| Show OLDEST MEMBER OF CONGRESS I WOO WAS ONCE HAD often otten n a 1 brink haired old man erect of ot figure ami always with two or three book under uno inn like Ilka a II tho capitol plaza before I knew him for tor the lion Hon A J I Grow the oldest member or ot He WB always erect alert and never without hi hili boon book erward when 1 crime to know kno him w will ll I discovered piled up in trout front of him on his hll d pk k In III the hoU ai or re rep P Then I know that th till carrying of or hooks hook Will was nu no affectation for tor ho they were tact fact he extracted d from them much of or he the con len l which other member rl sought loughl Him to nl o hall Imn atly d to In ripen the Intellect round out the mental equipment of ot wonderful om ninn who at ih Ihl n ilK of or still t o eiM lell th the avidity for Cur knowledge of ot a n student In 10 hi Us teens It Is la a 1 l look ok backward nc to the whan thin Ihl man now no the HID oldest member of first took his eai m that august body It la Is more poro than halt half a 1 century In point of at fuel for tor ho hl celebrated hll ot r life lite In March of at last year oar When I him ono one day recently If It he retained a vivid recollection of oC those early III when he came to If h would favor me with m e lit not only pardoned the Hem HemIn Ini In Impertinence hut but Indulged me III hy lIy entering hUo a n that I always n Ill one of ot the im st interesting I over to 10 Imagine H II who ha met and familiarly with Presidents Vim VIII Huron nuren J Daniel 1 Thomas A John 1 II Hale William II It U UrI m W l Salmon 1 Cha e Henry Charles I l W Pitt I Stephen A l and Rn all those tho great men who the of ot n II ri gods long since line deported Jut but not lOt Tho hand that grouped Irn ped mine wae the same hail had taken the great real many n time More Jl rf than thin It hot l to 10 the celebrated homestead bill the or ot A drow Immediately that of or A fur rOI man YR mow more than any other In In upon eur lilli country lit f fr o lands for tor the Hie And that Ihal bill won signed by President Lincoln nearly forty ago alo and the man who finally gained lil point Anil got It tho house mill liven to witness lit It benefaction H I met Inet Webster Iho godlike Daniel DanlI tho lint WiRIer winter I wa In Wa eald AlII Mr Grow with a m rry twinkle In hi eye ey but 1 J had hatI it 11 i d mow mo with B who you know wai un a ono time rival of tho great Cleat triumvirate Calhoun and Clay In III thoe In III congress He II was 88 n CI I t ICo 1 S 3 L 11 L A L nON HON GALUSHA A GROW great friend of ot young men my m acquaintance with him woe as Intimate as ns that thal with any public man I have over known I voted for hiM bin John Johll C Fremont when ho hu was put up for tor president but Denton tho stern old worked against supported I Mr Ir Grow lUt moat striking personality he had met In III congress und and ho answered with ono ot at his Inimitable twinkle that he hi thought It mut have been heen the member tram from a n southern tuto who smote him one day dayon on account of ot n II difference of opinion It was wal during a debate d hale on the tha Lecompton constitution bill lIlII and while General was speaking I row rOAe and went over to the III Democratic side of or tho Iho house to 10 speak to n CI fellow rellow member While there thero I objected to the as nil I had a R right to do when of or South Carolina told mo to go back to my Iny own Hide of ot tho hOllo If I wanted to 10 object I replied that tho hall waa WIlS n free one and nil every nan man had hlll a right to go where ho he pleased This teemed to excite J and he came eRme up ami demanded d to know what I meant by such an Rn an answer I told him I meant Just junt what I ld and thin Ihl angered my opponent to such an nit extent that he made a n grab for tor my throat and I struck at lit hint him This proved the signal for tor n rough and tumble right light for tal each of or us liS had friends standing about and an we were held Homebody hit Barksdale of at who ho hall had essayed tho rolo 1010 of or peacemaker und and lie h struck who truck somebody else ele Finally l wig came camo ort off and When he put It on wrong end foremost he no 0 funny that all burst out laughing and nn 1 the great fight was over Mr Grow has hu b Joel n a II hard hitter In debate but he was not muscular or athletic In his early being forced to 10 retire from the law business In which he hUll had early earl engaged and Ild tako up outdoor pursuits such as na lumbering ami surveying I was born ho says any In county Conn Aug My lither father died when I was three years old and my mother with six children to 10 provide for tor removed to county count Pa In In May ny 1831 In order to hell holp her I worked on a 1 farm turm and went lumbering finally earning money enough to carry mo 1110 through Am her t college from Crom I graduated In 1511 1811 After regaining re my health I was elected to congress In tho place of ot lilY tny law partner David 1 Wilmot famous you know as RN author of or the Wilmot proviso and a II ree Boiler Soller I was elect elected ed I as RI a 11 candidate and ami In the end a n ranker Free Boiler Soller than himself If It that were possible My maiden speech Oh It was on Mans Ians HIght to 10 tho oll III and being the youngest t member of ot congress I was per enough to to tny m theme until finally the bill lIlII known as liS the tho homestead act was passed Some Somo facetious person declared I have heart heard that the tho late lale had me In I mind when ho he save guo that Immortal advice to togo togo go west and Oro up Ul with the country lIlt but I dont think so 80 myself Grow served twelve years after his first election or from Crom 1851 to 1563 He lIe was chosen speaker ot at the houw hOl on the Uli Hh of oC July 1861 Is therefore the oldest 01 1 ell I living As the wartime speaker ho he panned through many exciting scenes but hul when he retired hs hI r received a unanimous vote of ot thanks tram from his col leagues of oC the congress HP III from public life UC for tor awhile spending a n few rew years In Texas TelaR but was elected to the congress In 1891 and 1 reelected to the I and Fifty seventh by ly such Much large majorities that he ban haR earned the nickname of ot Majorities draw |
