The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-25

Nolved IN .Har with Spain OF any other
/ power. the care and direction or our
mliltary forces would, in both houses
/ of congress. be chiefly in the control of
! two ex-confederate generals. Another
! interesting fact In regard to these con-
! federate generals. which shows how
/ young we are as a nation, iss that both
4 Generals Pettus and Bate We're soldiers
/ in the Mexican war. And now. SO years
| later, they are still in the service of
/ their country
| / was much interested in ascertaining
/ the average age of the senators. /
/ found it was much higher than would
! be supposed, considering its recent
youthful accessions. The composite
! senator is Sc years old Ten years ago
he was 81. Generals Bate and Pettus,
/ who were in the Mexican wyar, are now
over 20 and have eight colleagues also
over 10-Senators Hawley, Morgan,
Platt of Connecticut, Gear, Hoar, Stew
art and Morrill,. Senator Morrill, is by
far the oldest. being 81. Four senators
are between 30 and 40, 10 between 40
and 30. Is between 20 and so and one
over so. The youngest senator is Mar
ion Butler of South Carolina: the other
three senators under 40 are McLaurin of
South Carolina. Penrose and Cannon
The length of the composite senator's
term of service is Just about six years.
The longest is that of Mr.. Morrill,. who
entered congress in 1854, serving II
years in the house. when he was elect
ed to the senate in 1867. He has just
been elected for the sixth term, having
served five full terms. Next comes
Senators Jones of Nevada and Allison.
each with "A years senatorial service
Cockrel with % Morgan and Hoar with
20. and Vest and Plat Of Connecticut,
with Is.
1t is an odd coincidence that the SEN
atcrial service of the four senators who
have been longest in the senate contin-
N nnh it,e. mar. .,ns,t
of their lives. Senator Morrill, who is
81, has served 80 years; Allison, 6S years
old, and Jones, 81, "A years and Cock
rell, So, 20 years.
IT is interesting to note how different
states and sections of the country COM
pare in the length of time they keep
their senator's. Missouris senators
have the longest average term, it being
just 20 years. Vermont comes next with
Is. Connecticut and Nevada with II,
and Maine with IS.
1t Will be observed that three of the
above states are New England, one
Western and the other, Missouri is,
from the political standpoint Southern.
This relation of the sections is borne out
in detail, for the composite New Eng
land senator has served thirteen years
and two months, the Southern senator
seven years, the Western senator six
years and nine months, While the north
central senator has served only three
years and ten months.
When it is remembered that a sena-
tors influence comes largely from the
length Of his service, it is no wonder
that New England has welded the
power over legislation that she has.
There can be nc doubt, in fact, that
New England senators exercise more
influence over legislation in proportion
TO their numbers than the senators from
any other portion of the country. Es-
pecially is this true when the repubi-
cans control the senate. To-day, for
example. three-fourths of the chairmen
of the most important committees are
New England senators.
The single state. however which is
most powerful in the senate in the mat
ter of committee chairmanships is, by
all odds, Missouri For, when the dem
ocrats control, Senator Cockrill is chair
man of the committee on appropriations
and Senator Vest chairman of the COM
mittee on finance-and these two are
unquestionably the two4 most import
ant committees in the senate. When
the republicans control Iowa has the
committee on appropriations tSenator
Allison), and Vermont the committee
on finance (Senator MorrilD.
a significant fact in regard TO the
United States senate is that two thirds
of its members live in country towns,
while only IS live in really large cities.
Especially are the Southern senators
three, live in towns that have never
been heard of outside small part of
then states.
I'm the Christian names of its men,
bers the United States senate is an ex-
tremely plain body Onethird of the
senators are named Bill, John or
George. While the other one-third ere
named Jim, Henry, Joe, Ed, Dick,
Frank, Charley. Steve, Sam Or Tom.
The Bills come first, there being no
less than IL of them in the senate; the
Johns and Georges each number nine.
Taking all these data together. we
find a senate of whose members SO per
cent. are college men, I5 per cent. law
yers by profession. 80 per cent. soldiers.
81 per cent. American BORN, ana 53 per
cent. previously tried n high political
life Surely, this is not senate that
any American need feel ashamed of.
And to-day il is very probable that this
body cannot be duplicated anywhere
else among the legislative assemblies of
the world.