The Irish standard., 1886-06-12
MEN OF CONGRESS.
had Effect of the Plan of rotation IN
Omce-Rrainsa and Experience

BAD Effect of the Plan of RI citation IN
Omce--Rrainsa and Experience
Count.
The personnel of Congress is study
that never ends New features crop out
as old lines are discussed, and there is
always something novel coming to the
front in the vast and unparalI alIeled aggrega,
ton Of living curiosities, as Mr.. Barnun1
remarks in his show bills which constitutes
the nations Legislature Some men are
never found out. Some have latent merits
to which an unseemly modesty forbids
popular recognition. Others again have
merits which are discounted and thrown
into the shade by too great forwarlness.
There are never more than ten or q
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 8
long course OF study and long continued
practice in the methods of legislation be
come qualified to be useful to their dis.
tricts 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 q log and votes when
his name is called, or possibly his
aggressiveness and im,nodesty may lead
him to make fool of himself through his
inexperience 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 OH by the practice of rota-
tion in office. 1t keeps down the standard
Of the body almost to the point of
mediocrity. New men making pretensions
to leadership in Congress never sustain
themselves long.
Judge Kelley, the father of protection.
has been in Congress continuously twenty
four years Mr.. Randall, Judge Kelley S
ahlest co-worlxer in this interest, twenty
two years MIR. ONeill, from Philadelphia
twenty years; Senator Dawes of Massa-
chusetrs, 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 Morrill, of Vermont, has seen more
congressional service than any man in the
history of Congress: except Thomas Ben
ton of Missouri. Mr.. Morrilps record just
now equals Benton's. He has served
twelve years in the House and eighteen in
the Senate. His colleague, Judge Ed1nunds,
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 q part of this time
was put in before the war.
Brains and experience count in Con-
gress They beat new material every time
in the long run. and New England and
Pennsylvania Protectionists know it
good deal better than people do in the
sections down South and over the noun
tains.
AS is always the case, lawyers largely
predominant in the membership of both
branches of Congress. There are 2S5
lawyers in the two houses. There arc 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 III the
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, rs follows Captain Boutelle of
Maine; Colonel Barksdale of Mississippi;
Haynes Of New Hampshire; Pulitzer and
Merriman of New York; and Scranton and
Swope Of Pennsylvania. Senators who are
ex-Goyernors are Messrs. Barry of
Arkansas Stanford Of California; Hawley
Of Connecticut: Brown ofGeorgia, Cullom
Of Illinois; Hahn of Louisiana; Vance OF
North Carolina; Hampton of South Caro-
ina; Harris OF Tennessee, and Coke of
Texas.