The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-02-07

Inc AmcICou OOu8t0eo nus now, Gp0r
struggle of eight weeks, been duly organized
by the choice Of Speaker and other officers Of
the House of Representatives During the
time that the House was in an unorganized
condition there were many occurrences ON the
floor, many demonstrations on the part of in.
dividual members, which placed the whole
body in very disreputable light at home and
abroad. Some little excuse might be found for
these occurrences in the consideration of the
fact that the contest for the Speakership was
made unprecedentedly violent by the outside
pressure upon all parties in the House, caused
by the intense agitation which prevailed at the
South and reacted upon the North and the
West. But now that the contest is over-now
that the Speaker and other officers of the House
have been chosen-it is the bounden duty OF
every member to use his best endeavors in i'm
proving the character and maintaining the
dignity of the body, and comforting upon it the
dignity which its weight and Importance de-
mand.
For their weight and Importance cannot well
be overrated. The popular branch of the Con-
gress of these United States represents, or is
presumed to represent, more than thirty mil
lions of free, happy, civilized people, who COM
pose the body polite of the only republic that
for wealth, prosperity and material progress
can be accounted among the great Powers Of
Christendom. It would be absurd to deny that
the progress of the United States, under
the workings of free institutions, is re-
garded by the European rulers with q
great deal of anxiety and curiosity, mixed with
no little jealousy and alarm. Attached to the
old ways and the old forms, they verify believe
that our system of popular government is de-
cided mistake; therefore they look year by year
for the disruption of the confederated States
and the adoption of a more consolidated 60
vernment. 1t is for their especial interest," like
wise, to keep up the cry that the model re-
public is failure, that our government is the
most corrupt on the face of the earth,
and that the governing classes are the
DULLES, the rowdies, the gamblers and the
loafers of the great cities, and the tavern
brawlers of the rural districts. Our foreign
critics are never 80 happy as when they
can find q record of some disgraceful scene on
the floor of Congress, or in the streets of the
federal capital. 1t is upon such scenes that
they found their impudent dogma that our
governmental experiment has not succeeded,
and that return to the despotic system Of
Europe, where almost every throne rests upon
bayonets, is the only resource which is left open
to us. 1t is unfortunately the case that we give
but too much occasion for severe structures It
would appear sometimes that our public men,
carried away by the bad spirit of partisan
warfare, had forgotten the responsibility which
rests upon them, the duty of conserving the
institutions transmitted to them by their Revo-
lutionary sires, and to be again RENTED intact
to posterity Members of the House of Repre-
sentatives seem to forget that the man is only
dignifed by the Office in exact proportion to his
excellence in performing its duties, and that
what would be only misdemeanor If commit
ted by private person, becomes a positive
crime on the part of o public officer. 1t is
| high time that the members of the House were
brought to understand that unless they make a
united effort to preserve order and the deco.
rum which should rule in debate, the popular
branch of Congress will sink into absolute de-
rision at home and profound contempt abroad.
A recent disgraceful occurrence at Washing
ton-something which happened since the cleo
ton of the Speaker and Clerk-seems to de-
mand in an especial manner the attention of
the House. On the evening of the same day
when he had been elected, the man who had
been honored far above his deserving, in be-
ing chosen to the second Office in the House,
degraded his position, and insulted the mem
beers who had supported him, by addressing q
drunken mob in one of the streets Of Washing.
ton, and abusing in q ribald and vulgar man.
ner the representative of q coordinate branch
of the government in the person of the chief exc
cutive officer of the republic. In the height of
drunken spree, surrounded by rufaans ex
cited by intoxication, this officer of thu
House had the effrontery to pour out his per
sonal spleen upon the President of the United
States, and to assail him in language fit only
for the pothouse or the kennel.
Such state of things as this could never
have been foreseen by the good and true
patriots who laid the foundations of oul
government. In their day such conduct or
the part of an officer of the House would have
been considered as an impossible crime. And
even at this time it affords the strongest PROOF
of the depth of degradation and decentralization
to which our government has been brought by
the Vaccinations of miserable politicians. But
| it is possible that there may yet be sufficient
amount of public virtue, private honor and
gentlemanly feeling among the members of the
House to punish this officer as he deserves, o,
at least so far as the powers of the House car
CO. And we hope that there will be found Q
member who has sufficient regard for the
credit of the House and the honor of the
country to introduce resolution for a com
mittee to investigate as to the truth of the
charges against this officer, and that being