The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1913-03-17
1ARgTB WRITES
STORY Of GlFE
WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT
HAS, INTERESTING SKETCH OF
4 NEyt:sENA1oR.


Times-Star, and who was President
Tatts OFFICIAL press representative
during both his campaigns, has an ar
.tieie In the Cincinnati TlmesStar OF
Thursday, which Is a sketch Of the In.
taresting, career OF Judge Nathan
Gptf, now Senator from West Virginia.
The artisle is such a clear exposition
Of the Senator'S busy life that 1t Is
reproduced for West VirgluIan read
eEs:
When Nathan B. Goff Of Clarksburg,
W. va, returned to Congress on;
March 4 as q member of the United
States Senate, after an absence OF
"a years, he found that startling
changes had marked the passage Of
the quarter century.
OF all the men who sat in the upper
body on March 8, 1889, the day that
saw the last OF MIR. COTS six year ser.
vice in the House, not one survives,
politically. Not a man in the United
States Senate today who occupied a
seat there then.
The House had a membership of
1874 representatives and eight dele.
gates. Arizona, Dakota, Idaho, Mon
tana, New Mexico, Utah, Washington
and Wyoming were all territories
then. OF the 342 men composing the
membership. Of the House OF the Fiji
tteth Congress, 10 remain in Congress-.
John II. Bankheard of Alabama; Mar
Gus Aurellus Smith, who was then a
delegate from the Territory Of Ari'
IONA; Henry Cabot Lodge, Of Massa-
chlsetts; William Joel Stone Of MIS-
spuri; Jacob H. .Gallinger OF New
Hampshire; F. NJ. Simmons Of North
Carolina, and Isaac Stephenson of
Wisconsin, have weathered the storms
and occupy seats in the Senate, col
leagues Of Mr.. Goff there now, as they
were a quarter Of u century ago In the
lower body; and Serene E. Payne of
New York, j. f. c. Talbot Of Mary.
land and C. F. Booher Of Missouri, are
the only three survivors of those COT
Congresses in the House. Ten alto
gfther--no Senator OF that period;
seven representatives promoted TO the
Senate; and three representatives yet,
opagain, in the House.
Sir. Goff's service was in the 4Sth,
4ath and 5Oth Congresses. Ohio, dur
ing those six years had George II.
Psndleton, John Sherman and Henry
b. Payne in tho Senate. John +. Fol-
lett, Isaac NJ. Jordan, Ben. Butler
worth and c. Brown were the Ctnein-
mutt representatives. Among the other
Ohio men in the House were such as
George E. Campbell, of Hamilton,
George L. Converse Of Columbus, A..
J. Warner OF Marietta, the Taylors--
Joseph d. OF Cambridge and Ezra B.
OF Warren-Geu, J., w, Keiter OF
Springfield, ]. II. Cultivate Of Colunl-
bus. William Mckinley was there,
and Gen. c. H, Grosvenor, T, E. Bur
ton did not come in until the 51st
Congress, after COTS career had
closed.
A veteran OF II years, Nathan b.
Goff laid down the congenial duties Of
q Federal Judge, to round up his career
in the highest lawmaking body in the
(country-Iln the world, as We are
pleased, to have it put. And despite
his; years, he will raise the average OF
that body for yirility aud political
courage, destined to carry to the end
otshls time the honored title OF the
Grand Old Man Of West Virginia. An
other outand-out Republican has been
added, to the list Of vigorous men who
stand out courageously for. the prin'
ciples, which Senator COT adopted
more than an ordinary lifetime ago.
,Goffis Career In the Civil War
In Judge Goff the Republicans OF
West Virginia have given recognition
toa member of,the vanishing army Of
the Republic. Born in 1913, attending
Georgetown college in this city at the
age OF IL he enlisted in the Civil War.
at: the age OF % he was discharged
with the brevet rank OF BrigadiCr Gen.
eEal. -Four months in dread Libby
,prison were among the experiences
which he yet relates at camp fires,
when he was hold as hostage for
Major Armscy, the Confederate spy,
who had been taken within the Union
lines. 1t remains matter OF history,
that letter which young Con wrote to
PRESIDENT Lincoln, when an exchange
WIS suggested. lie did not beg for
his life. He held it lightly, as COM
pared with the great cause. II guilty.
lgwrote, Armsey, a fellow West Vir'
gla1an, should be executed, and his
own life should not stand in the way
Of justice. But Armsey was spared
and Goff was released. The COnfeder.