Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, South-Carolina) 1852-1852, 1852-03-19

The edisgraceful fight that took place last Friday
in the House of Representatives forms natural
supplement to the character of the proceedings
since the commencement of the session. The
public business has given place to personal squab
bles. The national faith has been tarnished in
the prolongation of debates that involved NO
public principle. The necessary appropriations
of the government, have been postponed, that
partizans may engag" in r." und:gnitied pursuit
of President making. Can ANYTHING be imagin-
ed more disreputablc to republican legislation?
Where this evil is to end no one can forcsee and
what may be the lowest stage of degeneracy in
our national representatives is fearful in the con-
temptation. 1t appears that demagogues are in
the almost exclusive possession of the House.
1t seems that the respectable portion of that body
who wish to see the public business put in prog
ress are constantly outvoted by men who alone
possess its ear and shape its action.
When retrospection carries us back some thirty
years the mind can scarcely realize the contrast
between the present and the past, in the compo-
sition of Congress, especially the more democrat
ic branch. The more intimate relation between
the representative and constituent bodies has
certainly not improved the character of the
House of Representatives. The closer depend
ence of the National legislator on his electors has
not rendered him more efficient or dignifed.-
The theory of the National Constitution is
unchanged, but practically great changes have
been wrought. five had made the Congress
sional elections annual, instead Of biennial, we
would not have produced more radical altera-
ton in the composition of that body than we
have effected by simply extending the suffrage
under the State constitutions. Iftlle former sys-
TEN of suffrage, qualified by property, had rep
resentation, for able and respectable men would
have been reelected who have been driven into
retirement, because they refused to enter into
political rivalry with demagogues for the suffra-
ces of the people. An animal election by an a.
mendment of the Constitution would not have
carried into the House of Representatives lar
ger, if as large number Of demagogues as find
their way into it, under the system Of universal
suffrage. There is no remedy, apparently, for
this state of things. We are apprehensive that
we have not arrived at the lowest stage of nation
al degradation when the representative body is
determined in its complexion by such qualifca-
tions for the electors to it as State Conventions
choose to impose.
In connection with the mischief Of this close
ness of political intimacy between the people and
their National Representatives, is the short term
of the Presidency. The evil tendency Of a qua
drennial election to this Office, like a biennial
election to the House of Representatives was
mitigated in practice by the fact that we had, in
reality, no struggle for the Executive chair, with
one exception, until Mr.. Van Buren, succeeded to
office. We have had hot canvass and an ear
nest struggle every fourth year since. This must
disfgure the legislation of Congress with party
squabbles, at every short interval that the con-
test is renewed. The greatnese of the prize, the
zeal of partizans, carries their contentious for
their favorte candidate almost necessarily into
that body, which is thoroughly identified in po-
htical sympathy with the people. The battle is
fought within the House as we'll as without-as
earnestly on the theatre of legislation as on the
political platform. Can it be otherwise than IA
tai to the public service when the combatants
meet on this field, their appetites for Offices of
profit and distinction, sharpened by the rivalry Of
opposing partizans?