The herald and news. [volume] (Newberry S.C.) 1903-1937, 1906-01-05
ALLISON SENATE'S
"UNCROWNED KIM"
WWAN'S GREAT POWER DUE TO HIS
LONGEVITY OF SERVICE.
Now in Forty-Third Year Of Service in
Congress Only Morril Served Longer.
Other Interesting Facts Shown by
the Congress Rolls.

Washington, Dec. 31.-Jos. Obi
in Atlanta Constitution says up to
within the past two years it has
been the fashion to refer to Sena-
tor Aldrich, of Rhode Island, as
the general manager of the United
States senate. Those who wrote
Of the inside affairs on capitol hill
were given to accrediting to the
senator from Rhode Island the ST.
preme control of legislation in the
senate, and this, they figured out,
made him more powerful than pres
idents. In sense all this was true,
but Senator Aldrich's prestige has
been considerably damaged since
the coming of Theodore Roosevelt
to the presidency and his assertion
of power. With Roosevelt came a
number of younger men as senator's,
who, being fresh from contact with
the republican masses, inclined to
Roosevelt rather than the erstwhlle
general manager, and the strength
of the latter has been somewhat on
the wane.
There is another of the older
group of senator's, however, whose
hold on the Young members has
been marked. ''The uncrowned
king of the senate" he was called in
a recent speech by Senator Bever-
idge, and although making no pre-
tense at kingly power, William B.
ALLISON undoubtedly exerts more in
Auence in the senate today than any
!: other one man.
IT'S LONG SERVICE THAT COUNTS.
This fact speaks eloquently of
the wisdom of a state keeping its
faithful senators and representa-
tives at Washington, for the power
exerted by Senator Allison is due
more to his long service than to any
other fact.
Senator Allison first became a
member of congress on December 2,
1868. He served ten years in the
house, and has just entered upon
his thirty-third year as a member
of the senate. His record for lon
gevity of service in congress was
exceeded by just one man, the late
Senator Morrill,, of Vermont, who
had almost completed his forty
third year of continuous service in
the house and senate when he died.
The only other men in the history
of the government who served for
thirty years continuously were
John Sherman, John P Jones, Of
Nevada; Francis NJ. Cockrell, of
Missouri; and Thomas H. Benton,
of the same state, who served from
1921 to 1851. Senator Stewart of
Nevada, who was looked upon as
the senate patriarch because of his
Christmas season whiskers, served
twenty-eight years; Senator Nor
can has served the same length OF
time; Senator Teller has served
twenty-five years; the late Senator
Hoar had completed a service of
twenty-four years; Senators Hale,
Frye and Aldrich have served twen-
ty-four years each.
THE FATHER OF THE HOUSE.
While General Harry Bingham is
the father of the house because Of
the greatest continuous service, two
members of the present body who
have seen longer actual service.
These are General ,Ketcham, of
New York, and Speaker Cannon.
If General Ketcham had been a
member from the beginning Of his
first term to the present time-and
he could have been had he so de-
sired it-he would have record of
forty years. Uncle Joe Cannon has
had thirty years of service, with one
break. Father Harry, who even
with his bald head still looks youth
ful in contrast with some of the
youngsters like Grosvenor, has
served continuously for twenty
eight years.
The two Georgians whom the
records show to have served more
than twenty years are Alexander H.
Stephens, who became vice presl-
dert of the 'confederacy and who
was on the rolls of congress for
twenty-three years, and James H.
Blount, who was the representative
of the Macon district for an even