Alexandria gazette & daily advertiser. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1817-1822, 1818-03-05
ALEXANDRIA,:
TUJRSD.AT, MARCH $. 1918.
FROM oURcoRRgspoNDENT Al WASH
ISGTON.
YednesdaY. March 4, 1878

the dis.emper Of speeckJfeation, which
has so long chung to our proceedings 10
! the house Of representatives, like the
murrain to cattle, was regarded by our
orators with no great favor; but that did
not dismay me-becaase l was convinced
that that distemper Is great NUISANCE 10
the nation, aud that it could never be
bated but by exposing it to ridlcule. l
was averse toit, besides, upon the grounds
that its universal practice denotes a great
want of taste and Of judgment, and an
utter absence of knowledge respecting
the nature, the constituent qualities, and
the uses of eloquence: but l relied, in
my observations, chiefly upon the nus
cbieyous waste of time il OcCasioned, and
the consequent delrment to the public
interests, to private rights, and to the
justice due to individuals. Had 10 o.
ther object in view but vague display oil
sagacity, should rtjoIce al. as on the o.
Their hand lido must sincerely deptors, the
lively illustration VI my notiuns afforded
by the debate which took place yesterday
in the house Of representatives On Mr..
Sergeant's motion to fix day Tor the COLI
clusion OF the present session. A motion
avowedly founded byt at very able men,
Der on the fact that the business dispatch
ed by congress in the present session,
bears no reasonable proportion to the
time that has been expended on it, and
having for its object to impel members to
resort to the only practicable means of
dispatching t&e public business with more
ceierity. Neither he nor any member
could w.,hin the walls OF the hnuse COM
nit that trespass upon individual sore.
ness of feeling, which fortunately it Is
the privilege Of the press TO exercise, or
to point out the tailing> and fcliies to
which the people owe this distemper in
some of their chosen representatives -
But he thing spoke for itself; and to do
gentlemen justice, there seemed to be no
unwilli"gness on their parts generally to
admit the existence of the failinS-they
were only reserve about the quanlum OF
it that belonged to themselves-each. with |
a generosity less uncommon than people |
chOo,e to acknowledge, declining to touch
his share Of it. In word, this distem-
per, the cucoethes toquendi, which usurps |
30 much of the public time, never has,
since the demolition of the tower of Ba-
bel, committed greater devastation than
it is at this moment committing on the |
public affairs and private common sense
OF the people Of the United States. This
however is not the place to speak my
whole thoughts in on the subject, which
mean to reserve for future series OF eS-
says upon some topic-un6er what head,
cannst now say,--but it certainly shall
not be elOquence. Dir. Sergeant and the
gentlemen who supported his motion, con-
sidered the fixing of limit to the ses.
sion, if not a cure, at least one Uf the
best means Of diminishing the virus Of the
distemper, by quickeEing the useful mo-
tons of the members, and putting stop
pers, as the sailors call them, on their
tongues. The conduct Of gentlemen on
this occasion, however DESTROYS they might
be to cure the disease, clearly showed
that they did not look to the proper me-
dicine, and thai they had no notion OF
beginning to exhibit the only efficacious
specihc-ant'loqaGcify.
The proposition Of Mr.. Sergeant was
opposed BY Mr., Lowndes by an argu-
ment which ought ever to be completely
successful, namely, the absolute impossi-
bility Of rising on the Slst Of March (the
day limited at by MIR. Sergeant) without
peculiar wrong to ia public business and
to the claims of muiutudes Of individu-
as, which had already bren too long kept
in a state Of suspension; that there was
a greater accumulation Of necessary bu-
siness at this tine remaining unfinished