Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1851-04-10
From tie PRINCETON Magazine.
Westminster and STlsi,ingfSpr,

From fie Pytaoe'aR Magazine
Westminster and Washington.
1t Is so long ago since was in England
namely, ten months, that | would not have
thought ofwriting anything about il if Won
had not asked me; but as youhavc done so,
| am prepared TO state my views at LEM til,
on the issue you have made, freely and
icarlessly, as we used to say at Washing
ton. You ask me whether what saw of
parliament, when | was in London. led me
TO think 1t equal or superior to our National
Congress. reply, not at all, nor even 10
the humblest Of our State Legislaturcs.-
AS to the House Of Commons, it Is not 70
be named III comparison with the House of
Representatives. In the first place, the
members get no pay and must Of course be
men ofmeans. There is nothingto attract
plain working men, or broken merchants,
or ingenious spectators Only think Of
legislation without per diem or even mil
cage! Why the man who makes thou
sand dollars by imaginary journeys TO and
from out capital, would be actually paving
money in London. This plan of making
laws ofnothing,is is undoubtedly the funniest
idea that has been imagined since tho DAYS
Of Solon. was told in England that the
members formerly received pay and relin
pushed it themselves. But tliis | hold to
be impossible. Just think Of our House
even lowering their pay, or reducing their
expenses; let alone abandoning them. This
is one ofour glorious peculiaritiea, closely
connected with thepreservation Of our free
dom. Whatever else may be assailed the
enormous expenditures Of Congress cannot
be touched without its consent, and thai
we may confidently hope, win never be
given. Another ridiculous absurdity about
the House Of Commons, is the place where
1t meets--a room just large enough TO hold
IT. This is the more absurd, because the
burning Of the old house gave them fine
opportunity Of building one like ours with
lofty columns and a dome. But although
they have erected vast palace, thc room
in which the House is TO assemble is no
larger than before. il lis true they can hear
one another, which is more than can be
said Of our's-but what Of thatl Who
would think Of prefciring sound to sense
IN such case But it is not merely the
size and planness Of the room that | object
to, but the want Of all conyeniences. Six
hundred men and more crowded together
on benches Ike schoolboy-. or Ike an au-
dience at a lecture, is a piliable spectacle
compared with our noble Hall al Wash-
ngton. No desks, no aunchairs, no faci-
lilics for writing books or business letters,
no supply ofnewspapers or staiionery.-
The consequence as might have been ex-
pected, is, that instead of taking the thing
leisu{cly, the business is hurried through,
IN order to release the members from their
comiortless confinement. What would be
thought in the District Of an important de-
bate finished in a single nightl Some Of
the members with whom / converscd, had
never even heard Of our American method
Of cutting up the business into slices. and
debating every Interesting question for un
hour day. They were weak enough to
think the subjects would be apt to get con
fused, as well as to grow stale before we
came TO decision. One poor creature
went 50 far as 10 say he thoughttheir meth
cd was more natural, and agreed better
with the way we manage things in private
HE. When two or three men meet, (said
he) to talk over matters Of business, they
do not talk Of them in turn but in success
sion. Whoever thinks il such case Of
letting one man talk ten minutes about one
thing, and then the next man Of another
and so on the endl
This speech Of my English friend viii
let you INTO the secret Of their foolish no
tons on the subject. Their idea Of Parlia-
mentary proceedings is, that they must be
conducted like an ordinary meeting for bu-
sIness, only on larger scale and on more
important subjects. If man has anything
to say, he says it, and sits down when he Is
done. If he has nothing to say or says too
much, they stop him by showing their i'm
patince. Long speeches are made usually
only by well known inexperienced mem
bcrs, and debates are conducted very much |
by the same persons. How much nobler
is our theory and practice Of parliamentary
eloquence. Our idea is not that Of a meet |
ing for business, but Of college dcclama-
ton, in which the speeches are made for
their own sake, and each competitor may
take his time, whether he has anything to
say or not. In carrying out this idea, we
are beaten only by the French, who not
only have theatrical hall forihe exhibition,
but stage or tribune, where the orator
displays himself precisely as at school and
college. This is the only fcreign innova-
ton which deserves to be introduced at
Washington, and | rejoice to sec that it has
been proposed. As to that other PROPOSE
ton Of removing the desks and narrowing
the area, it is movement backwards to-
wards the antiquated barbarism Of the moth
er country; and would no doubt be follow
edby fatal change from long to short
and from fine to plain in our Congressional
elo9uence, ifuot from noble prodigal.ty
to no vulgar cheapness in our legislation.
SMITH.
A youth eyed IS years, living in Green
County, Ohio, has a wife aged 16, and is