Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-04-14

been only twenty-one years in COMPRESSION
al life. He stands No. 10 today in the list
of long-term members of Congress Next
to Mr.. Allison in congressional experience
is Representative Holman, who has been
twenty-nine years a member of the House.
If he serves out his present term Mr.. Hol-
man will have made record. No man has
ever served thirty years in the House of
Represen tatives. Judge Kelley of Pennsyl-
vania was serving his thirtieth year in the
House when he died. Mr.. O'Neill of Penn
sylvania had served almost Twenty-Five
years when he died last fall. Less than a
year ago Mr.. Holman told me that ONeill
and he had been discussing the possibilities
OF OUTLYING their thirty years of service,
and he said: Il guess O'Neill will break the
record. He Is strong and hearty. But he
was asking me the other day If 1 believed
there was anything in the tradition that no
man could serve thirty years in the House"
Mr.. ONeill did not live to beat the rec
ord" but Mr.. Holman seems likely to do so.
After Mr.. Holman come Mr.. Voorhees,,
with ten years in the House and seventeen
years in the Senate; Mr.. Hoar, with eight
years in the House and seventee years in
the Senate; Mr.. Hale, with twelve years in
the House and thirteen in the Senate; Mr..
Frye, with ten years in the House and thir-
teen years in the Senate. Senator Ransom
has never been in the House, but he ranks
ahead Of Mr.. Allison in senatorial service.
He came to the Senate twenty-five years
ago.
An Envinblc Public Record.
Senator Morrill, can look back upon an en-
viable public record. For thirty-nine years
he has been an active member of Congress,
earnestly interested in legislation, and in
all that time he has merited the respect of
his political foes, as well as his political
friends. No one has ever accused him of
permitting personal interest to influence
his actions on any measure before Con-
gress. He has been the leader Of the pro-
cot faynfc In, h. g.,
ter of century. and no one has suggested
the possibility of his being interested in
tariff legislation through speculation or bus
mess investments. When Mr. Morrill, came
to Congress. In 1855, what was known as
the Walker tariff law was in operation. Mr.
Morrill, had been a storekeeper In his
youth he was a clerk in the employ of a
house in Portland, Me-, which did large
business. shipping to the West Indies. He
returned to Vermont when he was twenty
one years old and became a receiver of a
general store, and then the proprietor of
that store. Afterward he served as director
or local bank. He was in mercantile life
more than seventeen years before he re-
tired to farm. When he came to Con-
gress, therefore. he had a better knowledge
Of business conditions than most of the
members of the House. Mr.. Orr of South
Carolina, the Speaker of the House, put Mr..
Morrill, on the ways and means committee
at the suggestion of Galusha Grow, in 1857,
on the retiren ent of n. p. Banks, who had
been elected governor of Massachusetts.
There was a movement on foot to pass a
radical protective measure. Mr.. Morrill, was
made one of the subcommittee to formulate
protective tariff bill. With him were
Henry w. Davis of Maryland and William
A Howard of Michigan.
From the active part Mr. Morrill, took In
framing the bill II became known as the
Morrill, bill, and when ii was passed II was
called the Morrill, law. Since its enactment
Mr.. Morrill, has continued to be one of the
most earnest and active protectionists in
Congress. The infirmities of age prevent
him taking the lead in the fight against the
Wilson bill, but his voice and his vote will
be found against it.
GEORGE GRANTHAM Balm.