The dollar weekly bulletin. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1862-1864, 1863-02-19
F6adasus stevens.

was md Means. and inyvirtus pfFthat APP
pointment, (though BY no lsws except the
usage of the House,, leader OF the BODY
The position of the Charm moi this -Gom-
mittee is really more important than that OF
/ any member OF either H6use'of GongrsssT {
It is true that the Vice President of the
] United States (whois in virtue ofthat Office
i President of the Sspate) and the Speaker of
] the House, receive larger pay, and have the
privilege of dispeDsing patronage not enjoy
ed by any member of either branch of the
] National Legislature but all this is small
advantage compared with that which is en-
/ loved by the Chairman Of the Com m ittee OF
Ways and Means in the House. He is; by
custom, the admitted, recognized leader OF
1 the House. He has this ad vantage over thu
Chairman of the Committee on Finance In
the Senate, that bills for raising revenue
must Cby the constitutiou) originate in the
House. Though neither Chairman may be
willing to be bound by the Constitution In
any case which concerns the public, (and
Stevens avowed this distinctly in his speech
in favor of admitting the fragment of q State
Western Virginia-into the Union) they
each claim the benefit Of all rights conferred
by the constitution as between themsely es;
Just as rogues who, though they may plumber
the innocent traveller on the highway. claim
an equal division Of spells. So, Mr.. Stevens,
Chairman of the Committee on Ways and
M cans, of the House, would no sooner suffer
n g 81 IN
Finance, to introduce bin in the Senate
to raise revenue, than Mr.. Fessenden would
consent that the House should have the
privilege to confirm or reject nominations to
Office or accept or refuse the terms Of any
proposed treaty with foreign power. They
are sticklers for constitutional rights, when
it comes to distribution of power between
themselves; but they are utterly regardless
of the constitution when any question, not
affecting themselves, involves public rights.
Thus have both. Stevens and Fessenden,
Cboth very able lawyers seen the sacred and
inviolable right of Habsas Corpus stricken
down, not only without resistance or protest.
but with open approval. 1t is all well
enough with them that slavery should be
abolished without warrant of constitution or
laval we'll enough that citizens should
be arrested and imprisoned without warrant
all we'll enough that they should be In
generated in lousy bastiles, without charge
indictment or any form of accusation against
them-all we'll enough that they should
be transported away from their State and dis
trict and ,inmured in dungeons, not only
without trial, but without even being in
formed of the cause and nature OF their
offense-all this is well enough; but Stevens
would not suffer Fessenden to rob him of
the right to originate revenue bill, any
sooner than Fessenden would suffer Stevens
to usnrp the Senate's function of confirming
nominations or ratifying treaties;' get both
,0illingly enough unite In measures TO rob the
people of constitutional rights. ..1-..-s rs
But we are led aside from our design Of
making personal notice of Stevens, the
recognized leader of the House. While we
detest his principles, we cannotbut admire
his conduct in some respects. man of un.
doubted ability, and himself fully conscious
of it, he is ever, like strong man, in perfect
repose. He never frets or fumes. Calm in
the greatest excitement, he let's the infam-
m atory fizz around him without disturbance
of his equanimity. Cold as an icicle, the
sparks and flames that are struck about him,
are no sooner seen than they fade away into
nothinguess, IKE the meteors of summer
night. Conscious of his innate power, and
of his official control of the House, he bears
himself towards his fellow members, with
degree of magnanimity seldom manifested
by men in positions SO commanding. He
submits, when making speeches, to inter-
ruptions from friends and foes, which few
could brook, but still with graceful sort of
haughtiness which plainly says-"O, can
afford to listen to this babble of my friends
or this opposition of my OPPONENTS foolish
as the one or impertinent as the other may
be; for it is all either not worth notice or re-
sistance, or can refute it with ease;. and so,
1 let the babies sport their baubles and ty
their kites, as 1 suffer children at home to
play with their dolls.'
This, though fair representation of Mr..
Stevens apparent conduct IN the House,
does not, however, truly represent his real
spirit. He is not SO amiable, by half, as he
would SEEM. Instead of the kind hearted
ness which would indulge children in sport,
he has the purpose, really, of the sick lion
who invited the beasts to his den to minister
to him in sickness, until the fox discovered
that, while many tracks led in, mono led out
of the den. But Stevens is not lion, sick
or we'll. No lion ever climbed up or slid