Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1873-03-14
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Our political system makes this a day Of
Importance to great many officers of our
government. We begin under new adj
ministration, which is none the less new |
because IL Is partly composed of the same
men. The Senate continues II Is the same
Senate, to-day, as that which met in 1889,
but 1t loses many old members and receives
nearly as many new ones. The House of
Representatives experiences still greater
change. Out of 243 members of the present
House, only 1903 are reelected and this
number will be a smaller proportion of the
assembly than of the old, as there will be
hereafter 292 Representatives. Barely one
third of the lower branch of Congress will
come to their work with previous legisla-
tiveexperiences outside of their own States.
The most prominent ofthe national officers
to retire, to-day, Is Mr. Colfax, who has
been continuously in service at Washing
ton since 1856, and Is one of the most ex-
perienced of our Legislators, both on the
floor aud in the chair. There Is no other
example in our history of ten consecutive
years of service as presiding officer In
Congress, and no other of speaker of the
House of Representatives having become
Vice President of the United States. Mr..
Coliax's pleasant manners, easy grace and
facility in presiding will be greatly missed
In Washington. The Senate at the same
time loses from the floor Senator Wilson,
but his transference to the chair, which his
protracted experience in parliamentary life
emlnently fits him to nil, will make him
lao han hafnta The
Senate loses but few of its prominent mem
bers. Messrs Spencer, Rice, Kellogg, Blair,
Vickers, Hill, Pool, Sawyer and Machen
were all comparatively new corners, all
from Southern states, and none of them
bad either served full term of six years
or gained great weight and influence in the
Senate. Messrs Ferry Of Connecticut, Nor
ton, Conkling, Sherman, Howe, Morrill, of
Vermont, aud Cameron have been re-elect-
ed, and will remain members. The other
members who have been dropped are
Messrs Cole of California, Harlan of Iowa,
Pomeroy OF Kansas, Nye of Nevada, Pat
terson of New Hampshire, Corbett OF Ore
gon, aud Trumbull of Illinois. Some of
these senators have done excellent service,
while others have reflected no credit on the
position they have filled. Mr.. Trnmbull
is a real loss to the Senate, but 1t was by
his own act that he destroyed his prospect
for reelection. Mr.. Cole has been use
fu though never a brilliant member, and
/ Mr.. Patterson retires after faithful and ex-
cehent service. Few will regret the dis
! appearance of Mr.. Pomeroy, or Mr.. Nye,
/ or of Mr.. Harlan, especially when he is
succeeded by so excellent a man as Mr..
Allison.
The changes in the House are too num-
erous to be mentioned. We can only no
.ice few of the older members. New
England drops several prominent repre-
sentatves. Gen. Banks congressional
term began twenty years ago, but suffered
an interruption of eight years, from
1857 to 1865. Mr.. Ames has served ten
years, and Mr.. Twichell six. Maine loses
its excellent representatives in the first and
| fourth districts, Messrs Lynch and Peters,
aud Vermont substitutes new member
for Mr.. Smith. In other parts of the coun-
try, the democrats lose their well-known
representatives, Messrs Cox and Slocum
of New York, Voorhees, and Kerr of In
diana, Campbell and Morgan of Ohio. and
Farnsworth of Illinois while the repub-
licans lose Messrs Shellabarger and Bing-
ham of Ohio, with many lesser lights.
Many of these members, on both sides OF
the House, have performed such useful
service that it is a pity that the country
should be deprived of them either by the
folly of nominating conventions or by the
political changes in their districts. But by
our present system there is no remedy for
it.-Boston Adu ertiser. March4.