Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-09-23

IN VNWLa l3l SESSION OK MS IneQIal
NASY faculties. and in good
~ !: :: :: !: !: !: :: !:
MN~WIlI. health physically.
" SZTltD+ Mr.. Morrill,, with his
EN INV eighty-three years,
TVS overtops the men,
bers Of both houses,
and he exceeds the average age Of members
Of the Senate by more than twenty-five
years. But the Senate average has been
brought down in recent years by the cleo
ton Of such giddy youngsters as Irby Of
South Carolina and Kyle of South Dakota,
who are only thirty-nine years old; by
White Of Kansas, who is forty; by Dubois
of Idaho. who Is forty-two, and by Lodge
Of Massachusetts, who is forty-three years
Of age. Massachusetts, furnishes a strong
age contrast. One of Its Senators is forty
three and the other sixty-seven years old.
The difference between the Vermont Sena-
tors Is not SO great. Mr.. Proctor is only
twenty-one years younger than his col
league. Mr.. Wolcott is eighteen years
younger than his associate. Mr.. Teller Of
Colorado. Mr.. Mcpherson Of New Jersey Is
nineteen years younger than Mr.. Smith.
There Is twenty-five years difference in the
ages Of Mr.. Brice and Mr.. Sherman of
Ohio. Mr.. Butler of South Carolina Is
eighteen years older than Mr.. Irby. Mr.
Camden Is nineteen years older than the
other West Virginia Senator, Mr.. Faux
ner. And Mr. Hunton of Virginia is
twenty-one years the senior of Mr. Daniel
There are only five men in the Senate who
are more than seventy years of age Mr.
Morrill, heads the list with eighty-three
years Mr.. Palmer Of Illinois comes next
with seventy-six. Mr.. Harris of Tennes-
see is seventy-fve years old. Mr.. Pugh of
Alabama is seventy-three. Mr.. Sherman
was seventy years old on the 10th of last
May. Mr.. Hunton Of Virginia will be sew
enty on the 23d of this month. There are
| several Senators who approximate seventy
years. Mr.. Morgan of Ala bama and Mr..
Colquitt Of Georgia are sixty-nne. Mr..
Hoar Of Massachusetts and Mr.. George Of
Mississippi are sixty-seven years old. The
average age Of Senators Is about So 1-2
years.
Have Left the Senate.
Death and resignation have deprived the
Senate Of several old men within a few
years. Philetus Sawyer Of Wisconsin was
seventy-seven years old when an unappre-
ciative legislature retired him to private
life. Senator Wade Hampton. who was a
victim Of the populist movement in South
Carolina three years ago. was seventy-five
years old at the time of his retirement
Henry B. Payne of Ohio who was Mr.
Brices predecessor. was only eight months
younger than Mr.. Morrill, Mr. Dawes who
declined reelection to the Senate. was
seventy-seven years old when he retired
Ell Salisbury of Delaware, who was buried
under the republican landslide five years
ago, was seventy-two years old at that
time. Senator Evarts of New York was
seventy-three years old when he gave up
his seat in the Senate to Mr. Hill. Mr..
Reagan Of Texas. who retired from the
Senate two years ago to become railroad
commissioner Of his state, was seventy
| three years old ct the time Of his retire
ment.
The House Of Representatives has lost
some interesting old men recently. Judge
Kelly OF Pennsylvania. the rather or the
House for SO many years, was seven six
years old at the time of his death. Ed
ward ]. Gay of Louisiana, who also died
IN the harness, was only two years younger
than Mr.. Kelly. Gen. Vandever of Cali
fornia was seventy-three years old when he
retired from office. Mr.. Granger Of Con-
necticut was seventy-two years of age Ed
ward Scull of Pennsylvania, who left pub
| lie life at the close Of the last Congress.
was seventy-hve years old Mr. Scull was
almost seventy when he was elected to the
House.
The House has only four men who are
more than seventy years old. This is not
large proportion, since its membership is
| four times as great as that of the Senate:
| but the House Is usually the stepping stone
| to the Senate. and even the Constitution
contemplated the Senate as more elderly
body. The Oldest member of the House is
Thomas Dunn English OF New Jersey, who
was born in June 1878. Mr.. English is a
graduate in medicine, In law in authorship
and In Journalism The last Congress was
| the first of which he was a member. Mr.
| English was seventy-one years old when he
| made his first canvass for election to the
| House. William Lilly, one Of the Congress-
men-at-large from Pennsylvania. was sew
enty years old when he accepted his first
| nomination to Congress. He Is now seventy.
| two. He has had a busy life, beginning as
| a conductor on steam railroad and hav-
| Ing gained wealth In the mining Of anthra-
| cite coal He has been a member of the
Pennsylvania house of representatives and
| has been to six national republican con-
ventions. But his highest honor before he
reached the age Of seventy was his elec-
| ton as delegate-at-large to the convention
| to revise the constitution Of Pennsylvania
He was democrat until 1862. His col
| league, Charles O'Neill Of Philadelphia. lis
few months older. But being in Con-
| gress has been his steady occupation for
| more than a quarter Of century. He
| graduated from the Pennsylvania legisla-
| ture into the House of Representatives. in
term. Every one in the House knows and
| likes Charlie" O'Neill. He is a nervous
| fussy little man, but he Is active mentally
and physically. and. though his manner is
bit of real fight in him. He stin makes a
personal canvass Of his district and knows
every voter in It, He answers every let
| ter that comes to him and distributes pub
| lie documents and garden seed where they
will do the most good at the next election
1t was said that member Of the House q
| few years ago. to test Mr.. O'NeilPs &C.
quaintance with his people. told him a
|
man in his district asking some favor and
| telling him that he had asked the same
favor of Mr.. O'Neill in vain. Mr.. O'Neil
was very much disturbed at first but when
he had inquired the mans name very par-
| ticularly he shook his head and said, INC
| you don't. You can't fool me. There is nc
| such man in my district
| Judge VIM. 8. Holman.
The man who divides with Mr.. O'Neil
the honor of being in his fifteenth con.
| gressional term Is William s. Holman O,
Indiana, the famous Collector of the
House Of Representatives Mr. Holman IL
seventy-one years old. but there is no mem
Der Of the House more active and more at
! tentive to his congressional duties He
| thinks of writing a book of "reminiscences
| Mr.. Holman would not be a good example
| for the people who oppose the use Of TO-
| bacco. He has been a tobacco chewer al
| his life and is seldom without a quid
There are several members Of the House
| who are just on the verge of seventy One
Of these is Gen. Dan. Sickles, who is sixty
| nine. He has been in Congress before and
| has been in public service a greater part of
his life. Charles s. Randall of Massachu-
sets, who is serving his third term in Con-
| gress, will be seventy years old next Febru-
ary. John Avery of Michigan will also be
| seventy years old in February next.
Mr.. Avery has seen only seventeen
| birthdays. He was born on February
20. This is his first term in Congress- He
| has been a physician and was a pension
examiner for sixteen years; but the only
1