Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1894-06-06
SENATORS WHO DIED
Over a Hundred Have Gone "With
Harness on Their Backs" +"
This Congress Noted for Mortality.

This Congress Noted for Mortality.
There has been much comment al
Washington about the extraordinary
mortality in the present Congress. Peo.
pie recall in connection with it the re.
markable mortality at the beginning
OF Mr.. Cleveland's other term, made
noteworthy by the death of Vice Presi.
dent Hendricks. But what is particu,
larly surprising about the mortality of
the past twelve months is the number
of Senators who have died. Within
a very brief period the Governors of
three more States have been called on
to fill vacancies in the Senate caused
by death. First Mr.. Colquitt died, and
Gov. Northen appointed Mr.. Walsh his
successor Then Mr.. Vance died, and
Mr.. Jarvis was appointed. Finally Mr..
Stockbridge died unexpectedly in Chi
cago. Added to these vacancies filled
by appointment are those created by
the resignation of Mr.. Walthall, of
Mississippi, to retire to private life, and
later of Mr.. White, of Louisiana, to ac-
cept place on the Supreme bench.
When you consider what the aver
age age of Senator is, it is rather re-
markable that in the history of the
Senate for the first century of its exis-
tence the designations rec ceived were 214
and the deaths in office were only
ninety four. The deaths to date num-
ber more than 100, and the designations
more than 225. But the discrepancy is
easily explained. Most OF the men
who have resigned seats in the Senate
have done so because they received or
expected to receive some other Office.
Some men have played game of hide
and seek in the Senate and the cabi-
net-resigning from one to enter the
other, and vice versa. Mr.. Window
resigned place in the Senate to be
Secretary of the Treasury under Gar
field ; he was reelected to the Senate
in the fall of the same year when Ar
thur became President. Garfield took
three men out of the Senate-Blaine,
to be Secretary of State Window, to
be Secretary of the Treasury, and Kirk
wood, to be Secretary of the Interior.
Mr.. Cleveland took three Senators into
his cabinet in the first term-Bayard,
to be Secretary of State Lamar, to be
Secretary of the Interior, and Garland
to be Attorney General. None of these
men returned to the Senate. Garland
is practicing law in Washington, La
mar is dead and Bayard is ambassa-
dor to England. Arthur took one of
his cabinet from the Senate-Mr. Tel
Ter, who was his Secretary of the In
terror, and a good one, too. Mr.. Har-
irson took no Senators into his cabi.
net, although he seriously contempla-
ted at one time the appointment of Mr..
Aldrich to be Secretary of the Treas.
ury. Mr.. Cleveland invited only one
Senator into his second cabinet-Mr.
Carlisle.
Many members of the Senate have
resigned to go on the Supreme bench.
Among them were Oliver Ellsworth, of
Connecticut, Chief Justice Associate
Justice McKidley and Woodbury., and
the newest justice, Mr.. White. Roscoe
Conkling declined Supreme Court
appointment when he was in the Sen
ate, and David Davis, of Illinois, re.
signed his place on the Supreme bench
to be Senator.
Three Senators have resigned to be
Vice President Of the United States
Mr.. Wilson, Mr.. King and Mr.. Hamlin.
One Vice Presinent resigned his high
Office to be Senator-John c. Cal
houn.
There have been some very odd re-
signations from the Senate. A num-
ber of men resigned to be candidates
for Office in their cities or States-some
to be Governor, some to be Mayor of a
city. Hannibal Hamlin resigned his
seat in the Senate to be Governor of
Maine, but almost Immediately re-
signed the Governorship, having been
elected to the Senate for full term
again. But the Governorship is large
prize compared with some which have
been perferred to the Senate. James
j. Wilson resigned his seat in the Sen
ate to be postmaster at Trenton. This
was in 1921. James Watson gave
up the New York Senatorship in 1900
to be naval agent at New York-an
appointive Office. Theodore Bailey, of
New York, resigned to be postmaster
of New York City. Peter Mulhenberg,
of Pennsylvania, resigned his seat af-
ter serving only few months of his
term to accept the position of super
visor of the revenue for the district of
Pennsylvania. Jefferson gave him the
appointment. Wilson G. Nicholas, of
Virginia, resigned Senatorship 10 be
collector of the ports of Norfolk and
Portsmouth. The office of Senator has
greater value now, or appointive local
offices have less value. 1t is not un-
common for Senator to resign to ac-
cept foreign mission or place in
Presidents cabinet. But a Senator
would hardly resign his seat to be
Mayor of New York City, as Dewitt
Clinton did in 1903. Certainly he