Telegram-herald., 1890-09-21
WASHINGTON ECHOES
Twtcs Before Have There Been
Longer Sessions OF Congress.
GRIN DEATH Has BEEN VERT BUSY
rhs heaPsr Commenced nis work E4riy
saa a.s ks2t - Up with Psrsfsssat
Regularity All ths Iims-Es4r
AZ satisnai Reputation.

EAN't-. Us - +t+tN - 1a--ats- A 1taAN-
WAsASGroS, sept. 2o.--lf the present
session comes % an end ~ the 3oth Of
September, as most people believe vii
be the case, Congress wil have been IN
session exactly s0l days. Only twice
before ia the history 0f the country
have there been longer sessions. The
nrst session Of the last Congress lasted
until the 2oth OF October, making ses-
son Of 82l days. The nrst session OF
the Tnirty-arst Congress, whieh began
on December 5, 1s49. did not adjourn
untl September 80, 1850, session Of
SO2 DAYS. aud the first session OF the
Thirty second Congress lasted from De-
cemher /, 1851. to August 81, lS5s, a
period Of 275 days, In only three other
instances has Congress been at work IN
regular session as late as September l.
The frat session OF the First Congress
did not adjourn until September %.
1883, bat as Il began on March 4 of the
same year, is sitting lasted only 20
days. The first session of the Thirty
FIRST Congress, as already stated, lasted
until September 90. The second session
of the Fifteth Congress began on
December 3, ls67, and adjourned sine
die on November 5, 1865. During this
session, however. an adjournment was
taken from July % to September 81.
from the latter date to October 10, and
from that day 10 November 10. so that
It's actual sitting lasted only 237 days.
The Fiftieth Congress adjourned Oc-
tober 20, having been IN continuous
session since the 9th of December pre-
yiously.
In this connection it IS interesting to
note that while the long session of the
last Congress was longer than the pres
ent one so far, yet there are eighty
seven more pages IN the Congressional
Record of this session than there were
IN that Of iast. A member of a mathe-
naucal turn OF mind, IN a spare mo-
nient the other day, figured out that
every member has spoken on an aver
age loo words minute from the day
the Congress first met. This statement
coaveys some idea OF the work which
the official stenographers have had
10 90.
Death has been very busy in this Con-
gress. The grim reaper commenced his
work early and ne has kept IL up with
persistent regularity all the time. In
the interval between the adjournment
of LsftnafN
Ing OF the present Oue-half dozen
members were stricken down, and since
the House was called 10 order last De-
cemoer an equal number have passed
over 10 the silent majority. There has
been TO Congress when death has car
red Of such celebrated men as il has
IN toe present Congress. Four men OF
national reputation, three of them
members OF the House whom every VS.
ltor asked 20 have pointed out died IN
harness. Cox, Randall and Kelley were
tine snlning marks which the great des-
troyer struck al lu the House, and III the
Senate Beck, of kentucky, a man of
equal prominence aud character, paid
the intxOraole debt TO nature There
have been lew CONGRESSES in which the
number OF deaths lave not dropped be-
low bali dOZ,u. but not many in
which the tags over the two houses
have hung at hgli mast as often IS dur
Ing the present session, and there are
stIil some months oi the present Con
gross yet - 0e gone through. The
Forty-fourta Congress was the one most
frequently visited uy the angel of death.
In that Congress uo fewer than thirteen
members dlea. There have been but
two Congresses in tic entire flfty-One
whose ranks have rot been thlnned by
death. The Second Congress did not
lose a single one Of its ninety-ninc mem
bers, nor the Fourth any of It's l37, nj
though the First. which bad but ninety
one. lost twO-Seuat0T William Grayson
aud Congressman Theodore Bland both
Of Virginia. There have been nearly
800 deaths IN Congress SINCE the FIRST
Congress was elected. and in this num-
Der Is included one Vice President
The mention Of the defeat Of Judge
Kelly, who was for SO long "The Father
Of TIE House. brings tomind the fact
that there are still men in Congress who
antedated Judge Kolley's term OF ser
wee by great many years. There are
IN Congress survivors of every Congress
snce and including the Thirty
which was elected IN the great Csss-
Taylor campaign .u lSfs. and the mem-
bers Of which took their seats on the 81
Of December, let9. q Congress which. ss
have already sad, renamed N session
So2 dsys. and which was the l0uge-t
Congrt $ on record until the last House
had - wrestle with the Mills biil. st
seem strange 90 thluk that there should
now be "a Congress a man who was first
elected forty years ago, but such there
~ ln the person 0f senator Ish5m g..
Harris. Of Tennessee. Who was elected
% tbe House iu the Thirty -first Con
gress He s tbe sole survivor OF those
times Harms, however, dropped out
cf legislative life after serving couple
Of terms in the House. So inst he has
unt had ga experience "a long or c0ntin-
ues "a great many other men. The
doyeu of Cougr So = the venerable sen
stor FROM Vermont. Justin :. Morrill,.
who has served twelve years in the
House and twentv-three III she Senate
Next % h.n comes Henry /. Dawes. Of
Massachusetts,. with thirtv-fhree years
81 hs credit. aad then john sherman,
wno has been q pueIc he tarty y-o3e
ve8rs. Although >eernan's term -
four wears shorter thau stat Of Nor
~ e. he 6 really the senior senator. As
as has beer twenty-five wears IN t1e
- ate sganss Morril's tVeutv-tnree.
Besides tnose already mentioned. there
are siEht men who aave served over
twenty years n Congress. These men
sre SENATOR Al sen. Cd Iowa. q years,
preventative Holman. of inomna. p
Years. - pres n5stlFe ~ Neia. 0f PENN
~ vsns - yesrs. Sensfor Fdmund~,