undred,--in a total poll each year of about 90,000 votes. In Congress
General Hawley at once took active part in the proceedings and debates.
A forcible speaker, with quick perception and marked industry, he had
all the requisite for success in a Parliamentary body.

--Ellis H. Roberts took his seat as a Republican representative from
the Utica district, New York, of which he is a native. Immediately
after his graduation at Yale he became the editor of the _Utica
Morning Herald_,--a position he has ever since held. The strength of
Mr. Roberts, his intellectual resources, the variety and extent of his
knowledge, the elegance and purity of his style, may be found in his
editorial columns. No test of a man's power is more severe than the
demand made by a daily newspaper. Without the opportunity for
elaborate investigation of each subject as it arises, he must have a
mind well stored with knowledge; without time for leisurely
composition, he must possess the power of writing off-hand with force
and precision. Tried by these requirements, Mr. Roberts has for a
third of a century exhibited a high order of ability, with a constantly
enlarging sphere of knowledge, a constantly growing power of logical
statement. He entered Congress, therefore, with great advantages and
resources. So well recognized were these, that the general opinion of
his colleagues indicated him for the Ways and Means Committee, a
position rarely assigned to any but an old member. Mr. Roberts took
active and influential part in all the financial legislation, and soon
acquired a strong hold upon the House. He always spoke clearly and
forcibly, possessing at the same time the art and tact of speaking
briefly. He was re-elected in 1872, but suffered defeat in the
Republican reverse of 1874. If he had been sustained by the force of
a strong Republican majority, he could not have failed to increase
the distinction he gained in his brief service, and to become one of
the recognized leaders of the House.

--William P. Frye took his seat from Maine. Though but thirty-nine
years of age, he had for a considerable period been conspicuous in
his State. He graduated at Bowdoin College at nineteen years of age
(in 1850), and soon became professionally and politically active. From
the first organization of the Republican party he supported its
principles and its candidates with well-directed zeal. He served
several terms in the Legislature and was one of