the gentleman from Indiana an applied to the vote of tho gentleman from Maine I But with this additional fact recorded I record-ed it would leave Hewitts resolution without lvothlnlR I n a vote The recording re-cording of Plalstods name made it neeepsv to have two Democrat votes to his ono to make the twothirds Then n third bomb exploded Speaker Randall said that the vole on Howltts resolution sip announced was ayes Hit nays 7R The two addi tional vote if recordod would make the vote 157 to 70 The Speaker continued Mr m Ran dall was ready on yeslerdav to have voled as was his constitutional right If his vote would have nroduccd a re silt either way and If the Journal had hon the vote to be K7 to 70 h would 1inve voted In Mi t < affirmative still ma king the hvothlrds 4t first he asked unanimous oonnont that his vote immight be recorded TCv Spnaker Nathaniel P Ranks nbjneiod bi M on rcHorfion withdrew 111 i ohlpl J lion Mr Conger of Michigan norslsl Vi In his objectinn but iho Speaker 1rt that ho bud the constitutional rtirhl to vote and that ho should exercise exer-cise it He did so without more Ado making the necessary twothirds MR PLAISTEDS ATTITUDE All sorts of ftorkH ivere alot re I yarding tile vote of Mr i PlabUed It was known that III did l not jyimmthixo I with the effort to sent Rutherford D Hayes Five of the House clerks Knowinp this afterward said that they I I wore watching him when his name was called and that he did not respond Nor could his name have been read on a recapitulation as recorded in the negative because the tally sheets showed that he had never been so recorded re-corded Plaisted afterward left the Republican party and was elected Governor of Maine by the Democrats It was alleged that the night before he rose to the question of privilege he was visited 1 by 1 Indignant party associates who upbraided him for his action and bulldozed him Into the Idea of securing the record of his alleged vote In someway some-way time Democrats learned of the sit uallon and unearthed Benonl Fuller The committees it is further said were already selected by the Speaker and one of them was lo have taken the train on the following morning for Louisiana They were detained by the report concernnc Plalsted and did not depart until the Speaker after the correct cor-rect Ion of the Journal acted upon his constitutional right and recorded his own vote In thc affirmative Without the appointment of lhese committees there Would not have been I time to investigate and report upon the situation in South Carolina Florida I Flori-da and Louisiana before the counting of the electoral vote Certain Il Is that no Speaker ocr cast a deciding vote I fraught with such great eventualities IAn I-An alniOMt equally certain Is it that without the casting of this vole no 1 electoral commission would have been created and the country might have i again drifted Into a great civil war I AMOS J CUMMINGS I |