Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1854-07-15
DAILY EVENING STAR.
MECHANICS IN CONGRESS.
The Portsmouth va Transcript sa

The Portsmouth (va.) Transcript says !:
The workshop can furnish as good
legislators as the law office. Indeed, we
have ever been among the number who
believe that lawyers should never be leg
lslators. !" Simple justice " is the life of
society and nations; and we look for it
sooner in the graduate of the dollhouse
than of the college hall. Learning mys-
titles. Plain practical common sense
grasps {. the greatest good to the great.
est number"
In the House of Representatives at
Washington, there are two hatters-
FLORENCE of Philadelphia, and VANsANT
of Baltimore. Men of the people, who
are active and uncompromising in their
devotion to popular rights-to our elo-
rlous Union, and to the interests of their
immediate constituents.
The Hon. Joshua Vansant, the able
and deservediy popular representative
from Baltimore, took the House by sur
prise last week with his forcible and ell.
oquent remarks on an item in the Appro-
prlation bill. Like the most distin-
gmshed members ofthe Continental Con.
gresS, who were aCorkers and not takers.
MIR. Vansant has done "the State some
service" in the morning and midnight
investigation of the Commi ttee room
those little side chambers-intellectu
pigeon holes " in the great Capitol
where, in fact, nearly all the legislation
of Congress is determined. Although a
handsome speaker-fuent, rich, and pow
erful always ready in debate, and ever
convincing, because of his directness and
sledge-hamnerishness of style-yet he
has abstained from addressing the House,
until now, when practical proposition
is presented, he comes out sensibly and
eloquently to the surprise and admira-
ton of his three hundred fellow members
who know not what rare merit in him
was overlaid by rare modesty. This re-
minds us of an incident that occurred on
board the cars returning from Wheeling
on the opening of the Baltimore and
Ohio Railroad, of which MIR. Vansant
is one of the influential Directors
On that occasion, q large number of
the members of the Legislature of Vir-
ginia were the guests of the Railway Com
pany, and they were placed under the
protection of Mr.. Vansant, who had been
deputed to cause the wants of the Vir.
ginians not to be overlooked. His atten-
tions up to Wheeling and back were of
the most delightful character; and so sim
cere was the gratitude felt towards Mr..
Vansant, that spokesman was appoint
ed to return him the thanks of the Vir.
ginia delegation. Born in eloquence, as
the VirginianS are, there was no difficult
ty OF course, in procuring an elegant ex.
preston of thanks. The cars were rush.
ing through the gorges of the Allegany.
at speed of twenty miles an hour. Mr..
Nansant was called and placed at one
end of the car, and the spokesman at the
opposite. 1t was an iWpromptu affair
entirely, and of course without prepara-
tion- At the conclusion of the Virginia
address, there was some little emharrass-
ment lest they had placed Mr.. Vansant
in position of awkwardness in the mat
ter of reply. The astonishment and
delight were unbounded, and the applause
Immense, when Mr.. Vansant showed
them, at the first sentence, that he was
as used, as the best of them, 'sto speak
ing in public on the stage" He was en-
braced instantly; and doubtless that in
cident has been repeated, and is this day
freehly remembered, in almost every
county in the good Old Dominion"
We know both the gentlemen named
in the above extract well. OF Mr.. Van
SAINT the half that is meritorious has not
been told: but of that, more anon.
Mr.. Florence, or q Tom Florence" as
he is Familiarity called by those who are
intimate with him, is by far the most
popular Democrat in his distriet-and de-
servedly so. He is mechanic-a hat
ter-and since he has been placed in the
position Of representative of the people,
he has not forgotten and passed negh-
gently by those among whom be once
lived and moved. When he is at home
it matters not what position in life the
men fill who meet him-he has a joyous
greeting and kind word for every body.
When at Washington, he attends prompt
ly to the most trifing wants of the hum
blest of his constituents. He is seldom
away from his post, and always ready
to vote and speak for every bill, and on
every question that has the least bearing
upon the interests of the toiling masses
from whose midst he sprung.
Party aside, the working men of the
First Congressional district of Pennsyl-
vania cannot have better representative
in Congress than Thomas B. Florence.