The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-04
VETERANS OF THE HOUSE
ONLY TWO HAVE BEEN IN SERVICE
SINCE FORTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS,
And the Fifty-Efghth House Will Con-
tain but Eight Members Who Had
seats Twenty Years Ago.
Of the Indianapolis Journal.


gress but eight Of them served in the
Forty-eighth Congress twenty years ago.
The eight men who served in the Forty
eighth Congress and who remain members
OF the House have passed through many
stormy and turbulent scenes on the floor,
and they have taken a conspicuous part in
much OF the country's most important leg
islatfon. In the last twenty years the
United States has made a century of prog
ress. BY leaps and bounds Uncle Sam has
not only become world power. but he
has forged ahead until to-day he out
distances his most successful rival.
Those who have stemmed the treacherous
tides Of politics are:
J. q. Cannon. OF Illinois, who will rise to
the highest office within the gift OF his
cole asues. that Of speaker or presiding
officer; II. II. Bingham, OF Pennsylvania;
r r. Hit. of Illinois: Serano E. Payne,
]. w. Wadsworth and Herbert Ketcham.
OF New York; r. A. Pierce. of Tennessee.
and w. p. Hepburn. Of Ohio OF these
eight only two have enjoyed continuous
service since the Forty-eighth Congress
Bingham and Hit. Mr.. Pierce will be the
lone Democrat that served in the Forty
eighth Congress Each of the members
OF this distinguished coterie of lawmakers
will hold an important committee position
when the speaker-to-be, Hon. Joseph G.
Cannon, announces his selections at the
opening OF Congress. In the Fifty-seventh
Congress Mr.. Cannon (the watch dog of the
treasury was chairman OF the committee
on appropriations.
Questions affecting our foreign relations
are referred to the committee on foreign
affairs, OF which committee Mr.. Hit is
chairman In the last decade many i'm
portant and delicate international ques-
tions have been handled with skill and
diplomacy by Mr.. Hits committee.
The most important committee OF the
House Is that OF ways and means. 1t is
the ranking committee because its chair
nan is the majority floor leader. But aside
from this il is the ways and means COM
mittee that originates all revenue bills and
without revenue the wheels of the gov
eminent would not revolve. Mr.. Payne. of
all-powerful committee.
Two other gentlemen from the Empire
State who are of this big eight" are at
the head Of leading committees. Farmer
Wadsworth. who, next TO Mr.. Bingham. is
the neatest man in the House. is in charge
or the committee on agriculture He is
very strong with the tillers OF the soil;
Mr.. Ketcham Is chairman OF a small COM
mittee. expenditures in the State Depart
ment, but then he is second on the commit
tee on postoffices and post roads, and Sec
ond on the committee on military affairs
And in the absence of the chairman he pre-
sides.
Mr.. Pierce belongs to the minority, and,
of course. Is not entitled to chairmanship,
but his committee appointments are equiv
alent to chairmanships. Mr.. Pierce is on
the appropriations. a committee that il
privileged. And this veteran Democrat is
almost daily consulted by his colleagues
He can always catch the speakers eye
which. experience teaches, is a difficult
thing to do.
THE FORTY-EIGHTH HOUSE.
The House in the Forty-eighth Congress,
in which the eight named statesmen served,
was a notable body OF men. Among the
membership in that House will De found
names written high on the page of the
country's history. Many Of the brilliant
men who served their constituents in that
Congress have gone to the great beyond,
while others are now enjoying private life.
The late President William Mckinley was
a member of that historic Congress. So,
too, was the able free-trader. Frank B.
Hurd, Of Ohio. Hurd's free-trade theory
was vigorously opposed by George L. Con-
verse, OF the Buckeye State, who demand
ed protection for Americal wool, and In the
first session Of the Forty-eighth Congress
Converse moved to strike out the enacting
clause OF the Morrison horizontal tariff
bill The motion prevailed. the protection
wing D. the Democrats being led by the
late Sam Randall. whom Carlisle, In that
Congress, defeated for speaker.
or Names big four in the Forty-eighth-
Reed. Dingley. Milliken and Boutelle-not
IL left All are dead. The first to die
IN harness was Milliken. He was followed
by Dingley. And a few months later Reed,
who revolutionized not only the rules of
the House. but the House end of the Capt.
tot, retired to private life to resume prac-
tice of law, that he might provide a COM
potency for his family.
Boutelle beloved by his constituents
He was reelected 10 the Fifty-seventh
Congress when the voters in his district
knew that he would never be able to resume
his legislative duties. In the spring of 1901
Boutelle resigned, and a few months later
he died In a sanatorium.
II would be a difficult task to enumerate
all the members OF the House who have
since been advanced by their constituents
In looking over the membership of the
House IN the Forty-eighth Congress 1t is
found that six became Governors OF their
respective States. namely, Budd of Cali
fornia, Nelson OF Minnesota, Mckinley OF
Ohio. Dockery OF Missouri McMiilin OF
Tennessee and Gambler OF Georgia.
SENT TO THE SENATE.
OF the members who went to the Senate
there were thirteen, as follows: Jones OF
Arkansas. Carlisle and Blackburn OF Ken
lucky. Washburn and Nelson OF Minnesota
Reagan and Mills OF Texas. Hiscock OF New
York, Money OF Mississippi, Blanchard OF
louisiana, McComas OF Maryland Kean OF
New Jersey and Barbour OF Virginia. Car
Isle was also Cabinet officer as were
Long or Massachusetts, Herbert of Ala.
bama. Wilson OF West Virginia and Wilson
OF Iowa.
In the diplomatic service Of the govern
ment these gentlemen first became prom
tnent in the famous Forty-eighth: William
Walter Phelps OF New Jersey, Sunset Cox
and Perry Belmont of New York Patrick
A. Collins OF Massachusetts, James II
Blount OF Georgia, known as "Paramoun,
Blount," Richard Guenther OF Wisconsin
and Thomas Ryan OF Kansas. now assistant
secretary OF the interior.
Other familiar names are ex-Governo,