St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1884-01-10
Our washington Letter.
JANUARY, ), 1884.

JANCAk1y %, 1907
The Congressional directory is a
book of reference that no hotel, board /
ing house or library in Washington
can do without Besides what senators
and representatives think and say of
where they were born,
where educated. and what they have
done is interesting reading. The di-
rectory of a new congress is looked for
with peculiar interest because its auto
biographical sketches serve as a sort of
to the new members
whose representative station at once
lifts them to position of national i'm
portance. The directory of the forty
eighth congress shows great diversity
of taste in what members regard as
worth telling of themselves. Messrs.
Skinner of North Carolina and Hause-
man of Michigan are pleased to give
only their names and places of resi-
dence. Mr.. Mackey of South Carolina
consumes the greater part OF Il page III
presenting his political history, step by
step, as he assembled the ladder of
fame to the climax of congress. Mr..
Weller of Iowa details il series of de
feats in running for office, which most
congressman would he careful to con-
ceal Mr.. John 5. Wise of Virginia
makes prominent the fact that he was
captain of the "Richmond Light In
fantry Blues" for several years. Col.
Tom. Ochiltree of Texas prOclaims the
| fact that he is the first native Texan
ever elected to congress of the United
States, but, being a bachelor, he pru-
IDENTIFY refrains from giving the date of
his birth. A grandson of Henry Clay
who sits in the House modestly con
/ fines his sketch to three lines. A rep
resentative from New Jersey sees tit t.
mention that he is a practical halter,
and is now in the retail business il
Newark.
Senator Anthony ranks all others il
length of service, having now entered
upon his fifth term. Eleven Congress
men are natives of ireland, four frs
saw the light in Scotland, three ar,
English born, while one is Norwe
gian, and one a Canadian. No othel
national assembly is So cosmopolitan
as as this. Mr.. Morrill, of Vermont il
the patriarch of the Senate, though
his colleague, Mr.. Edmunds, is though
to look older. Senator Kenna of Yves
Virginia is probably the youngest maj
ever exalted to the position, not havin;
reached the age of thirty-tive when IN
was elected to the Senate. His cleal
shaver face adds to his youthful APP
pearance, so that he looks out of plac
in this staid body, composed mostly q
elderly men. No congressman ha
stated in the directory that he is dis
tinguished for his personal attractions
his beauty of face and figure. 1t
agreed, however, that among the Sen
ators, Messrs. Butler, Riddleberger an
Aldrich divide the highest honors i
this respect. Last session, Mr.. Aldric
held undisputed claim to the palm, bu
time is no respecter of Senators. Sen
ator HOar, a man whose locks hav
been snowy for years, returns to Ia
seat looking brighter, stronger an
! Younger than ever. Messrs. Edmund
tVlooC IA" yUls III the oeiaJe, Uiey IN
also inseparable friends Senator Ii
: gals of Kansas, tall, stately and sleI
der, is considered the sharpest debate
but no senator can crack as man
coarse jokes and tell as many funn
q stories as Mr.. Vance of North Carolin;
t Senator Morgan of Alabama is though
to he the finest logician. lie is a re
markably smooth speaker but yer
proliX. Rich men are ALWAYS interest
ing to the public unless their wealt
has become II hackneyed theme lik
that of the Vanderbilts, Goulds an
AstOrs. The very rich man of tn
Senate is Mr.. Fair of Nevada, but Nj
Bowen of Colorado also possesses man
millions. Southern statesmen ar
nearly all poor, the only mOneyed me
of the body from that section bein
Senator Brown of Georgia, Malone q
Virginia, and Camden of West Virginia
OBSERVER