| Show WASHINGTON TRADITIONS Full Senate Means the Early Death of One of Its Members Washington Cor Chicago News In the death of Senator Redfield Proctor of Vermont the senate has suffered Its sixth loss within a year The first death was that of Senator Russell Russen A Alger of at Michigan Then the venerable and beloved senators from Alabama the Damon and Pythias of that body bod Morgan organ and Pettus both of whom had passed the age of SO years ears suddenly went to their graves in the recess of congress preceding the pres present present ent eat session Senator Mallory Manory of Flor Fior Florida FlorIda ida was waa the next to go dying in the Christmas recess of this session His I death was followed only a few weeks ago by the unexpected demise of Sen Senator Senator Senator ator Latimer of South Carolina who ho succumbed comparatively early in life hIre to a combination of stomach trouble and an operation for appendicitis which was found to have been unnecessary unnecessary sary san Washingtonians hold fast to certain well defined superstitions regarding deaths in the senate Thus it was that when Senator W J Bryan the youth youthful ful successor of Mallory took his seat and the two new senators from Okla OkIa Oklahoma Oklahoma homa had been sworn In and George Peabody Wetmore was finally chosen to succeed himself thereby completing a full membership of the senate for the first time in many years the veterans of ot the senate chamber began to whis whisper whisper whisper per among themselves Who Vho will be bethe bethe bethe the first to die That there Is a tradition of the sen senate senate senate ate that a full tun senate means an earl early death of a senator can be readily con confirmed confirmed confirmed firmed by the curious but it would not nol be an easy matter to find out when and where this tradition arose Senator Latimer who died soon after this tradition began to be whispered about was one of the men in the sen senate senate senate ate whose death was the least ex expected expected expected There is another common common superstition superstition tion about deaths In congress which usually verifies Itself and that is that no fewer than three members of each congress die before their terms expire Already this number has been exceed exceeded ed in the Sixtieth congress although the Sixtieth congress is now only anI three months old Technically Senators Morgan and Pettus should be added to the list because they were until they died entitled to sit In a special session of ot the Sixtieth congress which really reany began be an Its existence March 4 last As Asno Asno Asno no special session was held however although the members draw their sal salaries salaries salaries aries from front March 4 the congress has sat only since the first Monday Monda in last December Since then Representative George Smith of ot Illinois and the three senators already mentioned Mallory Latimer and Proctor have died It is a true saying among the living of the senate that If they were to choose the time of death they would almost invariably choose to die a sen semi senator senator ator of the United States This Is a tradition that reaches over Into the theother theother theother other branch of congress where Speaker Cannon himself recently said I at a private dinner party part glien fen by one of his that his sole ambition in life was to die in the public service servie The fact that a member of con congress congress congress gress who dies is buried at public ex ox expense expense pense pence and his heirs receive one years salary which now amounts to Is no consideration to a large majority of the members of congress although it might appeal to some of the poorer members as a sort of insurance which they the could ill afford otherwise Few of them ever eyer care for the pomp of at a pub public public lic lie funeral as was evidenced by the re recent recent 0 cent request of Senator Mallory that a committee from congress be dispensed with and by a curtailing of the num nuni number number ber of the congressional funeral party part which attended the funeral of Senator Proctor ProctorS The satisfaction which comes to most S of them in dying dIng In their public office is for the most part a desire to depart from life undefeated In tn their ambition Particularly In those states which re repeatedly repeatedly repeatedly confer the senatorial or toga upon good and faithful servants until their career is ended by death is this sentiment true For many years it was understood In Washington that the state of Alabama meant that Senators Morgan and Pettis should end their lives as senators Illinois enjoys a similar sentiment in the case of Sen Son Senator Senator ator Cullom and a large share snare of the population of the state stat of Iowa are arenow arenow arenow now engaged in a struggle to keep Sen Sea Senator Senator ator Allison In the senate for another term although his health is admittedly poor So long as senators or represent representatives from each state make good re records records records cords the states they represent are prone to grant their ambitions Over Oyer on the house side aide J H Ketcham of New York who has served seven seventeen seventeen seventeen teen consecutive sessions in congress died as a member of or the house H H Bingham of Pennsylvania Penns Is now serving serving serving ing his fifteenth session Speaker Can Cannon Cannon Cannon non Is in his seventeenth session and if It not successful in his ambition to be president is expected to return to the house hous as long as he cares to serve R RR RR RH R H Hitt of Illinois who died a mem member member member ber of the congress was serving in his thirteenth congress Many Ian other instances could be cited of long and faithful service In the house which has been crowned finally by hr death In the harness |
