The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-01-25
college Men
as Senators
From the St. Louis Republic.

states senate We're college men. j an
swered that | suppose 10 or 15-possi-
bly, 20. Whereupon my questioner in
| formed me, To my surprise, that there
We're just 81. Could it be possible that
this "millionaires' club" this much re-
yiled body of political tricksterS,' was
composed chiefly Of college pred men,
men of broad and liberal education? l
began to investigate, and, as result.
have answered this question and good
many others equally interesting.
In the first place / looked up the bin Nh
place of the gentlemen now constitut-
ing the United States senate. | found
that only eight We're born out of the
country. Senators Mantle, Jones of Ne
yada, Wetmore and Pasco were born
in England; Mcmillan and Ga1linger in
Canada Sewell in Ireland, and knute
Nelson in Norway. OF these eight, 1t
will be seen that seven We're born in
English speaking countries. AT home
Ohio comes first as the mother of SEN
ators. Nine of the present senate were
born within her borders. New York
comes next with eight, and then Viz
ginia six, and Tennessee, Kentucky.
Massachusetts and Vermont with four
each.
AS my friend informed me. IS per
cent of the senate, or of senators, are
college men, of whom 81 are graduates.
On the other hand, four received u
very scanty education Senator's Jones
of Nevada, Berry, German and We'll
lington-and three received no school
ing at all-Messrs. Mantle, Sewell and
Perkins. The rest received only the
advantages of common school. OF
the 30 graduates, only three have re-
ceived other degrees in course. These
are Massachusetts two senators, both
of whom graduated from Harvard col
lege and the Havaro Jaw scnool, and
Senator Wetmore, who received the de-
gree of A. b. from Yale and LII. e.
from Columbia. Five senators are sur
fieiently distinguished as scholars to
have received the degree of LII. D.
Senators Hoar Gray. Hawley. Frye and
Hale-though Mr.. Hale. by the way, is
not even a college graduate. OF the
colleges that have had the honor to in
struct the nations rulers there are only
four that can claim more than one sem
ator Six senators went to Harvard
and four to Yale, while five We're edu-
Gated at that little school which has
produced so many statesmen-UniVer-
sity of Virginia and two, Senators
Hanna and Allison, attended the West
ern Reserve college of Ohio
Many of us know that many of our
lawmakers are lawyers by profession.
still / doubt if il is commonly known
that three out of every four senators
are lawyers, except Senators Morrill,
and German. Mir. German is literally
politician. From the time that he was
a boy page in the senate till to-day he
has all the time apparently held some
political position. Mr.. Morrill,. that
clear headed, fine old gentlemen who
WAS "A representative in congress be-
fore his colleagues were born, | found
To my surprise was neither a college
man nor a lawyer. His business was
that of a merchant and farmer. OF the
senators who were not lawyers, II were
in ordinary business pursuits, six were
farmers and five We're editors. The ed-
tors We're Hawley. Butler, Pritchard.
Mantle and Cannon. Two senators
We're miners, Messrs. Stewart and Jones
of Nevada, while one was a minister,
Mr.. Kyle, and one a doctor, Senator
Gallinger.
After finding that IS per cent. of the
senate We're educated at college | was
not surprised 10 find that over half of
them We're men who had held political
positions of national prominence before
they We're elected to the senate. In
fact. A. senators had been representa-
tiyes, governors of their states. cabinet
officers or United States senator's pre-
Nious to their present terms. Thirty were
representatives Is We're governors, four
had been cabinet officers and six were
United States senator's previous to their
present terms. The secretaries were
Chandler. Elkins. Teller and Proctor. Mr..
Teller was also a senator when Colorado
was first "A state, reSigning to enter
President Arthur's cabinet Other sena-
tors who held former senatorial terms
were Sewell, Spooner. Walthall, Stewart
and Turpe.
Senator Turpie. by the way, was elect
ed senator before any other member
Of the present senate. He filled short
term in 1863, four years before the cleo
ton of Mr.. Morrill, who is the father
of the senate. And just 2S years later
he was elected again.
Senator Stewart of Nevada, however,
was elected TO the senate for full term
even before either one of these two gem
tlemen. as he was elected in 1864 and
served IL years.
OF the senators who have held no
office whatsoever prior to their election
as senators there is just one. That is
Senator cockrill of Missouri. He re-
fused all solicitation to be a candidate
for any office until % years ago he ran
for the senate He was elected. has been
reelected three times and now has no
opposition for his fifth term. Senator
Teller also held no office prior To his
first election as senator. and Senator
Martin Of Virginia held no really politi-
cal office before he Mas made a senator.
One of the most interesting things
about the senate is its war record. 1t
has been nearly 40 years now since the
war began. and yet to-day ene-third Of
the senate We're active soldiers in that
war. Especially ia the South is the sol
dier held high, for tWo-thirdS Of the
Southern senators were in the conted-
crate army. Ten senators were in the
union army and IL in the confederate
of the union soldiers Two We're generals
Senators HaWley and SeNell. or the
- confederate soldiers In the senate five
were generals-SenatuTS Morgan Bate
II LII Iii "A -
bama. A rather striking fact is that
three Of these gentlemen-Batp Cock
rell and Walthall-are ON the commits
tee on military affairs. and were the
democrats in control Of the senate Sena-
tor Bate would be the chairman of The
committee. In the house the senior mem
Der on thu democratic side of the COM
mittee on military affairs is Gen Zoe
Wheeler Of Alabama. another confed-
crate general. Thus, If the democrvats