The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-13
DOOMED TO A SAD FATE.
Defeated Veteran Members of Con.
Eress United for Other Work.


The 4th day of March, 1895, will mark
the return to private life of many men
whose best years have been spent in con-
greSs. OF these Mr.. Holman, of Indiana,
has had the longest service, he having
been a member of the 36th congress. Mr..
Bland, who also goes out, began his ca
reer in the 43r2 congress and not until
last November wasIohe defeated for re-
election. Mr. Springer is another old MEM
Der who will be forced to retire. He first
came to Washington as a1memeber of the
44th congress. rs
Of the senators who will retire, Gen.
Ransom, of North Carolina, took his seat
in January, 1872. and was reelected in 1876,
1883 and 1885, He fully expected to end
his days in the senate says the New York
Times, and last summer. any man who
would have predicted his defeat would
have been laughed at, Mr.. Mcpherson, of
New Jersey, goes out after II years serv-
ice in the senate. Mr.. Coke, of Texas, will
also leave with a record of II years
senator. Mr.. Butler, of South Carolina,
entered the senate in the same year that
Messrs. Mcpherson and Coke took their
seats. and he is also slated for private
life Most of the other defeated senator's
have had comparatively short terms in
the body. Mr.. Walsh, of Georgia, for in
stance, has only been here long enough
to get desire to stay six years, at least,
but the people of his state have decided
that his short term shall come to end
next March. Mr.. Martin, CT Kansas is
in the same predicament.
Some of the gentlemen who are soon to
leave Washington have become reconciled
to the situation, but it is doubtful if all
of them will be as philosophical. After
man has been 20 years in the senate or
house he finds himself poorly equipped to
meet the conditions thrust upon him
by unsympathetic constituents. A point
worth noticing in this connection with this
topic is that few men who have passed
their best years in congress are either
rich or moderately we'll to do. Mr.. Ran
som owns a farm in North Carolina, but
his friends have long been aware that he
has depended upon his salary as a sena-
tor to provide his living. Mr.. Holman is
not rich and Mr.. Bland is only comfort
ably situated. In the last few years the
senate has become a resort for the rich
and some Of the members who are not
well provided with this worlds goods have
found themselves embarrassed by fellow
ship with wealthy men. The old story of
the poor man trying to keep step with
his rich brother is we'll understood in Wash
ington and doubtless many senators and
representative could if they would, fur
nish good illustrations of the disastrous re-
suit attending such attempts. AS but few
old timers have managed to save anything
during their congressional life it would
seem that most of them would embrace
willingly the opportunity now afforded
them to repair their fortunes in private
paths. The trouble is that most of them
have become untitled by their congression-
al experience for successful work in the
many private fields. 1t seems to be the
experience of the office-holding class that
long dependence upon Uncle Sam mpairs
ones efficiency. Very soon the friends of
the many defeated candidates for re-eec-
ton to congress will have an opportunity
to see whether this old truth will hold
good in the cases of these men.