The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-13

The Senate Of the United States
that will meet at the opening of the
Fifty sixth Congress Will be a body
Of mature men. Tho average of its
80 mem oers is j6 years aud + months.
or little more. The aggregate
years Of these men are / Sol The
oldest Senator is Edmund Winston
Pettus, o6A lsbama, who is IS, and
the youngest Senator is Marion But
Ter. of Mort Carolina, who is 3G
Alabama has two venerable Sena
tors. Senator Morgan, who is the
senior Senator, is the idhior of Sena
tor Pettus by three years, being -
Connecticut comes next, with Ssna
tor Hawley, aged -. and o. II.
Platt, whose sge is -. Iowa keeps
her two aged Senators. both of whom
maintain their efficiency with years,
Senator Allison being - and Senator
Gear 20 years OF age. There are no
other States represented by , Sena
tors both having more than three
score aud ten years, but Vermont
has Proctor At IS and Ross at Is
Ross being about ten years younger
than Senator Morrill,, whom he sue
eeeded.
Several States besides those men
toned have Senators more than 20
years old. Cullum, of Illinois. is
past 20, Hoar, of Massachusetts,, Is
past -, Stewart, of Nevada, is -,
and Bate, of Tennessee. is II as near
as can be ascertained from the data
accessible here, as he does not give
his blrih-yesr in the autobiography
be furnishes to the Congressional
Directory.
In some of the States tho Senators
have been matched very cl)sely so
far as ages are concerned. One Of
the Senators from Florida is 80 ant
the other is 81. One Senator from
Louisiana is 64 and his colleague Is
g. In Michigan one Senator is 81
and his associate is e. There IS but
two years difference in ages of the
New Hampshire Senators. Chandler
being "a and Grllinger g. The
New York Senators are but one year
apart. Depew being Gj and -Platt 66
The West Virginia Senators, Elklns
and Scott, are each 50 years ot age
Spooner, of Wicousln, and his new
colleague. Quarles, are about the
same age, and each touches the av
ersge age, being 5G.
The young men" of the Senate,
those below the average of So years
and 6 months, are twenty-five in
number. AS already mentioned,
Butler, of North Carolina, is the
baby" of the Senate at 3G. The
next oldest is Beveridge, OF ludisnt,
who is 81. Peurose, of Pennsylvania,
and McLsurin, of South Carolina,
have each just passed 80. North
Carolina has the youngest pair of
Senators in the body, elder of the
two, Senator Pritchard, being only
~.
Tue figures do not always fairly
indicate the condition Of physical
aud mental efficiency of the men ~
the Senate. Some of the Senators
who have turned 20 are more vigor
ous than other Senators who have
FIVE years yet to live to reach
patriarchal age. Senator Platt, Of
Connecticut, who is -, is to all ap-
ptarance about the same man, in the
Senate and out of it, that he WAS ff-
teen years ago. Senator Frye, Of
Maine, who has passed 6S, ages but
slowly, aud his speech is as earnest
and vociferous when he is stirred ss
it ever was. Senator Jones, Of
Nevada, who is apparently much
younger than his colleague, Mr..
Stewart, is really only three years
younger, but Jones's GO years have
not brought him such a venerable
wealth of whiskers rs worn by Stew
art, who is hardy and sctive for a
mau of y.