Kansas City journal. [volume] (Kansas City, Mo.) 1897-1928, 1899-11-30
INTERESTING CONGRESSIONAL STUDY
DY LESLIE J. PERRY.
WESTERN TERMS THE LONGER
HOLMAN HOLDS HOUSE RECORD AND
MORRILL, SENATE RECORD.
Allison and ZONES Likely to BreaL
Morrili's Record, and Harmer,
ketcham and Cannon Are
I'm Line to Break
HOIman's.

WASHINGTON. Nov. 2e-(SpeciaI) Les
He J. Perry, formerly of Kansas" an
occasional Washington correspondent of
The Journal and regular contributor to
the New York Sun, has an extensive article
In the Sun treating upon tenure of Office.
particularly In the relation of length of
congressional service. His primary object
Is to determine which section, the East or
West. has granted the longer tenure to Its
legislative representatives at Washington.
But, incidentally. his inquiry led into other
phases OF the subject, and the result is the
presentation OF a most interesting and val
nahle mass OF facts concerning all of the
more striking American political careers,
mating only. however. from the admission
OF the older Western states.
After an exhaustive and painstaking
study Of the congressional rosters Mr.. Per-
~ concludes that the West has certainly
given the longest average tenure to Its SEN
etors. IL not representatives in congress,
although in case of the latter he finds it
almost impossible to arrive at definite
decision. owing to the varying difference in
the number of representatives of the sew
eral states. But 1t is quite certain that
the longest individual records of tenure,
both in the senate and house, were made
by Western men, and that for some years
10 come the senate long-term record can
only be broken by a Western man.
IL appears, though, that the house record,
that OF the late William 8. Holman, of In
diana, thirty years. is liable to be broken
by an Eastern representation. either Alfred
c. Harmer. Of Pennsylvania, or John H
ketcham, of New York, both of whom will
have Served twenty-eight years with the
Close OF the present congress. Both will
doubtless be reelected. But Harmer will
be &c years old then, and Ketcham So. Jo-
seph @. Cannon, of Illinois, is after all
Thought 10 be most likely to break the rec
ord. from the fact that at the end of his
present term he Will be only 65. and then
within four years OF equa1fng the HoI-
man record. In point of age, with eleven
years the advantage of the one and four
of the other. Cannon is just as certain of
reelection until death closes. his career
Rs either Harmer or Ketcham.
Singuiarly enough, in the length Of SEN
atorial tenure, Missouri stands at the
head Of all the states. with only eighteen
senators since her admission to the Union
in 1871. But Vermont, with only eighteen
senators. tied with Missouri Tine New En-
gland state of New Hampshire and the
Southern state of Mississippi hold the rec
ord for numbers, each standing credited
with thirty senators in the eighty years
period cOIsfOereC Dy h1f. ferry, and neceS-
sarily so because at the West only Ken
lucky and Ohio date back as states beyond
that period His comparative tabulation is
as follows.
FIVE NEW ENGLAND STATES.
State. Senators since 1919
Massachusetts,
Hhode island N
Sonnecueut
New Hampshire 80
Total In eighty years ZIG
FIVE WESTERN STATES.
State. Senators since 1918
Inaana .
tnnols q
h' '.' 70
Total in eighty years ....... .1ls
He follows this with the figures for five
other Eastern states, which more strongly
emphasize the conclusion that the West
not only holds the individual record but
mas granted the longest average tenure:
State Senator's sincs 1919
rennsyNania "a
Jersey p
Deawsre q
NA'iaha 2s
Total In eighty years ........................1
Mr.. Perry finds in the entire history of
the congress there are only twenty-four
senators with tenure of twenty years
and upwards, as follows:
John Sherman, Ohio ............,.... ?,
Justin s. Morrill,. Vermont .................... ~
~ ~1ngmas n. benton Missouri .--......-.......-. 20
Miilism X. King. Alabama .................... -
Henry B. Anthony. Rhode Island ................ 20
william Allison. Iowa ......-..................2 20
Hannibal Hamlin. Maine ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Is
George f. Edmunds. Vermont "a
Francis ~ cockrel Missouri ................... "a
Charles Sumner Massachusetts ........... "a
Matt w. Ransom. North Carolina ................ %
Ieolse y, roar massachusetts, q
Sonn 4. Morgan. Alabama .-......-.--.-........ -
william NJ Stewart, Nevada --.................. 2
Eehemiah r. Knight, Rhode Island ............. "a
John Gaillard. South Carolina . n
sehn J. Crtttenden. Kentucky y..............,.,, 20
Gen.y 3; Teller. Colorado ..----..--.-......... 20
george o. Vest Missouri -.--..................2 20
ashAm O. Harris. Tennessee ..........,,.. 20
Daniel w VOORHEES,. Indiana ................... p
Don Cameron. Pennsylvania ............ en
oryille H Plat. Connecticut ..... 20
These tenures are given in round num-
bers, but there We're. of course, slight vari-
just short OF thirty-two years Sherman's
being the longer by little less than two
months. Senator Thomas Hart Benton of
missouri, held the senate belt for length
OF continuous tenure until il was broken
by Mr.. Morrill,. Mr.. Sherman's tenure was
not continuous, having been broken by his
ioIr years as secretary of the treasury 1t
VIII be observed that Missouri is the only
foregoing list
In regard to the future, Mr.. Perry re-
marks:
In the present aspect of things politi-
cal II apepars reasonably safe to predict
that certainly Mr. Allison. and probab bly,
also Mr.. Jones, of Nevada. will eventually
win and hold the senate's long-tenure belt.
As between these two, which will beat the
other Is. of course, problematical. Physi-
cally, Mr. Allison has perhaps q shade the
best OF it, -
Concerning Mr.. Cockrell's chances to
break the record, Mr.. Perry makes these
observations:
Although younger than Mr. Allison by
five years Mr.. Cockrells chances are not
considered SO good. because the Missouri
senator apparently lacks the Iowan's sound
constitution and mental equipoiSe: he Is
too Querulous and raspy to last at his
present age into prolonged tenure. The
betting would be against him for another
reason-he has two years longer TO serve
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