Proteus

A Lieutenant Governor rode in a carriage beside a Governor. Red-coated foot guards made a guard of honor. Cavalry, an additional protection, pranced in the parade. A State Capitol was reached. The Lieutenant Governor entered. The Legislature had just declared him elected for two years as Governor of the State. He took the oath of office. He delivered a very long inaugural address--9,000 words. That evening, a great ball was given for him in the armory of the foot guards. He stayed up late. Next morning early, he rose, went to Capitol, tendered to the Secretary of State his resignation as Governor. A few minutes later, he took an oath as U. S. Senator. Not much more than an hour later he took train for the Nation's capital. All this within less than 24 hours.

Such was a day from the life of Hiram Bingham, onetime South American explorer, onetime Yale professor, a Republican, for two years a Lieutenant Governor of Connecticut, for one day Connecticut's Governor, now U. S. Senator.

Elected Lieutenant Governor two years and more ago, elected Governor while Lieutenant Governor and Senator while Governor-elect, his course resembles that of Proteus, lightning-change artist of mythology.

In his gubernatorial inaugural address, he called attention to the fact that there was a precedent (that of David B. Hill, who served both as Governor of New York and as Senator) according to which he might hold both offices, but declared that he did not believe it was good policy to do so, and repeated this opinion in resigning next morning.

John H. Trumbull, having meanwhile served a few hours as Lieutenant Govnor, then became Governor of Connecticut ; and now Mr. Bingham sits in the Senate in the place of the late Senator Brandegee.