The Sunday morning news., 1891-12-20
SENATORS new And OLD
interesting Information
About the Upper
Chamber.
NO REPUBLICAN LAWYERS
Boss Gardner's Long Term and
Senator Keys Thrilling Ex-
Derience During the
Draft Riots.
special to the Jersey CITY Ne,os.

AC%Nt DSSs 40 Ao~A-- AhOuho
Fidelity Fitzgerald has about ready for
the press his Legislative Manual for 1892
and it Will contain some exceedingly In.
terestiug Information concerning our
law makers. For instance we learn that
in the next Senate there will be five law
yers (ali Of them Democrats) four mer-
chants, three farmers, two manufac-
turers. two real estate dealers aud one
each as follows:-A hotel keeper, an edi-
tor, brewer. contractor and one a
gentleman of leisure. The Republicans
have no lawyer to represent them on the
committees on legal questions, and con-
sequently they must fall back on Senator
Gardner, who knows nearly as mucn
law, however, as the best man on the
other side. altl. ugh he has never studied
IN law school or in a lawyers Office.
Fourteen Senators are natives of New
Jersey, five were born in the State of New
York. one in Canada and one in Phila.
delphia. New York city produced Messrs.
Winton, Fowler and Hinchcliffe; Dobbs
Ferry, Mr.. Keys, and Madison County,
ian, and Mr.. Rogers halls from the
Quaker City. OF the Jerseymen Hunter
don and Middlesex Counties each claim
two, and the following counties one Sen
ator each: Burlington, Cape May, Essex,
Atlantic, Mercer, Warren. Ocean. Salem,
Sussex and Union.
YOUNG SENATE.
The Oldest Senator in years, but not in
service, is Mr.. Fowler. who represents
the Prohibition county Of Cumberland,
and who Keeps dry" hotel In Vineland.
He is just ole year over the Scriptural
age of three score and ten. Mr.. Brown,
of Monmouth. the only representative in
the Senate of the Blodgett-Little wing of
the Democratic party, comes next
to Mr. Fowler, and is very near
the three score and etenmile-
stone. Twelve Senators are over
it. The youngest is Mr.. Rogers Of Cam
den, who is only thlrty-four. and next TO
him come Messrs Marsh, Cornish and
Barker, each of whom being thirty-flve.
Messrs. Barrett and Miller are only q
year or two older. The average age of
the Senators is forty-four years. which
makes them pretty young body, con-
siderlng the grave and dignified duties
which tradition says they must perform.
BOSS" Gardner of Atlantic is just en-
teriug upon his fifteenth consecutive
year Of service. His long. unkempt hair.
make him quaint figure, indeed. in the
group of lawmakers. Yet. withal, he is
considered one of the brainiest men who
eyer held a seat III the New Jersey Legis-
lature. Senator Cranmer, from the sand
barrens of Barnegat City, is about to an
year M Of Of service. The Senator is
q Chesterfield in manner and deport-
Inent, but as lawmaker his star
has never shone with any effuigence. Mr..
Werts, who is the Democratic giant in in
tellect. and the slated candidate for the
Executive chair when Governor Albeit
vacates it, is beginning his sixth and last
year of service. Perhaps no other man in
many years has so clearly left his impress
sion on the statute book as Mr.. Werts.
He drafted the Liquor License and Ballot
Reform laws, which relieved his party
from serious dilemmas, and his long head
has solved knotty problems of statecraft
by which his party has been greatly bene-
tited.
THE SILENT MAN OF MERCER.
Senator Rue, the silent man from Mercer,
Is also entering upon his sixth and last
year of service. 1t may be truly said Of
the Senator, and without dispargement.
too, that he knows more about the quail
ity and price of agricultural implements
than he does of lawmaking. Editor
Winton and Hotel-keeper Fowler came
into the Senate together and will
go out at the same time.
E ch will have had three years of
experience when his term expires next fall.
The second year men are:-Messrs.
Rogers, Barrett, Barker, Brown, Butcher.
Keys, Marsh aud Cornish. The new Sem
ators are:-Messrs. Perkins. Miller. Hud-
speth, Martin. Hinchcliffe and McMickle-
Mr.. Cornish is modest young man,
with strong pull from Warren County,
and is ex-Congressman Pidcock's right
bower. He came here last year compara-
lively unknown, but in quiet way he
soon demonstrated that he had weighty
influence. He asked for the appointment
of his friend, Samuel G. Thompson, as
Assistant Secretary of the Senate, and he
got it, and. next turned his attention to
4 other offices which he scOoped in for his
friends without much apparent trouble,
SENATOR KEYS NOTABLE CAREER.
Perhaps the most interesting career OF
any Senator can be furnished by Mr..
Keys, of Somerset. His father was one
OF the original builders of the old Hud-
son River Railroad, and the Senator him
self, for eleven years, was an active mem
ber Of the old volunteer fire department
of New York City. During the war the
Senator. through the recommen dations
Of Governor Seymour and General John
A. Dix. was awarded u contract for haul
lug aud delivering supplies, provisions,
ETC., for the Eastern Department. Ihe
late Presidect Arthur then had
charge of that department, and he aud
Mr.. Keys became close friends. Dur
ing those exciting days Mr. Keys says he
hid his hands full, but it was during the
draft riots that he experienced the great
est trouble. He had much difficulty then
In getting drivers for his wagons, and it
was almost worth ones life. to ride
through the streets while in the Govern
ment's employ. One afternoon during Il
riot an attempt was made to blow up the
pss house at the foot of East lwentv-flrst
street, and u large body of soldiers was
stationed at the Arsenal. on Seventh av-
enue. between Thirty-fifth and
Thirty-sixth streets. in readiness
to be called ont at any time. A
reuuisition was sent to the Battery Bar
racks for cooked rations to be delivered
as the Arsenal. The streets were lined
with angry men, and not driver would
venture OUT with u team. Contractor
Kevs volunteered to drive himself
and ordered out the best team
hi,ched to q loaded truck. He started
I'm Greenwich street and was assililed
from every side with stones, bricks
aud other missiles and several Shots
we're fred at him. Nothing daupted
however. he urged on the team
nnd reached the hungry soldiers IN safety,
having received only few cuts in the
head. On another occasion, while making
a similar trip TO General Dixls headquar-
ters NJ the old St. Nicholas Hotel on
Broadway, he was again attacked oy I
mob. but was rescued by some OF his old
friends of the Volunteer Fire Denart-
ment. who declared that BILL Keys
should not be molested The Senator
saws that perhaps no living man out MN
self can say that he stabbed hls norses ~