The Ohio Democrat. (Logan, O. [Ohio]) 1886-1906, 1890-03-01
FATHERS OF CONGRESS-.
Resume Of Statozlnen Who Have
Served Many Years.
The Late Judge Ucllcy's Predecessors
John shcrnnn's Congressional Record
Nathaniel Macon, tho Last of tho
Eomnns--Osher GotAoil,tics.

mas Deen IN thc thlGk OF pubic al
fairs He jumped writes Now York
World correspondent, to tho front dur.
ing his first Congressional session, and
N. p. Banks, who 10 now in tho House,
as Speaker mado him ono of tho COM
nittee to Investigate the Kansas and
Nebraska struggles of that time. lie
was candidate for the Spcazership
himself and was nearly elected in 1859,
and though it was not generally known
he might have been, had he desired it,
President IiDcoln's Secretary of tho
Treasury He was in the House until
1861, when he took his seat in tho Sem
ate, and he has bccn in that body to this
day, with the single exception of the
four years when he left it to be Secre-
tary of the Treasury urdor President
Hayes. His political career is longer
than that of any other public man of to-
day, and had il not been for his Cabinet
Office he would he the father of the Sem
ate. As 1t is Justin s. Morrill, leads
him in continuous service in Congress,
and Morrill, has had service here at
Washington of 81 years. He has not
now, however, tho usefulness of John
Sherman, and his days of hard work are
y
before he became . Senator and ho is now
serving his fourth term in tho Senate
Edmunds Is tho father of tho Senate in
point of continuous service, but he has
nothing like ,iohl. Ehcrman's number of
public years. llo came hero II years
later than Sherman and took his seat in
the Senate in 1856.
Sherman's lcngth Of service has, how
ever, been many times surpassed in our
history. Some men arc fitted for tates-
mon and others manage to feed from
the public crib from their births until
their deaths. Tho Adams family has
made several fortunes out Of Uncle
Sans pocket, and it is stated that John
Quincy Adams received moro than $780,
900 in salaries alone. When he was
Is years old no was made socre tary to
the Minister to Russia, and when he
was 81 President Washington appointed
him as Minister to Holland, and two
years later transferred him to Portugal.
When his thrifty father became Presi-
dent he raised his position and his
salary By making him Minister to Ber-
lin, and he remained there until Jeffer-
son became President. lie then came
back to Massachusetts ard was elected |
to the Senate, and at the close of his |
term Madison made him Minister to |
Russia. After On extended diplomatic
service he becano Secretary of State
under Monroe and thence stepped into !
the White House, his enemies alleged, |
by bargain with Clay. 1T was Ran
iolph's reference to this alleged bar
gain that caused the duel between Clay
and Randolph. Before Jacksons first
term had ended john Quincy Adams was
elected to Congress and bo remained
here seventeen years, dying in the
Capitol by q stroke Of paralysis.
Henry Clay's public career embraced
more than half of his life. He was the
youngest Senator ever elected, and was
the only man who has been made Speak
or of the House within five days after
first taking his seat. He resigned from
both the Senate and the House several
times and he died ho:e in Washington
in 1859. Webster came to Congress as
young man and he held office nearly
all his life. Calhoun was 50 when he
entered Congress. lio served many
years and died in Washington.
The most noted father of the House
and Senate of the past, however, was q
man altogether forgotten now. His
aamo was Nathaniel Macon, and Jeffer-
son called him 1.-The last OF the Romans"
He was Democrat from North Caro-
lima, anu he had d political career of
moro than 81 years. He resigned from
the Senate whom he was so years old
and died at 50. lie was 40 years in Con-
gress, and during the whole of his
l.. ll El,ts
to Office. lie left Princeton College at
ls to 20 into the revolutionary war Gs q
private, and he refused to be n candi-
date for tho ce-Prcsidency with Van
Buren,. He was long time Speaker of
tho House and served as Il Representa-
tive under Washington, Adams, Jeffer-
son and Madison and as Senator under
Madison, Monroe ard John Quincy Ad-
ANS. He was brave man and a great
friend of John Randolph, for whom he
drew knife to defend him when he was
attacked in theator in Philadelphia.
He was crank as to his dress, and he
always wore navy blue clothes cut in the
style of revolutionary days. His panta-
looms were always inside his boots, and I
he wore the finest of linen and the finest
of fur hats. Thomas Benton speaks of
him in the highest terms and sets him
up before the world as the model states
man. Benton was thirty years in the
Senate himself and in his book enUitled {
''Thirty Years in the Senate" has per-
petuated the memory OF his career. He {
died in Washing ton while working on
his abridgement of the debates of Con-
gress.
General Samuel Smith, of Maryland,
ranks next to Nathaniel Macon in point {
of Congressional service. lio was nearly
forty years in Congress and was eighteen !
years in tho Senate. lie was II rich
merchant of Baltimore and, after he was
eighty, q mob breaking in and taking !
the city. ho was called out TO quell the
riot, and he succeeded in doing so. lie
was noted soldier in tho revolution
and he had the nervo to refase to fighta 7
duel as far back as 1879. lie was ono OF |
the first Score tarics of the Navy, and at
eighty-fve he accepted the position of
mayor OF Baltimore. I
An Unfortunate Mistake.
81 wish to say 10 tho congregation" 4
said tho minister, "thet the pulpit is not |.
responsible for the error OF the printer
on the tickets for the concert in tho :.
sunday-school room. Tho concert is
for the benefit Of tho Arch Fund, not