The Washington times., 1906-06-20
Now in Thirtieth Year of
Distinguished Service
in the Senate.

Senator Morgan Of Alabama is cele-
brating his completion of eighty-two
years of extremely active life today
by making a speech OF six hours length
on the Panama Canal question. Sen
ator Morgan can't tell a beginning of
what he knows about the canal in six
hours, nor give a fair suggestion Of
what he thinks about It: but any states
man of eiShty-two years, in this or any
other country, who can compress more
information and enlightenment into a
speech on any subject than he on the
canal viii have to start early.
Third in Age and Service.
Senator Morgan on March 3 next will
finish thirty years Of continuous serv-
Ice In the Senate. He IS one of the
three Oldest Senators in length Of serv-
ice. the other two being Senators AIIiso,
and Hale. and he is one OF the three
Oldest members In years, the other two
being Senators Pettus and Whyte.
But 1t Is not by reason of either OF
these distinctions that Senator Morgan's
remarkable celebration of his eightv-
second birthday anniversary is most
notable. Senator Morgan's career Is
worthy OF study for better reasons than
its length. It is doubtful if anv man
now living in America has had a mora
intimate relation to the greatest activi-
ties Of a long lifetime than he. For
more than siXty-one years he has been
a Draccticing lawyer. He was a Presi-
Dental elector for the Breckfnridge
Democratic ticket in 1861, and when the
elecuon Of Lincoln was followed bv the
Inauguration Of the secession move
men -ilSH' IN the south ne took foremost
part IN II, being a delegate from his
nome county to the Alabama State con
Etntlon which formally adopted the or
d'nancc Of secession
Was Confederate General.
Then he went into the Confederate
army, and there he had a ,7reer which
IN Its way was hardly less nc able than
the more widely known career in public
HE that came afterward. re started
AT the very beginning Of the ar. and in
the lowest rank, enlisting in Nav. 1861.
as private in an Alabama regiment
He was shortly elected major, and then
lieutenant colonel, later colonel and
brigadier general. from which position
he retired when the war ended.
II seems always 20 have been fhe ax-
perience Of this old warrior to get into
the thickest OF whatever fray was roino
on. Out of the army and back to the
home to practice law through the stress
of reconstruction days, It was but a
short step for one Of his tastes and
capacities TO get into politics, and so
again In 1876 he was once more a Presi-
Dental elector in one of the critical
campaigns Of the nations history, and
once more on the losing side. He cast
his vote fo. TiIden, and in the threat
ening months of uncertainty which fol-
lowed that election. when hot-headed
people seemed bent on plunging the na-
uon Tor second time into the horrors
OF CIVIL war, men of the John Tyler Nor
gan sort stood between the threat and
the accomplishment In that year of
1876 ne was also chosen for the legis-
lature which gave him hts first commits
sion as Senator from Alabama bis term
opening in March. 1877. He has been
regularly elected ever since. the last
time receiving the support OF Demo-
Gratis, Republicans, and Populists.
Statesman of Conservatism.
Senator Morgan was chairman of the
Senate Committee on Foreign Relations
during the Democratic ascendencv IN
the Senate; and the vigorous, patriotic.
eloquent speeches he used to make. the
common-sense views he entertained, the
wonderful Information he had at com
mand, made him a great force in that
committee and in the Senate. The
United States WIS just then beginning
to be recognized as one of the really
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