The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-06-12
The American Senate as IL at Present
RAnnha

Stands.
THERE are those among us who are continually
drawing comparisons between the state OF
affairs as they now exist and as they existed in
the days of our forefathers. If we could believe
these victims of melanchola, the copclusion
would be unavoidable that the world retrogades
instead of advances. We would be as brilliant
and as able as past generations elf, like crabs,
we could 90 backwards" The crops are not
as good now as then, commerce is dropping,
and the country is going to ruin. A glorious
opportunity for these murmurs over the glorles
of the past is foSnd in the character of our pub
lie men. We are continually assured that they
are degenerating; that the talent exhibited in
Congress and the Senate at the opening of the
century has now disappeared, and that medi-
ocrity has taken its place. We are not among
those, however, who consider that our day
lacks men as fully fitted TO do their tasks as
those gone by. We consider that the average
OF talent in our public positions has risen
instead of declined.
The grand centre of all attacks is the Senate
chan ber. CLAY, WEBSTER, and CALHOUN are
dragged forth and contrasted with the present
occupants of their seats, of course to the un-
favorable appearance of our contemporaries.
We are told that there were giants in those days,
but the fact that there were pigmies is slightly
passed over We cannot, to be sure, boast Of
such great intellect, but we have men who are
eminently qualified 10 carry the nation safe
through any emergency. FEssENDEN and SHER-
MAN as inanciers; SUMNER on foreign relations;
DooLlTTLE on internal affairs and WILSON on the
military matters, are as fully capable as any
VINO have ever filed the upper Chamber
There is another cause which tends to make our
Senators appear in an unfavorable light, and
it is that when we differ with a man poll
tically, we are too apt to deny him honesty and
ability, A particular instance OF this is found
in The case Of the gentlemen who occupy the
seats of Pennsylvania Senators.
We have read frequent and bitter attacks upon
them, denying to them any Christian virtue,
any intellectual adornment, and holding them up
to the ridicule and contempt of our sister States
We deem such treatment to be at least unwse.
They are eur representatives. They are the chosen
citizens, and we were the men who elected them
Why, therefore, attack them, and seek to de-
crease the influence of our State by inuring her
representatives? Honorable EDGAR CowAN has
not in all things acted with his party. He has
been slightly eccentric in his official course,
and reminds us of those luminaries whose
is honest in his action we do not doubt.
We do not agree with most that he has done,
yet we think him an able man, and one who is
conscientious in his doings. Because his con-
duct does not meet our appreciation, is no reason
why we should deny him virtue and intelii-
gence.
In regard to Hon. CHARLES r. BUoKALEw we see
no cause for either attack or disappointment
Aewas elected by the Democracy, and he has
been consistent Democrat. We expected
nothing else, and we do not blame him for fol-
lowing out the principles on which he was
elected. Whatever fault there was lay in the
popular voice which allo we'd Democratic legis-
lature to be chosen, and not with the man on
whom their choice fell. He ha, displayed ability
of no mean order, and is eminently qualified TO
represent the party who chose him. In point
of intellect we do not scruple to compare our
Senators with any in the land, and while we
cannot agree with them IN principle we see no
reason to weaken the States influence by abuse
where there is no remedy. The same remark
may be made Of nearly all the United States
Senators, and on careful inspection no one can
doubt but that if we have less brilliant orators
we have more hard workers and careful
guardians than were at Washington thirty years
ago.