The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-04-19
DELEGATION
Is AVALYZFD
Ralph Faxon Writes of Repre-
sentative KanSanS.
MEASUREMENT SCARCE
Only Four Have Gone to Wash
ington in ~ Years.
Written. for the Sunday Eagle.


Written for the Sunday Eagle.
The nomination and election Of Vic
tor Murdoch 10 be representative from
the Seventh Kansas district will make
the majority of the Kansas delegation
young men. as men in public life are es-
timated. 1t viii also make three native
Kaasans on the delegation Of ten, and
adds second newspaper man. All Of
these are important features
Murdoch is % years of age The young
est member of the delegation now is Phil
Up Pitt Campbell OF the Third district,
who has just turned 40 Next to him
comes Senator Long. who is only a In
the last two congresses Senator Long has
been the baby OF the delegation in years,
but now gives way TO the Third and Sew
enth districts Next 10 Senator Long in
years Is Representative-at-Lar Charles
Z. Scott, also A, just a month older than
Senator Long. Charles Curtis Of the
First comes next, being just past 43
years Of age. and Representative J. VI
Miller OF the Fourth is barely 50. Thus
six OF the ten Kansas senators and rep
resentatives are 80 years or under. FIVE
OF them being 43 years of age or less
Senator Long. Representative-at-Larg
Scott and Representative Curtis were
born the same year. 1860.
OF the remaining four members OF the
delegation. the eldest is Representative
J. d. Bowersock Of the Second district.
who is nearly 81 years Of age. Repre-
sentative Calderhead OF the Fifth Is near
iy 80. and IS the next eldest Following
him comes Mr.. Reeder OF the Sixth who
Is almost a. and Senator Burton is 81
The average age of the delegation is
4211 years. This is perhaps q younger
delegation than almost any other in con-
gress.
Kansas is not a very old state, as states
go. 1t has just passed its forty-second
birthday. Until the advent Of Charles
Curtis as a representative in congress,
# never had a native son on the deIega-
ton. Curtis held that honor for many
years. he was born in North Topeka.
In the last congress Charles F. Scott
representative-at-larg went on the DEL
egation. sharing with Mr. Curtis the
honor Of being one OF the youngest men
on it. and also making a second native
born member Mr.. Scott was born on an
Allen county farm.
Now comes Mr. Murdoch, the youngest
of all. He also divides the other honor
with Mr.. Curtis and Mr.. Scott. He was
born in Usage county. at Burlingame.
Mr.. Curtis and Mr.. Scott still reside in
the counties in which they were born.
Mr.. Murdoch differs from them in this
respect Still. it is doubtless true that
Osage county is about as proud Of his
nomination as the county and city IN
which he has so long lived
There are very few states OF this Union
no older than Kansas which have upon
their delegations in congress representa-
tives who were born within their borders.
kansas position is almost unique in this
respect
For forty-two years Kansas has sent
almost every class Of professional and
business men TO congress. II has not
ALWAYS been particular OF the class. OF
course lawyers have predominsted. They
nearly always do in public life
But in all these forty-two years only
four newspaper men have been sent 10
congress from Kansas. The first was
Edmund G. Ross. elected United States
senator to succeed General James II
Lane when the latter killed himself in
1sSs. Senator Ross served until ls71,
though his period Of usefulness had ex-
pired years before that on account OF the
position he took in the Impeachment pro
ceedings against President Andrew John
son.
The next newspaper man 70 go TO con-
gress was William A. PETER. who sue
ceeded ingalls, in 1881 This business had
been life one with PETER. as it had been
with Ross. and each is IN a small way
engaged IN II even yet
At the same time PETER entered the
senate in 1891. John Davis OF Junction
City entered the house as one Of the
Popultst representatives. He remained
two terms. defeating Colonel William \
Phillips in 1899 and J R Burton in 1852.
He had been IN the newspaper business
for many years as editor and proprietor
or various reform" papers.
The first modern newspaper man. the
proprietor and editor OF a daily newspa-
per. 10 break into congress from Kansas
was Charles 2. Scott Of the lola Regis
ter. IL 1901. He has set a pace for other
newspaper men 70 follow. in congress.
and has been both active and Efficient
His letters TO his paper have become OF
the greatest interest 10 Kansans and are
read from one portion of the state TO an
other.
The above and foregoing makes It IN
teresting 70 know Just what the other
members OF the Kansas delegation DO for
4 livelihood when not IN politics Six OF
the remaining eight are IMPROVISATION
Burton and Long. Representatives Cur
lis. Campbell. Miller. Calderhead. Sen
etor Burton years ago was a noted attor-
new in Kansas. and Senator Long. had
he left politics alone. would have made
a. great 4 success As an attorney as he
has OF public life. Representative Curtis
hogan his political career with two terms
as COUNT attorney Of Shawnee county:
Reorsseueative Miller has served his
rouztv CT Morris three terms IN Ike ca
racify, and Representative CaIderhead
has been county attorney OF Marshall
sounty. Representative Campbell tried 10
be county attorney once in Crawford.
when the fusionists had about everything