Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1897-06-24
cURIosITIEs OF CONGRESS.
Interesting Facts and Statistics From
Congressional Directory.

Congressional Directory
Every congressional directory, as
far as the customary biographies of
members .. congress are concerned,
has its curiosities. That of the ex-
traol binary session of the nifty fifth
col gfess" is no exception
The new directory shows by right
calculation that the average age of
members OF the house is Al years, and
Of senators 81 years. Formerly the
average age OF senators was not less
than 60, and of representatives not less
than so years of age. Now, by reason
o, the breaking into politics of am
bilious young men like Butler Of North
Carolina, Penrose of Pennsylvania and
Heitfelt of Idaho, senators, and Brad
ley, Mcclellan and Henry of Texas,
hitcjin of North Carolina and Sauerer-
ing of Wisconsin as members of the
house, the age on the average of SEN
ators and representatives has been
materially reduced. So on the whole,
there ought to be no complaint of
] GNlliiiLy dbtut INC MY ~ultu COHSTeSS
The majority of the members of con-
gress were either babies or were not
Torn when the great civil war began.
Some of them were not born until
after the war was over The Youngest
of them, Thomas j. Bradley of New
York, who was born in January, 1870,
was possibly just lei ming to talk
when the recent so-called 'crime of
/ 1873 was committed. Bradley repre-
sents the ninth district of New York
state, in the heart of what is greater
New York The youngest senator is
Marion Butler of North Carolina who
had scarcely opened his eyes when
men from the old north state were Civ
ing away their lives on the bloody
heights of Gettysburg. When he first
saw the light, the oldest member of
I the senate, Justice s. Morrill, of Yer
for many years.
Contemplation of the new directory
reveals the melancholy reflection that
the old soldier statemen are surely
| passing away. Out Of 446 senators and
representatives but III have been
soldiers. Three Of these were in the
| Mexican war-Senator Bate of Tennes-
see, George of Mississippi and Pettus--
strange to say, a new senator-of
| Alabama. The lit were in the civil
war On the side of the union who
are senator's or representatives were
l a.ys H.. a. IL
there are titty-one who ara in congress
now.
As an evidence that the southern
pee pie pay more honor to their fight
ing element than other parts Of the
country may be cited the fact that of
all the senators and representatives
from that part of the country only two
who were old enough to handle a gun
We're not in the war on one side or the
other, and these two we're at college
curing the war. From the loyal states
there are seventy-four now in congress
who We're old enough and who were
not in the scrap.
Lawyers predominant as to the
occupations in both houses of congress
as usual. In the senate there are fifty
seven straight lawyers. The other
occupations are much diversified
Editors, merchants. farmers. manu-
facturers-these constitute the bulk Of
the remaining senators. In that body
there are 234 lawyers, 25 farmers, 20
editors, Is merchants, II bankers, 10
manufacturers and 13 who SEEM by
their own self-prepared biographies,
to have done nothing all their lives
except hold Offices. The other occupa-
tons of house members scatter over
specializing. One members describes
himself frankly as a lecturer" That
is Mr.. Handy of Delaware. Another
member, William Fleming of Georgia
credits himself in his biography with
having received a loan of money from
alexander II. stephens, (which was
afterward repaid with interest" b. b.
Cdell of New York remarks that he
has been in the ice business. and has
always been active in politics. JOnn
/. Mcdonald a Maryland new member
seems TO have spent his life as a SOL
der and a politician. William p
+ Shatturs of Ohio tells the confding
world that he has retired from bust
ness" p. ]. Otey of Virginia wishes
/ it understood through his congress
sional biography that he is "A thorough
\ business man in railroads, banking
and engineering
i There are twenty-seyen foreign-born
members of the fifty-tfth congress,
I twenty-three of them under the domin-
ZION of Great Britain st Louis Globe
Democrat