Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1859-01-27
Congressional President-M Max.
ing.


Next to squaring the circle, and extract
ing sunbeams from cueumbers, the most
difficult thing in the world is for legislators
to keep to their appropriate work. State
Legislatures are constantly meddling with
national affairs, and instructing Congress
what to do and what not to do. Congress,
on the other hand, pays no attention to
these Instructions; and, neglecting its own
proper duties, spends much time in caring
for its immediate successor, and in manu-
facturi G Presidents of the United States.
Thet State legislative instructions are be-
coming serious pest. For instance: the
Legislature of New York, at the last ses-
sion, instructed Congress to do about twen-
ty specific things, and not to do about
twenty others. Of course, the record
shows that Congress did not do single
one of the frst-enumerated score, and do
just as many of the last as it pleased
The present house is now busy select ng
the officers for the next. More than one
third of the members of the incoming
Congress remain to be elected. Less than
half Of those now chosen are members of
the present Congress. It is doubtful
whether any party will have the controll-
ing power of the next House. Yet, with
these facts before them, half a dozen men,
bers of the present House are already in
the field for Speakersbip of the next; while
some five or six soon-to-be ex-members are
canvassing for the Clerkship. Nay, more
candidates for Sergeant-at-Arms, and Door
keeper, are springing up in all directions.
Leaving these smaller evils to work out
their own cure, we turn to consider the
bane of the country in the form of Con-
gressional President making.
This very attractive but most bootless
work, has, heretofore, been postponed to
the first session of the second Congress of
current Administration. But the utter
crushing ou: of Buchanan, by Lecompton,
in the last session, has precipitated the
evil upon us one year in advance of its
usual advent. Congress is now all agog
with making President to succeed Buch
anan. However it may be in articles of
more general use, in this commodity, hon
orable gentlemen at Washington seem to
favor domestic manufactures, home pro-
ducts. To say that the Presidential can
didates, present and prospective, apparent
and presumptive, possible and absurd, num-
Der at least two dozen in the two Houses,
is a moderate estimate. If the rule be
adopted in awarding Presidential nomina-
tions by National Conventions, which is
to prevail in alloting other jobs,
4. e., to let the work to the lowest bidders,
another dozen may be added to the list of
Congressional candidates. No great harm,
perhaps, comes of this sort of intrigue,
except sourne:s of spirit from disappoint-
ment, and consumption of time that should
be otherwise employed. Looking on from
a distance, one would think it would cool
the ardor both of Congressional President
makers and Congressional aspirants to the
Presidency, to recollect that the history of
the last thirty-five years proves that the
people pay no further regard to Congress
sional quasi nominations for this Office,
than TO generally discard them, either in
their Conventions or at the polls; that,
though members of the respective houses
have from time to time, run for the Presi-
1ency, no man has been called from Repre-
Hall or the Senate Chamber,
lirectly TO the White House; and that no
gentleman who has occupied seat in the
marble pile at the east end of Pennsylvania
lvenue, has reached :he much-coveted
mansion at the west end, without pretty
ong period having intervened between his
lomiciliation in the one and in the other.