The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-28

| Are Cutting "A Figure in Several
ATairs-Other Matters Worth More
| Than a Passing Notice.
Especial Correspondence
| Washington, Jan. 27.-The double dis
tinction of being the Oldest member of the
| House, both in point of age and length of
| service, belongs to Representative Har-
mer of Pennsylvania. He has served in
| fourteen successive congresses; and his
friends say he is good for as many more.
| Time and again the personnel of his con
stituency has under gone a complete change
since he first appeared in Washington--a
rather shy young Philadelphia, with a
| red carnation in his buttonhole But
| amid all the ups and downs of more than
a quarter of century, through wars, dis
| asters and triumphs, fair weather ana
foul, that red carnation has doomed I'M
changed on the black satin lapel of Mr..
| Farmers always faultless coat. 1t seems
| SO much a part of the man that to see
| him now without 1t (Which 40 human be-
ing ever has, would create as much as
| tonishment among those so long familiar
with it, as were the Goddess of Liberty
| on top of the dome to doff her helmet
On the other side of the capital, Senator
Fettus has now the distinction of being
the oldest member of the Senate. having
been born i'll 1871 Senator Morgan comes
next, born three years later. The honor
| of having served In the Senate for the
| longest period is equally divided between
Senator'S Allison and Jones of Nevada
both Of whom took their seats in March
| of 1873 and have been reelected four
| times Each has three years left of his
| present term. The other day a New
York paper, in giving a list of senatorial
| milionaires, rated Jones of Nevada as
worth 100000. THAT is exceedingly
pleasant" said Senator Jones. '1But #
! anybody will produce evidence that l am
worth one-tenth of that amount. l will
| gladly make him present of half the sum.
Newspaper estimates of mans fortune
| made during his lifetime, are of no value
| The tendency is to eXaggerate. The gen.
| eral rule is that the estate of the reputed
| muti-milGonaire pans out very small after
| his death" the same list puts Senate,
| Clark of Montana down at $780, 00}0-
which is probably nearly correct as
| that modern Croesus' fortune can be
| counted Mr. Hanna is said to be worth
| %2 10000; Mr.. Elkins, 100000; Mr.. Plat
| Mr.. Wetmore, Mr.. Mcmillan and Mr. Per-
| kins. each So 900, 900; Mr. Proctor SO 200 900:
| 81 100000 senators. The natural result Of
| the publication has been to flood the Sen
| ate postoff1ce with begging letters from all
| over the country, making life a burden TO
| the unlucky recipients, most of whom are
not worth anywhere near the sum men
| toned.
Strangers visiting the Senate galleries
| invariably inquire first for the where
| abouts of Senators Lodge and Depew, fam
| ed as the most polished members of that
august body in the fields of oratory and
| literature. Senator Depew's renown as a
| humorous speaker and after dinner "a
! counteur is -wide-but 1t has only re-
! Gently developed that he is as great, on oc-
casion, in the pathetic and fune-
real line. Nobody in Washington
entertalns more generously or fire.
| quently than he, and his celebrated
| dinners are now matters of almost
every day. Senator Lodges last grafton,
a the unwilling of the Daniel Webster
statue the other day, added another leaf
to his laurel crown. He is one of the
most finished men of letters in the coun-
| try. Though admitted to the bar of Mas
sachusetts in 1876 he has for many years
| followed the profession of literal ure.
Among the many who said to be en-
pertaining vice presidential aspirations is
| Senator Bacon of Georgia, who thinks if
that honor is given to the South it might
as web come his way. For many years
ne ueiS DSSll pIOli4tltill III MS state as
lawyer and politician, besides having
served fourteen years as member of the
| Georgia House of Representa- lives. Sen
ator Turner of Washington state is one
of the few public men who, when prepar-
| ing a speech, never dictates it, or leaves
any part of the work to his clerk No
matter how busy he may be, or how long
address he is going to make, every
| word of the copy is carefully written in his
own handwriting-usually more than once,
or even twice. He gives as his reason for
al this extra labor the necessity of "boi-
| ing down" a subject to the utmost limit.
Represents tive Cannon of Illinois, chair
man of the Appropriation Committee
| though the most Solemn-looking man in
| the House. has fund of dry humor about
| him. The other day, in course of a speech
on che deficiency bill, he told a story 10 IL
| lustrate his idea of an answer in a nut
| shell to the speeches on the Democratic
| side. Said he: when l was a boy on the
| wabash, we used to hold a good many re-
| lig.ous meetings. At one of these, a rock
ribbed, hard-sheled Presbyterian brother
| arose and made some statemen IS about the
| Bible. In the midst of it an Old Methodist
sister jumped up and shouted, 1 thank my
stars its AL 4 lie?
! Another member from Illinois, genius
| whom Fate tried to disguise by calling
| him Smith," is one of the very few men
in Congress who make it rule to answer
| every ltlttT OH the same hdg II is I1-
| ceived, though the task often keeps him
hard AT work far into the night. A con-
CHEESEMAN'S mail is curious study, and
| generally comprises as much trash, gush
| and twaddle" as business of Importance.
| Not only do constituents want seeds and
| books and documents and information on
| every subject under the sun, but many
| of them devote too much of their valuable
| time-and the congressman Sin telling
him how he ought to vote and just what is
expected of him at home. The fact that
Mr. George w Smith promptly and peace
ably replies TO all these letters, reasonable
or unreasonable has made him almost in
| vincible in his district. He is now serving
| his sixth term.
Representative Noonan, also of Illinois,
| is perhaps the most striking man in Con-
| gress, though smallest in statue. He
probably weighs less than 100 pounds. His
| face is thin and narrow, complexion
swarthy as a Spaniards, his long, jet
| hafs CHI