The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-01-31
Oratory and s,.se.m.n.h,p In Congress,

oratory and ststesmanship In Congress.
1t is fact which cannot be disputed that
American oratory and craftsmanship, taking
Congressional debates as opponents, have been
gradually declining within the past seven or
eight years. Our first class men-like the
Websters, Clays, Randolphs, Burgesses, CAL
houns, Bentons and Haynes-are no longer
found in Congress. They are in the law courts,
or editing The journals, or writing the histories
of the nation. In the present House there are
some clever tactcians. hard working men in
committee, and clever parliamentary dodgers
that is all. In the Senate we find rather
higher order of ability, and could name half
dozen men, not first rate, but high among the
second rates.
These convictions are such as must occur to
any person of ordinary intelligence who will
take the trouble to read the debates as officially
published. 1t is here that the member is seen
under the most favorable light The official re-
porters are all masters of the niceties of the
language, and often round off period, or
smooth over bad sentence, or omit vulgar
saying which the speaker believes to be an ele-
CANT witticiem. The members very often pre-
pare their speeches, and they are spread before
the country without ever having been delivered.
If there is anything good in them it is very
sure to be noted by the official gazette. If there
is anything particularly stupid, it is very likely
to be excised from the report
These facts promised and admitted, let us
see what Congress has been doing during
the six weeks that it has been in
existence. The session opened in the Senate
with debate on the Kansas question, forced on
with indecent haste by Mr.. Douglas, who hoped,
by throwing firebrand into the councils of the
nation, to make little political capital for him
self Mr. Douglas went into a long and elaborate
defence of his mythical dogma about squatter
sovereignty-a dogma which neither he nor
any one else seems to understand, but with
which he endeavors TO trim his sails so as to
catch few abolition votes. Mr.. Douglas
speech was full of special pleading, and he
was answered in the same vein 10y Mr.. Bigler.
He was in turn savagely cut up by Mr.. Douglas,
who is "a sharp debater. The Southern Senator's
generally reserved their ere. One of the
Indiana Senators made a long speech against
Douglas. II should have been better, consider
ing that he was speaking for nothing less than
his seat in the Senate. Mr.. Broderick made
remarkable speech, in which he talked about
the President attempting to "coerce people
into submission to an illegalized body of men,"
and also said that were ne in Kansas he would
have "cut the ears of from the Lecompton
delegates. and logged them out Of the Terri
tory This was fine debut and we do not
wonder that the Senator acknowledged to being
much embarrassed" when he sat down. We
should suppose that his constituents would share
his feelings IN the debate on the Treasury
Note bill-which should have opened the whole
question relative to the finance and currency of
the country. and where there was rare oppor-
tunty to display all the qualities Of an orator and
a statesmen--we find nothing but very long,
dull speech of Mr. Simmons, Of Rhode Island,
who treated the matter from purely cotton
spinning point of view. The gist of his speech
MAJ be summed up in the single sentence that
we have been over trading and over speculat-
ingf but that l. not exactly new. In the course
Of his speech Mr.. simmons accidentally trod
upon the very sensitive toes Of Mr.. Davis of
Mississippi, aud pretty little quarrel ensued
between the cotton spinner and the cotton
planter The spinner said, humbly, " l meant
no offence" and the planter replied, hsughtily,
land take none" II was in the course of
this debate that Mr. Seward made the remarka-
bic statement that New York had one of the
best administered governments in the world.
Fit is meant for joke il Is not funny, and it was
not good taste in Mr.. Seward to make it, II in
teIded a. serious statement, il shows that Mr..
Seward II either very ignorant or that he will
fully made diversion from the truth.
After this we find the Senators airing their
oratory with some obituary euioges, in one of
which young gentleman from Ohio introduced
in the original Latin quotation Of considerable
length, which evidence Of learning must have
been quite entertaining to some of the Sena-
tors whose English might be improved, to say
nothing Of the dead languages.
The case OF Nicaragua Walker has been twice
before the Senate. on the Presidents message
first, and again upon motion made by Mr..
Doolttle, Of Wisconsin, to present the thanks
Of Congress and a medal TO Commodore
Paulding. The debates arc very dull on both
sides. We find. however a remarkable state
ment by Mr. Brown, of Mississippi who denied
that Walker ever left the United States
with any expedition against Ncsra-
qua. or that he returned to the
United States Tor the purpose of getting up such
an expedition. We next find Mr.. Hale, of New
Hampshire, treating the Senate TO two days
dissertation upon niggcrs. thickly interspcrscd
with judicial opinions from Moses down to
Mclean. Mr.. Hale is one of those gentlemen
whose speeches are interlsrded thus Laugh
teri. As there is nothing in the speeches to
laugh at, we presume that the Senate laughs at