The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-09
THE NEW YORK PRESS.
EDITORIAL OPINIONS or LEADING
JOURNALS UPON CURRENT TOPICS.
Mr.. Voorhees, Cane.


bad luck by the Hon. Thomas B. Florence (pro-
fanely called Tom Floreuce), who has made a
speech to Mr.. Voorhees,, upon which we con-
dole with him. and has presente ed to him "a
cane of very rare wood (yalue 500 currency,
surmounted by gold head, from chaste de-
sign" upon which we congratulate him. The
speech OF the Hon. Thomas has only one fault
II is lust little too swelling for the occasion. Ii
MIR. Florence, on behalf of the 'citizens (white)
OF W9shingto on" had presented to MIR. Voorhees,
service OF silver, teapot sugar-basin cream
Jug, and sop-bowl, he could not more
wildly have abandoned himself to rhe-
tHTical tumeiaciion of rio It affords new
MIR. Florence has to come down to "a
cane.n Thomas struggles in vain against pre-
OBSTINATE bathos by calling the "cane" "a starr
and then by calling the ''statl" mute, vet clio.
quent, and beautiful token OF regard" and by
affirming that It is "a chaste and artistically de-
signed and prepared staff or cane" the gift (or
Thomas is apt TO inuulge in adiectves) of lst,
"devoted;" I'd, "sincere;" Sd, 'earnest;" and
4th, "last" friendship. In spite OF the melan-
choly conclusion OF the poet, we aver that
friendship like this is somewhat more tnan "a
name" Friendship, manifested in this generous
and auriterous way, is by no means to be shifted
at. And Mr.. Voorhees,, for once, appears to
have been OF our opinion; for, opening his
mouth, there flowed theretrom a rush ng stream
of eloquence, whereof the beginning, the mid
die, and the end was that pronoun most resem-
bling in shape "a staff or cane"-the pronoun /.
we nave not counted lJS repetluOnS; Dut IL is
as clear as daylight to us that Mr.. ID. w. Voor
hees Daniel Webster voorhees,, we take it) does,
by no manner of means, think small beer of
bmself; that he considers ID. W.Voorhees as
important character the old, original
Daniel passing the night with the lions. II
accept" 81 am content" al therefore think.r
81 attribute 81 fervently and oevoutly thank
God"-and very handsome 1t is in Daniel to do
it. 81 can say never betrayed party.p 81
entered Congress- 'I determ ned.n 81 have
lived" And, over and above all, TO cheer the
despoI ding, and confirm the doubling, and tx
the wavering, Daniel w. is good enough to say,
81 have faith III the future This is decidedly
revlvjng and uncommonly animating. We do
not know that IL settles any thing; but stl it is
pleasant to learn that MIR. Voorhees, with
vast deal to make him unhappy, and just kicked
out of the House OF Representatives, can still
cheerfully chant
"Cbeer up. my lively lads,
In spite of win and weather."
Tom Florence must have felt decidedly better
Ter this exhibition OF Mr.. Voorhees, hilarity, and
nave gone back to his editorial sanctun like
| beery giant refreshed.
One of Mr.. Voorhees, thick.coming egotisms
| Is worthy OF particular attention. The country,
| too mind tuI of business to need its benefactor,
! does not know, perhaps, that but tor Mr.. Voor.
| hees' interposition, in spite OF Grant of Sher-
| man, and of Sheridan, it would long ago have
gone to hopeless and lrreparable grief. But D.
! w. V. knows It, and he does not permit any
| squeamish odesty to interfere with mis- dong
| Just ce to himself; and man with finer talent
| for sounding his own horn, we never sa v. never
heard, and never read OF. 81 Ego ct med pdt'td)
i Cd W. W entered Congress i've years ago
| in the MIDST of grief and of gloom" Everything
| was, to speak plainly In mess Men and mem
| bers were all madder than mad. 'TheY acted"
| says voorhees, las If the Constitution had
! already perished in the storm"-or "baleful
| simoon," as Mr.. V, varies it. Now, under these
| discouraeing circumstances what did the In
| diana gentlemen do? Did he betake himself to
| drink? Did he run his head into the sand, like
an ostrich? Did he eXpend portion OF his
| official salary in the purchase OF rope? or
| lottily pink himceli like Cato of Utica? Did he
| give up the Constitution in despair? He shall
! speak Tor himself in his own beautiful Ian
| gnage:-
"On the contrary recalled the sublime origin Of
that instrument the wisdom that framed it the start
| ling maGDifcence and glory which it had given our
country in the midst or the nations OF the EARTH It's
Efficiency in times past for all the purposes of
| might do, on it, and ON 1t alone, would build the
| house of my political faith The winds have beat
VI on it, the rams have descended but that house
| has not iallen."
| But Daniel has, we grieve to say, for the
! House in which he would have been particu-
| larly pleased to abide has, with signal ingrati-
| tude, cast him forth. But still be is cheerful.
| Gentlemen" says he, addressing the donors of
| the cane, 1.-The Constitution is triumphIng.n
Give fixed it," he might have added, ''and it
| shall remain fixture forever" 1t was really
| cruel to send such benevolent constitutional
carpenter as this back to private lile From
this sublime point of view, the cane, in spite Of
| Its gold top, seems to us sort of mockery.
|
| with windy speech from Tom Florence and ga
canen rom ''the citizens OF Washington"-Thos.
| B. Florence, j. d. Hoover, T. A. Folsom, and j.
| w. Clampitt!
! It's enough to make even Mr.. Voorhees, give
| up the business of saving constitutions for the
| rest OF his natural life II there were yet some
| fragment OF the Cohfederacy to which he might
| carry himself and his genius for constitutional
| diagnosis, he would not be without high Roman
! example for his most natural stampede. And,
for all we can see TO the contrary IN his Grafton
I Or the Cause, he would be quite at home in
! South Carolina or Alabama; Tor his feelings to-
| wards the late Rebels are evidently considerate,
| and we think we may say atfectonate. ~ love-"
| he amorously observes, ''the people of the
| South. hail them as American citizens. They
| are brave and heroic population as we'll as we"
| In short, nobody can read MIR. voorhees,
speech without receiving the impression that, IN
| his opinion at least, the Tebellious States have
| been damnably injured by somebody, and ara
! more worthy of salve than severity. He believes
| that it was the North which was originally
| guilty of dark, premeditated crime against the
| Union,n and he hauls poor John Brown from his
grave to prove it. We certainly shall not attempt
| 10 refute his opinion, if it be entitled to that
| name. Facts settle the matter the other way.
| History will engrave qui' g another record. The
| theory of the Government is not the theory OF
| Mr.. voorhees,. The policy olthe Governments is
not, and cannot be, without fatal consequence
a policy OF ingenious excuse and amlable eX-
| tenuation.
We make no objection to gentleness, 10 mercy,
| to good nature, when the exercise of these does
| moi compromise fundamental principles; but in
the name OF our gallant dead, we protest against
| any attempt to belittle the cause in behalf OF
which they perlshed, or to dignity the cause
against which they died conteGding. We regard
the rebellion as a crime. Mr.. Voorhees, would
soften it down to a misdemeanor. We would
insure, so far as possible, the future political
hdelity OF those who cannot plead good politi-