The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1890-02-27
FATHERS OF CONGRESS-.
Resume Of Statesmen Who Have
Served Many Years.

Tho Jatc Judge Ncllcy's Predecessors -
John sherman's Congressional Record
Nathaniel Macon, tho Last OF tho
Romans--Oti,er Notabiiitics.
Senator Sherman came to Congress In
1855, and for tho last S5 years he
has been In the thick of public af
fairs. He jumped, writes New York
World correspondent, to the front dur.
ing his first Congressional session, and
N. z. Banks. who Is now in the House,
az Speaker made him one of the com.
mittee to investigate the Kansas and
Nebraska struggles Of that time. He
was candidate for the Speakershir
himself and was nearly elected in 1850,
and though 1t was not generally known
he might have been, had he desired 1t,
President Lincoln's Secretary of the
Treasury. He was in the House until
1851, when he took his seat in the Sem
ate, and he has been in that body to this
day, with the single exception OF the
four years when he loft It to be Secre-
.tary Of the Treasury under President
Hayes. His political career Is longer
than that Of any other public man Of to.
day, and had 1t not been for his Cabinet
Office he would be tho father Of the Sem
ate. AS It is Justin 8. Morrill, leads
him In continuous service In Congress,
and Morrill, has had service here at
Washington Of "a years. He has not
now, however, the usefulness of John
Sherman, and his days Of hard work arc
past. He was 12 years Representative
before he became Senator and he Is now
serving his fourth term In the Senate.
Edmunds Is the father of tho Senate in
point Of continuous service, but he has
nothing like John Sherman's number Of
public years. He came here II years
later than Sherman and took his seat in
the Senate in 1906.
Sherman's length of service has, how.
ever, been many times surpassed in our
history. Some men are fitted for states
men and others manage to feed from
the public crib from their births until
their deaths. The 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
IL years old he was made secretary to
the Minister to Russia, and whom he
was "a 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. He then came
back to Massachusetts, and was elected
to tho Senate, and at tho close of his
term Madison made him Minister to
Russia. After an extended diplomatic
service hc became Secretary of State
under Monroe and thence stepped into
tho Whito House, his enemies alleged,
by bargain with Clay. 1t was Ran
dolph's reference to this alleged bar
gain that caused the duel between Clay
and Randolph. Before Jackson's first
term had ended John Quincy Adams was
elected to Congress- and he 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. Ho was tho
youngest Senator ever elected, and was
the only man who has been made Speak
er of tho House within fve days after
first taking his seat. Ho resigned from
times and he died hero In Washington
In 1859. Webster came to Congress as
young man and he held office nearly
all his life. Calhoun was 30 whom he
entered Congress. He 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
name was Nathaniel Macon, and Jefier-
son called him "the last Of the Romans" "
He was o Democrat from North Caro-
lima, and he had a political career OF
more than 81 years. He resigned from
the Senate when he WAS 80 years old
and died at 80. He was 40 years in Con-
gress, and during the whole OF his
career he never reot mmended q relative
to office. He left Princeton College at
IL to go into tho revolutionary war - .
private, and he refused to bo . oandi-
date for tho Vice Presidency with Van
Buren,. He was long time Speaker Of
| tuO AAouoO 0AAA oCTNco 10 AsVPhoSohvS
tive under Washington, Adams, Jeffer-
son and Madison and % Senator under
Madison, Monroe and John Quincy Ad-
ans. he was brave man and great
friend Of John Randolph. for whom ha
drew knife to defend him whom he was
attacked in q theater In Philadelphia.
He was crank as to his dress, and ha
| ALWAYS wore nayy blue clothes cut in the
style Of revolutionary days. His panta-
looms were always inside his boots, and
he wore the finest Of linen and the fines:
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 en.itled
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-
gro6S.