The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1844-04-26
Hom tAs BaIlimsrs Sun.
POLITICAL oRAToRY.

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| The national revenue collected at wscasset, in
the State Of Maine. is not altogether 80 large IN
amount as that collected at New York; but then
Wiscasset has a custom house, a collector, &c and
the port and its collector have their rights well
as other ports and collectors The port has certain
~ right TO have a collector and the collector ior
the time being has right To have charge OF the port
SO FAR AS is necessary TO the performance oil ms o.
heiaI duties. 1 hen the appointing power has also
It's rights, amongst which is that OF removal ana IL
SO happened some years since, that collector oil he
port OF Wiscasset was removed, and another person
| appointed IN ms stead; wbereupon resolution oil
inquiry into the causes Of The removal, or something
OF that kind, was brought forward in the House oil
Representatives,. This was made 10 serve the Pur-
pose for which II was intended, viz; thai oil a text
Tor partisan sermons; aud Mr.. Siadc, oil vermont
then member OF the House. constituted himself the
lecturer In chief For several days-a week al least
If we remember rightly and for some three or Tour
hours each day-for "ihe one hour rule had no eA-
istence then--did he continue 10 deliver 10 the
wearied and Disguised members, partisan ma
rangues, having just about much relation 10 the
port OF Wiscasset aud its collector as TO the man
IN the moon and any port in his dominons. The pro-
position before the House in reality held as
thing OF no account by It's advocates, except SO lar
as II constituted pretext for partisan speechhca-
ton" In this respect II estimated above all
price yet IL was fact then as remarkable as SINH
lar facts occurring in these days, that the protested
advocate Of the proposition talked day alter day,
Tor hours together about any and almost every hing
of political nalure except the proposition before
the House The reason was, in part, this he had
private griefs" TO complain of and party purposes
To serve, and the port of Wlscassei offered hun
text, or rather pstert, which TO base speech
that cost the people more money by great deal
than that same port has yet, or probably will for ma
ny years, put into the national treasury. We refer
to hi, case now, simply because II is one OF The
most remarkable Of its class in the history of the pc
Dar lar tar orafo Of our
cause that such 1t accounts for many oil the nation
al legislative evils, delay Of business Congressional
rows, disgraceful brawl and not less disgraceu de-
bates, that have Of late ars combined to detract
from the dignity Of the national legislature, and
tended TO bring it especially The popular branch
into contempt. Our CJngressmen are all orators, or
nearly ala vast number of them at least ,eem to
think so, and to think in addition that unless they
distinguish themselves in the speech making
line, they must necessarily lose ground WIN
their constituents. Hence they will talk whether
they have any thing to say worth listening to or NOT
or whether not they know how to properly 'xpress
that whch they have TO say Among the consequent
Gees delay Of business an unnecessary and inJur-
Gus expenditure OF the time and money oil the people
the generation of i'll feeling among the members them
selves with disgraceful quarIels, brawls, hsthgh
and duels bad legislation and various other ills that
might be specified. Thus is the representative speak
ing talent OF our country perverted 10 uses not ohy
base but positively mischevous in high degree
i he bad ratarcal example alone, When CohsIts-
sonal Practice thus places before the mental eye oi
our youth, the future statesmen OF the nation, Is py
no means the least in the catalogue of The ills reier
red TO- This practice is directly at war with the IN.
struclons communicated to them at our semnares Oh
learning There they taught to reason Cor Getty,
VIII lie their fathers are numbering logic and violating
the ed and well established ruiz, OF rheo-
nc in Congress. The speeches are printed, the con-
suency read, admire, and-re-eiect The sons,
proud OF their fathers and enulous OF their fame add
tate their otca fortunes and dlstlngu shed positions
N public life pant eagerly for the time when they
may have opportunity 10 follow in their footsteps
What then, TO them the teachings OF the schools,
compared with that OF their fathers These were not
orators il is true hut they speakers and as such
they succeeded in reaching The objects OF Their
ambition. Why then should their sons pay les
pect TO the Ireccpts OF the schools, which can only
gain for them the reputation Of good scholars, while
political dogmas and the practice OF their pre-
decessors offer TO their acceptance the hghesi
places in the S ate, ard the most elevated posi-
tons in ETY., with many other attendant and as
sociae advantsgesi In sooth II is true as general
proposition, that the fathers so will be the
sons; or, the old saying IS as the old cock crows,
the Dung learns; and If the fathers OF the pre-
sent day. Ia our legislative bodies ill set bad orato-
rcal, moral aud political examples to their children,
we must expect the latter to follow them. II may
be- however, and would fain hope it, that reform
alton will take placehat members Of Congress, when
they do speak will speak to the question under DIS
CUSTOM and speak somewhat, in accordance with the
received rules that govern in such Eases; and thus
not only reform themselves and do good IN their own
day and generation but set good example to The
generations yetto come.