The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1881-06-23
Senator's and Congressmen.


There are seventy-six members of the
United States Senate, fifty.nine of whom
are practicing lawyers. OF the 293 mem.
bers of the House of Representatives
219 are lawyers. The President and
Vice-President of the United States are
both lawyers, and nearly all the govern
ment departments, from highest to
lowest, are headed and directed by the
same profession. In the Senate, es-
pecially among Senators themselves,
each members ability is guaged by his
rank as o lawyer. When the status of
an incoming Senator is under discussion
the remark is frequently heard: "He
is a fine lawyer, and will make good
Senator" the general supposition being
that because man is q legal light he
must, therefore, be trimmed and
burning" for a first-class statesman.
Why the people of this model republic
give such marked preference to the one
particular profession in selecting their
Legislators and rulers is a conundrum
not yet satisfactorily answered--unless
it is because persons bred to the law
naturally become expert wire-pullers,
and know how to help themselves.
In the present Senate there is but one
physician; in the House only four. To
bring the Senate down to fine point,
statistically, there are in that august
body eight merchants, two planters, two
farmers, one banker, one mine operator,
one editor, one doctor, one with no bust
ness whatever, and all the rest are limbs
of the law.
Senator Hamlin is the oldest member
of the Senate, both as to years and in
point of service, counting from his first
election. Senator Anthony has been
longer in continuous service than any
other. He first took his seat in 1859,
and has been regularly re. elected at the
end of each term. Mr.. Hamlin, who is
now about seventy one years of age, first
came into the Senate in 1S4S, but he
subsequently resigned when elected
governor of Maine. He was, however,
reelected to the Senate Immediately
after being inaugurated as governor,
and afterward again resigned to become
Vice President of the United States,
Blanche r. Bruce, of Mississippi, whose
time has just expired, was the youngest
Senator, being yet under forty. He was
the last of his race in Congress, but is
consoled by having been called to the
present administration as register of
the treasury.
Senator Edmunds, of Vermont, is by
many supposed to be the oldest Senator
by reason of his appearance, but in fact
there are but few younger than he. He
is not yet fifty.two, but his STOPPING
posture and his hair and beard of sill
very whiteness, make him look much
older than he is. Senator Thurman, so
lately deposed, was ranked with Ed
munds as the best lawyer in the body
polite, and in their respective parties
are usually accepted as authority upon
questions of management and policy.
Besides the 219 lawyers in the house,
| there are twenty-five merchants, five
bankers, five capitalists, two inventors,
| five manufacturers, two teachers, twelve
farmers, four physicians, one architect
and builder, four editors, two ministers
one stone-cutter, one insurance agent
| two millers and three owners and opera
tors of transportation lines. 1t will bt
seen by this showing that the pulpit il
more scantily represented than the
press, for the reason, no doubt, tha
editors are too poor and ministers toe
pious to meddle much in politics.
The oldest member of the House il
Mr.. Waite, of Connecticut, sevent.
years of age, and the youngest is Mr.
Frost, of st. Louis, who is twenty
eight. The late Fernando Wood was
member of the House longer than an,
of his associates, and the next in poin
of lengthy service is Judge Kelley, o
Pennsylvania. Alexander Stephens, o
Georgia, (ex-vice president OF the Con
federacy) is generally spoken of as tn
eldest member, but Mr.. Waite wa
ushered into this vale of tears about on
year ahead of him.-Ne,O York Ns,rs