The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1853-03-05
The Sr...

THE Sr..'
.ATE OF THE UNITED STATEs.-The
,,ersonal and political notices Of the United
States Senators, low in session at Washington,
which we gave in the HERALD of yesterday. will
doubtless attract much attention. The first
point of observation with regard to this body is
the amount of talent existing among the MEM
bers, compared with the Senate of other days.
1t Fray be safely asserted, we think, that the
character Of the Senate is not deteriorating. If
there are none to be found in the present Senate
TO supply the places of Webster, Clay. Calhoun,
and Benton, it will be found that the average
amount Of talent is kept up in the whole num-
Der, and that the proportion of really inferior
men is small among the Senators. On running
over the personal notices which we have given,
it is curious to observe the course of political
training most Of the Senators have undergone,
in their respective States, by public services of
various kinds, before they have been considered
qualified for election to the Senate. These SER
vices have been executive legislative, judicial,
or military, according to circumstances.
The leading men as debaters in the SEN
ate. as at present organized, leaving the
free sellers out of the question. will doubt
less be Cass Hunter Mason, Soule, Anterior,
Butler, Douglas Rusk and Houston, on the
democratic sde-with Clayton. Everett, Pearce,
! Dixon, Jones, Badger Truman Smith and Geyer,
on that of the wings. General Cass and General
| Dodge are the two Oldest men in the Senate.
being over seventy years of age. Most of the
others have been born during the present cen
fury, and the average ages of the forty-fve
| Senators whose years are known is about fifty
With regard to nativity, the old States still
preserve the preponderance in furnishing ma
tional legislators, no less than thirty-nine out
| Of forty-nine Senators whose birthplaces are
known having been born in the old thirteen
| States, viz. In the New England States II.
in New York 4, Pennsylvania 2. Maryland 4.
| Delaware 2, Virginia 5, North Carolina 2, South
| Carolina 4 and Georgia 2. OF the Others there
were born in Tennessee q Indiana 2, Ohio /,
| Missouri / Ireland /. France l. West Indies q
Ethnologically considered, the iifty-six Senator's
| (there being six vacancies,) may be classed as
| follows OF Anglo-Saxon origin 80, Scotch 5,
| Welsh G, Irish /, French 3, Spanish |, German
| Total Sc.
One of the most striking points in the list Of
| Senators, is the vast preponderonce of gentle
men of the legal profession. A foreigner, in
looking at the occupations in private life of the
executive and legislative branches Of our GO
vernment might well suppose that the consti-
| tuition provided that lawyers should always
| have the preference, on the same principle that
the charter of the Mechanics Bank, of this city,
provides that majority of the Board Of Direc-
tors shall be mechanics. No less than forty zone
| Of the United States Senators are. or have been,
lawyers, leaving fifteen for all other occupa-
tions. Of these last. the medical profession
have two; the mechanics, two; the military, the
planters, and retired gentlemen, the remainder
the merchants not having one Of their own
number to represent them. Truly, the legal
profession is the favored class with the people
Of this country