Little Falls transcript., 1886-04-16

145 9'O M
/ The personnel OF Congress lis study.
that never ends. New feAtr1res clup out
as oil lines IRE discussed and there Is
always something novel coming to the
front in the yast:and I'm paralI Ieled agereara-
ton Of living curiositieB.. as Mr.. Barnum
re elinrks in his show bills, which constitutes
the Iaticr's Legislature. Some men arc
never found out. Some have latent merits
to which san sunseeinly nodesty forbitls
popular recognition. Others again have
merits Which are discounted and thrown
into the shade by TOD great forwarduess.
:, There are never more than ten or a
dozen really great men in Congress at once,
and they are almost without exception
men who have developed into greatness
through long service in the councils Of the
nation. All the powerful men OF Congress
are men who have been repeatedly returned
by their constituents and they have by a
long course Of study and leng continued
practice ilthe methods Of legislation be
como qualified to be useful To their dis.
,trlcts and to the country at large. The
plan OF rotation is the greatest enemy OF
craftsmanship under the republican
system. No man CAN come TO Washington
and stay two or four years with any
practical benefit to his people. He merely
sits like bump, on a log and votes when
his name is called, or possibly his
aggressfeness. and -immodesty may lead
him to, make a fool of himself through his
inexp6rience. In either event he is Of but
little use to his constituents.
The public is doubtless in almost total
igorance of the sad effect upon the in
tellectual and political character of Con.
gress, brought on by the practice of retar
tion in office. It keeps down the standard
Of sthe body almost to the point of
mediocrity, New men making pretensibns
to leadership ih Congress never sustain
themselves long.
Judge Kelley, the father Of protection,
has been in Congress continuously twenty
four: years: Mr.. Randall, Judge Kelley's
ablest co-worker in this interest, twenty.
twoyears: Mr.. O'Neill, from Philadelphia,
twenty years; Senator Dawes of Massa-
chusetts, has seen twenty-nine years
service in the two Houses Of Congress, and
his Colleague, Senator Hoar, seventeen
years: Senator Frye Of Maine, has served
eighteen years in both branches, and his
senatorial partner. Eugene Hale, fifteen.
Senator Morrillsof Vermont has seen more
congressional service than any man In the
history Of Congress-, except Thomas Ben
ton of Missouri Mr.. Morrilps record inst
now equals Benton's. He has served
twelve years in tile House and eighteen in
the Senate. His colleague, Judge Edmunds,
has served twenty years in Washington.
Senator Sherman has served twenty six
years. On the other hand but few of the
men representing the adverse idea to high
protection have been in Congress long.
Senator Beck has served Kentucky seven
teen years at Washington, and Colonel
Blackburn ten. Colonel Morrison has
been in fourteen years; General Maxey,
now in the Senate for Texas has served
eleven years, and Judge Reagan altogether
fourteen years, though . part of this time
was put itl before the war.
4: Brains .ond experience count in Con-
sgress They beat new material every time
in the long run, and New Enkhnd and
Pennsylvania, Protectionists know it a
good deal better than people do In the
sections down South and over the :Eno1ti-
tains.
AS Is always the case lawyers largely
predoninate in the membership Of both
branches Of Congress. There arc 265
lawyers in the two houses. There ere seven
doctors in the House; The last doctors In
the Senate were Withers Of Virginia, and
Dennis of Maryland, both now gone.
There is one professed journalist In the
Senate-Mr. Riddleberger Of Virginia.
though ingalls, and Plumb Of Kansas, and
Vest of Missouri, have had active con-
nection With the press at times in their
lives In the House seven newspaper men
are found, as follows: Captain Boutel1e of
Mime, Colonel Barksdale Of Mississippi
Haynes of:New: Hampshire; Pulitzer and
::Merriman Of New York and Scranton and
Swope of Pennsylvania. Senators who are
ex-Governors are Messrs Barry OF
Arkansas Stanford of California; Hawley
of Connecticut: Brown Of Georgia, Cullom
of Illinois; Hahn of Louisiana; Vance OF
North Carolina; Hampton Of South Caro-
lima; Harris Of Tennessee, and Coke OF
Naxaa