The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1894-05-26

we'll preserved men. General Palmer
ranks next to Senator Morrill,, being we'll
into his seventy fourth year. Judge
Holman il SO often quoted as the father
Of the house that almost every one thinks
him the oldest member, and it is Of
ten so stated in the papers. That dis
tinction, however. belongs to Hon
Hezekiah s. Bundy of the Tenth Ohio,
but he is such quiet member that he
is often quite overlooked. He says that
the rules and methods of procedure in
the house are so very different from
what they were when he was here many
years ago that he does not feel inclined
to master the routine again, especially
as he is not candidate for reelection
and is only filling the unexpired term
of the late William II. Enechs as the
result of sort of compliment by the
voters. He will soon complete his sew
enty-fourth year and entered the Ohio
legislature 46 years ago.
More veteran Statesmen.
Another old member who does not
say much is the man whose writings
we enjoyed SO much 80 or 40 years ago
namely, the Hon. Thomas Dunn Eng
lish of the Sixth New Jersey. This is
his second term, and he is as defiantly
independent as man of rs years who
afford to be. Considering his wound and
physical sufferings with the storms of
every kind which he has passed through,
General Daniel Edgar Sickles is still
well preserved man. AS General Palm
er's biography is the longest in the SEN
ate list, so that of General Sickles is one
of the longest in the house list, and yet
both are compact and modest in tone,
their length being due to the mere emu
merations of the positions filed by each.
General Sickles has held 10 different
commissions in Legislative, diplomatic
and military service, and General Palm
ar has held II, but some of the latter's
extended over many years. Other well
known veterans of the house who are
past 20 or within few weeks of it are
Thomas ]. Henderson, Seventh Illinois;
John Henry Gear, First Iowa; Moses
T. Stevens, Fifth Massachusetts,; Charles
s. Randall, Thirteenth Massachusetts,;
John Avery, Eleventh Michigan; Ga
lusha A Grow, Pennsylvania at large,
and Charles E. Hooker, Seventh Missis-
sippi. Senator John Sherman passed
into his seventy second year few days
ago, and the soft money men and silver
ties say that he doesn't look any more
dried up and lanky than he did in 1878.
Senator James L. Pugh is in the middle
of his seventy fourth year and has been
legislator off and on just so years
Elected Fifteen Times.
Although Judge Holman has been a
member of the house 20 years in all,
elected 8 times, beginning with 1853,
yet he is only II years old. Incidentally
it may be added that he is at once the
subject of severe criticism by his oppo-
nents and the most ardent affection by
his personal friends. There is one group
of Ia men in the capitol whose admira-
ton for him amounts to a sort of wor-
shipful reverence. These men constitute
what is called the permanent soldiers
roll of the house. One of them has lost
both legs and one both arms and all the
others an arm or a leg each. The judge
is called the father of the roll, as he Sc
cured the rule which made it perma-
nent. By a sort of accident it long ago
consisted of seven Democrats and seven
Republicans } it has purposely been
kept so ever See. These men are ranked
ON the pay list as messengers, but serve
chiefly as doorkeepers.
Samuel A. Decker Of Toledo is the
messenger who has lost both arms and
Ferdinand Page of Grand Rapids the
one who has lost both legs. This group
dates from the Forty-fourth congress,
but was first made permanent by rule in
the Forty eighth. The once famous
speech delivered by Judge Holman in
the house July 16, 1861, set forth the
position of the war Democrats so clearly
that it could not be inexperienced,
and it was their platform of action till
the end of the war. His unf1inching
support of war measures while dissent
ing from the administration policy in
many respects, his devotion to the sol
diers' interests and his personal purity
of character give him that surprising
hold he has upon the people of his dis
trict in spite of those pecu1iarities which
are material for the wit of the para
graphers-
A Few Resigned.
There is much cause for surprise at
the small number of deaths among con-
gressmen, but while the deaths of sena-
tors have been but 100 the designations
have been nearly three times as many,
and some of them very curious. Presi-
dent Garfield took three senators into
his cabinet, and so did President Cleve-
land in his first term, but in his second
took but one, Mr.. Carlisle. Several SEN
ators have resigned TO go upon the su-
preme bench and several more to be-
come governors of their states. In 1921
Senator James @. Wilson resigned to
become postmaster at Trenton, and in
1900 Senator James Watson resigned to
be naval agent at New York. So far as
can be determined from the record, only
four senators have resigned as a protest
against the course of the administration.
Senators Conlxling and Platt were the
first to attempt the English method of