The Northern Pacific farmer. [volume] (Wadena, Minn.) 1878-1885, 1884-01-24
THE eONGREsSMEN.

THE CONGRESSMAN. =
Who and What They Are, as Shown
by the New Congressional Direc-
tory.
Washington correspondence Of the Chicago
Journal.
The new congressional directory is ar
interesting study. OF the 400 members
of the new congress, counting both
House an Senate, nearly 200 are new
men, Naturally there is curiosity to
see what they have to say of themselves.
The compiler of the directory sends out
notices to the members of each new
congress asking them to send him
sketches of their lives, their age, bus
mess, the offices they have held, etc.
These autobiographies, analysed, COM
pared with each other, and the state
ments they furnish aggregated, furnish
some interesting data. Perhaps the
feature most likely to strike the average
observer in looking over the long list is
the very large proportion of lawyers.
OF the 4C1 members Of house and senate
$50 are LAWYERS. Parhaps it, is quite
proper that the lawmakers Of
the nations should be the students
of the law. That is the
general impression, and probably the
correct one: Next to the law the manu-
facturers seem to be the most available
congressional material: There are about
forty manufacturers" In congress. Soae
make pottery, some iron, some WOOD
pulp; Journalism comes next IN pop9tar
favor, though the number OF lournellsts
in both branches of congress only :Sach-
of the whole: There are half dozen
armers, couple of doctors, three or
four railroad men, and one druggist.
There are no preachers in this congress,
though the preacher element of last
congress seemed to size up about as wen
as the average: In the south the law
yers seem to be more popular as law
makers than in the north, If possible;
scarcely any of the members from that
section representing any other calling.
1t is rather curious, and a fact not es;
pecially pleasing to record, that but one
third Of the members enjoy that reQuis.
lite for accomplished law makers, Il Coz
legiate education. Out Of the 40l mem
bers less than l50 are graduates of any
college. A larger portion of the south
ern members are graduates than the
northern men. Of the southern MEM
bers nearly 40 per cent. are graduates,
while in the north as an aggregate, the
proportion is little over 80 per cent.
Even boosted New England only sends
chussetts but IS per cent. while N<S,'x
York has ~ per cent. In the senatea
little over percent are graduates.
While there are nearly 200 new mem
bers, the aggregate legislative expert
ence of even this congress is something
quite wonderful when taken in such
form. There are many men who haze
seen as high as ten years in congress-, in
one branch or the other, and few who
have more than doubled that. Randall
first year In the house; Cox
has had twenty-one years there al
ready and Kelley twenty-five. In the
senate Anthony, Dawes and Sherm III
boast twenty-six years in congress
apiece, part of each having been in the
house, before going into the senate,
while Morris leads with twenty iSht
years service. The aggregate number
of years in congress of members OF the
senate is FL, while the aggregate service
of the house members is over 500 years,
making a total OF congressional experi1
ence in house and senate of nearly ,
years. Besides this fully half Of the
members have served in state legisla-,
lures before coming to congress, and
their aggregate experience there has
been nearly 800 years, making grand
total of legislative experience in both
branches Of congress of 2 600 years. And
yet we talk of this as new congress-"
and one with little legislative experi<
ence to guide it.
It is very easy and sounds very nice.
too, to talk about the North remember
ing he1 soldiers, but the fact is that, so
far as congress goes, the north does not
remember her heroes with anything
like the affection that the south does.
Of the southern members of the ahouse,
over 40 per cent. were in the confedeI';
ate army, while among the north ern
members only 25 per cent. we're in the
Union army, In the senate the differ.
ence is still more notable, the percent!
age of southern senators who were in
the confederate army being over 90, and
of the northern members only 80 per
cent. were in the Union army. Five
members will have reason to refrain
from voting if the bill to pension the,
Mexican veterans comes up, for that
number we're in the Mex lean war-Wil-
liams of Kentucky, Logan Of Illinois,
Maxey of Texas, George of Mississippi
and Forney of Alaoama. One northern
BY Birth is il the list ct Ias sxG 5n
He was born in Ohio, and lived there,
it appears, until after he became ofpage;
was educated there. went to Mississippi
! Of %to 0f nd xr,hn fho hraE 70
out, thirteen years later, went into the
confederate army, serving Through the
war on that side," as he puts it.
There are twenty men in the house
who are over 80 years old, and three
who are past 70, though Waite, of Con.
necticut, who is "a, is still the Oldest
man. In the senate. Morrill, is the old
est man-73. The average of members
Of the house is As years, those from
the south averaging Is and from the
north 81. The average of the members,
when first elected to congress was Al.
| Arkansas sends full delegation Of
ex:confederates and Alabama sends all
| bnt two from the same army. 1t IS
worth while noting there are six mem.
bers Of the con federate congress in this
congress Dunn, Singleton and Parks
dale in the house, and Pugh, Garland
l
member of the confederAte
cabinet, Reagan, who was postmaster
| general. There are three or four who
we're members of congress of the United
States when the war broke out, who
withdrew and went with the coRfeder-
acy and now are back in their old seats
There are twenty-four foreign-born
citizens in the h use and senate, some
fifteen of them being from Ireland, the
remainder representing nearly all parts
Of the world, not emitting our neighbors
Oh the south as one OF the new members
| is native of Brazil. New York is the
birthplace of IS members of the house,
Pennsylvania of SO, Ohio, 81; Kentucky
and Virginia, II each; Massachusetts
and Tennessee, Ii each.
An Experiment In Surgery.
From the Philadelphia Press.
The condition OF Patrick Whalen,