The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1890-05-09

| or fifteen years neIce But Il lew days age
Gen. Banks made MS appearance In the sen
| ate chamber and sat down beside Mr.. SAS-
man. The two men are warm friends, as
they have always been. It was with genuine
| interest that one looked down upon the pair
| from the gallery and recalled the fact that it
| was Banks who gave Sherman his first boost
| towards fame.
| That was in 1855, when Banks was speaker,
and tall, thin, black haired young man
came to congress from Ohio. Banks took .
| liking 10 the young maa, and gave him an
| opportunity which many older members cow
eted by making him a uIssnber Of the COM
mittee 70 investigate the kansaS-Nebraska
struggle. This brought Sherman to the front,
and four years later ne came near winning
the speakership for himself
History shows that only few men have
served as long in congress as Merrill, Dawes
and Sherman. Nathaniel Macon, OF North
Carolina, was thirty-seven years IN congress
and ffty-seven years IN political he. He
was q representative during the adm-uiStra-
tons Of Washington, Adams, Jefferson and
Madison, part Of the time speaker Of tie
house, and a senator under Monroe and John
Quincy Adams. He resigned from tbs senate
at 50 years Of age, and lived to be S9. To his
death he wore a suit of navy blue clothes,
cut IN Revolutionary style, and with his
trousers tucked in the tops Of MS fine French
boots.
Gen. Samuel Smith. of Maryland, served
thirty-six years in congress, more than heH
that time in the senate, but 1t is believed ne
and Macon were the only members who sat
longer than thirty-five years as a national
legislator. 1t is safe to predict that one Of
the trio OF veterans now IN the senate viii
eclipse ali previous records as TO length Of
service. John Quincy Adams was only TWEEN
ty-two years in congress. Calhoun was forty
years in public life, but NOT much moro than
half that time was spent as a national legis-
lator. Henry Clay began his career In 1903,
and was a public man practically till his
DEATH in 1852, but he sat altogether not moro
than twenty-five years III the house and Sc nate.
Webster had long career, but as member
of congress his service did not compare in ex-
tent Gith tha- Of many of the patriarchs Of
his time
The three veterans wko have lust died were
fine specimens OF the public man of this coun-
try. Randall had one of the strongest per
sonahties congress has known for long time.
he was not only leader Of men, but D
neer in ideas, for he was one of the very fiI
to win renoTn as @ watch dog Of the treasury
as a foe Of the lobby-a field OF effort and
vigilance IN which he has had many initators
and no supariOrs. When he first appeared in
congress the times were cut of joint, and
there were many careless and reckless men,
and not few corrupt ones, in public life |
With the sturdy, unhinching, even stubborn,
honesty which was one Of his chief character
istics, he set his face against them. From the |
very first he was man who could not be |
reached, who would not be influenced by |
any Of the means which promoters of legisla- !
ton usually find efficacious. He was always /
against extravaganza, always against waste /
full use of the public money simply because it |
was public money and there CHANGED to be |
plenty of it in the treasury
AS speaker of the house he organized the |
committees against extravaganza. As chair |
man Of the committee on appropriations be !
spent many days and nights laboriously !
scrutinizing every item. No business man /
ever scanned more closely the books in which /
were kept an account of his expenditures. |
Randall in his day saved the government I'M
told millions OF dollars But he made no
money for himself. He died a poor man, as /
he had lived and no more fitting inscription .
than this could be put on his tombstone: