Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-02-14
Editors in Congress.


1T is bit curious to run the eye over
both branches of the present Congress
and pick out the men who are, or have
been, journalists. The number is in
crcasing yearly. In the good old times
men who hoped to do the State some
service in the way of Legislation usually
tool, the legal road. The political seat
was then generally reached by scram-
bling over the bar and bench. Some
times, in the kindness of the popular
heart the successful militia hero, or the
man who had attained cmincnce in com
mcrcial pursuits, was allowed to do the
national chores. But old Father
Antic, the law, saw to it that his own
children were awarded the ma ority of
the present political plums.
BY and by strange race of nervous,
pushing fellows, around whose jackets
hung faint odor of printers ink, began
to creep into the comfortable chairs of
General Assemblies and Congress. Very
useful chaps they had been to help make
public officers of the lawyers and others,
but was it not little audacious when
they commenced making public officers
of themselves ? More alarming than all
was the fact that when this leaven of
press delegates began to work in the
Congressional loaf it was discovered
that the new element was so cflicacious
that it could never again be sighted.
So it remained and waXcd powerful.
To-day there are few of the head-work
ing political men in Senate or House
who have not, at some period, driven
the burning quill and fashioned the po
tent leader in newspaper Office.
Let me pick them out. In the Senate
are Schurz, Sargent, OF California, and
Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, eXNice-
President Kansas honors herself by
sending two editors to the Senate, In
gals who engineered the Atchison
champion forseveral years, and Crozier,
once published the Leavenworth Daily
Times. Cameron, of Pennsylvania, WAS
also an editor, and SO were Brownlow,
of Tennessee, and Sener, of Virginia.
Sumner and Stockton may also be
counted in, for, while they have never
owned newspapers, they have written
for them, and have each compiled valu-
able books, which is almost as credit
able as to be an editor.
In the House, Speaker Blaine raps
turbulent spouters to order as Justify as
he may have hammered down the type
office in his Younger days. The Port
land .1drertisey and Kenebec Jo,trnai
have been under his control.
Gen. Joe. Hawley, of Connecticut, is
principal owner and editor of the Hart
ford Couront, one Of the best provincial
sheets in the country. Carries Dudley
Warner is associated with him in the
paper, but, unhapily for Connecticut,
not III Congress.
The shriveled Alexander H. Stephens,
Nice-President of the -Confederacy,
and one of the strangest morsels of
talent that ever hung for years between
this and another world, took to the
sanctum after his incipient nation went
to splintcrs. His editorials were never
less than half a furlong in extent, but
he was eager to prove, as usual, that the
only small thing about him was his poor
shrllnken little body.
Among the remaining editors i'll the
House are Wolf, of Indiana, Phillips, Of
Kansas, Smith, of Louisiana, Willard,
of Michigan, Lamar, of Mississippi,
Havens, of Missouri, Mellish, Cox and
Roberts, of New York, Waddell, of
North Carolina, Sherwood and Law
renee, of Ohio, Kelley and Magee, of
pennsylvania, and Dawes, OF MaSSachu-
sets.
The Territorial Delegates come out
particularly strong i'll editorial expert
cnce, the menl from Arizona, Dakota,
Montana, Wyoming and Utah all hav-
ing served time at the head of news
papers.
Alas for Illinois, she has not an editor
in her entire delegation.