The Washington times., 1924-03-19
PROFESSIONALS
IN CONGRESS
DOMINATE
Most Of Them Lawyers. Many
Make Principal Vocation
Office Holding.
BY GEORGE r. HOLMES,
International NeWa Service.

International NeWa Service.
Along about this time Of the year,
when John j. Citizen sits down and
takes his pen in hand to write
check for his income tax, it be-
comes the fashion to swear at Con-
gress.
Always a popular avocation, this
swearing at Congress is more gen.
eral this year perhaps than nor
mally, owing to the breath Of scan
dial and secret intrigue in high
places that hangs like a pail over
all Washington.
What is Congress? Who are the
men that compose 1t. Where do
they come from? What do they do
for living when they are not max
ing laws?
Mostly Lawyers.
The answer to the last question
is that the vast majority Of them,
when Congress is not in session,
are busily engaged in Interpreting
those same laws and extracting
comfortable livings by so doing.
A vocational analysis Of the Sixty
eighth Congress reveals many inter
esting things. One Of them Is that
OStAtotVSSES 40 SOAAPOoSu RICHOLOO1'
antly of lawyers. It might almost
be said Congress Is composed of, by
and for lawyers. And as for those
who are not lawyers, they present
a fairly accurate picture of cross
section Of American life.
There are sal members Of Con-
gress-4S5 in the House and 90 in
the Senate. OF that number 374,
/ QnnrnYiYo of olUy
lawyers-men who are either
actively engaged in praeticing their
profession back home or who have
been trained in the law. The rest
consist Of merchants, farmers, con.
tractors, manufacturers, bankers,
teachers, editors, insurance agents,
actors, engineers, tailors, plumbers,
railway men, and what-not.
Long i'm Public Life.
Some of them have been engaged
in public life so long that their real
vocations-if they ever had any
have been lost sight of in the years
OF their office holding. They might
be termed professional office
holders" for their own autobiogra-
phies reveal no particular calling in
life. only long years on the public
payroll.
Here, in a nutshell, is a Congress
vocattonally analysed, as revealed
in their own writings in the Con-
gressional Directory. that vast re-
posltory OF facts about the great
and the not-so-great:
Lawyers, S74; office holders. 16;
editors and writer's, Is; teachers
and instructors, Is: farmers, IL;
manufacturers, IL; bankers, ~; con-
tractors, z; general mercantile, g.;
doctors, 8; insurance agents, 6; real
estate agents, 4; coal dealers, 8,
dentists, 3: lumber dealers, 8; paper
dealers, g.; shipping agents, 8; min
listers. 2; civil engineers, 2; grain
dealers, Q; actors and producers, &;
glass blower, /; miner, /; chemist,
/; locomotive engineer, 1; well
driller, 1; cotton dealer, l; gas COM
pany official, /; railway president,
l; tailor, /; electrician, /; produce
merchant, !; tree surgeon, /; jew
eler, /.
Nearly All Natives.
All but IA are native.born Amer
leans. They represent every State
in the Union, of course; but 1t is
surprising how many of them are
now serving States outside Of their
birthplaces. From the more popu-
olus East they drifted West, many
OF them, there to win public favor
and come back East again as Rep
resentatives Of Western States.
Forty.two gave their birthplace as
Pennsylvania, 80 in New York, SO
in Ohio, 20 in Indiana, 10 in Massa-
chusetts, 20 in Illinois, etc.
Three Senators and eleven mem.
bers Of the House list their birth
places as follows: Canada, Senator
Couzens, Rep) Of Michigan; Repre-
sentative Sinclair, of North Da-
kota, and Representative Sproul, Of
Illinois,; Germany, Representative
Weight, of Wisconsin; Austria. Rep
resentative Berger, Of Wisconsin;
England, Senator Gooding, of Idaho
| and Representative Crowther, Of
New York; Sweden, Senator Mag.