The Newberry herald and news. (Newberry, S.C.) 1884-1903, 1893-08-23
STATISTICS OF THE NEW house.
The Nativity and the Occupations Of the
1856 Congressman.
New York Sun.1

|
New York Sup.l
| WASHINGTON, August 13.-Of the
356 members of the present Congress,
1888 were born in the United States, %
are of foreign birth and parentage, and
one (Mr. Crisp, the Speaker) was born
of American parents while on q visit to
England. There is one negro, Mr..
Murray of South Carolina. OF the for
eign-born Representatives, Ireland fur
nished the greatest number, eight, five
of whom represent districts in the
State Of New York. Germany was the
birth place Of four, Canada of three.
New Brunswick of two, Norway of
two, and Austria, Scotland, and Hun
gary each of one. The representation
of district in one State by Congress
man born in another is very common,
and only eight States-Delaware, hav-
ing one Representative; Kentucky,
eleven; Louisiana, six; Maryland, six;
Missouri, four; New Hampshire, two;
Rhode Island. two, and South Carolina,
seven-are represented exclusively by
natives of their respective States. On
the other hanl, Florida, with three
Congressman; Idaho, with one; Min
nesota, with seven, and Nebraska, with
six, have no natives of their State at
all among their Representatives. Of
the States which have furnished Con-
gressmen to their sister States, New
I I York and Pennsylvania are on par,
each having fifteen of its natives among
the Representatives from other States.
| Indiana with eleven, comes next; then
Ohio with nine; Massachusetts,, with
eight. and Virginia, with seven. Ken
tucky and Georgia have five each, and
Mississippi, Missouri, Tennessee and
Wisconsin have three or four each.
Of those who make known in the
Congressional Directory the occupa-
ton of their early days, the farmer
boys are by far the most numerous.
Fifty-five worked on a farm" and
thirty-two taught schools; many COM
bined the two occupations, and in some
cases even had the pluck to add the
study of the law to their other labo1s.
Eight were printers apprentices, four
were sailors, four. ."clerked in store"
two started in as telegraph operators
and railroad employees, four learned
the trade of a blacksmith, and two that
of shoemaker. One miner and two
carpenters, complete the list Of those
who tell of the first steps on the road
which has broughtthem to the national
legislative halls. .r.-.
The more fortunate or more ambi-
tious class which was enabled to 60
through college is most creditably
large. There are eighty-seven gradu-
ates of colleges and universities, with
out counting those who took degree
in law only, and in addition to these
eighty-seven there are thirty-one whose
terms at college were cut short by ne
cesslty or misfortune. Many note that
they left college to enter the Union or
Confederate armies, and these are es-
pecially numerous among the Southern
Representatives. Yale has five gr2du-
ates, Harvard and Dartmouth three
each, and Amherst, Cornell and George
town two each; Bowdoin, Brown,
Washington and Lee, and many of
the State universities have two or more
representatives each. ...'
In the choice of occupation for ma
turer years the law was overwhelm-
ingly in the majority. Two hundred
and seven of the 356 members have
practiced law, and most of that number
were engaged in the legal profession
exclusively at the time Of their election
to Congress. The farmers are next in
numbers, thirty-three in all-twenty-
five plain agriculturists and the rest
breeders Of fancy cattle, cotton and
sugar planters, and fruit growers.
Fourteen manufacturers and twenty
one merchants have left their couDting
houses in other hands to give their
whole time to directing the affairs of
the nation. Five doctors have deserted
their patients to prescribe for their
country's ills. Two professional teach
ers represent the great army of Ameri-
can pedagogues, and there are eight
bankers to help solve the currency
problem. Nine editors, three railroad
men, and four engineers complete the
list.
West Point has one graduate, Gen.
Wheeler, of Alabama, and the Naval
Academy at Annapolis graduated Mr..
Robinson, of Pennsylvania. Fifty-two
Of the members were Union soldiers,
and forty-seven were in the Confed-
crate armies. There is one, Mr.. Bou-
telle, of Maine, who served in the Union
navy, and two who served in both the
Confederate army and navy. Ten
Representatives have taken pains to
state that they are married, aud one
remarks between colors unmarried"
Messrs. Dinsmore, of Arkansas, Hit,
of Illinois, and Sickles, of New York,
have been in the diplomatic service of
the United States, Mr.. Dinsmore, as
Minister of Borea, and the other two
at the legations in London and Paris.
Gen. Tracey, of New York, was at one
time in the Papal Guards of Rome. Mr..
Charles O'Neill, of Pennsylvania, was
born in March, 1921, which makes him
the senior in years, as he is in service,
of his colleagues. Mr.. Lilly of the
same State is but few months young
or than Mr.. ONeill- Mr. Thomas Set