The Ebensburg Alleghanian. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1865-1871, 1866-04-19
Editorial correspondence.
WASHINGTON, Apra l6, 1866.

w lIuSG OuA lSriOSIS WIZ hOl NC IOuiC
weary with our notices of distinguished
men who occupy seats in the House of
representatives., for We have rarely, if
ever, had a Congress since we have been
a nation, in which there were SO many men
of power and ability. All right thinking
men concede this, and are glad that it is
SO; while Others deplore this state of
things, and sigh for the olden times, when
the members chose to follow the leader
ship Of some one man. Those times are
looked back to as the palmy days of the
Republic, and many pray for their return /;
but they will return no more. Such
condition of things is not in accordance
with our institutions. There should be
no leaders, and the country may be proud
of the fact that there are so many able
men now in Congress that no.one man,
whatever be his talent, can aspire to the
leadership, or, if he aspire to such a posi-
ton, can attain it by general consent
No; let there be in these halls conflict
of opinion, for out of the conflict shall
come the best form of Legislation, and the
greatest good of all will thus be promoted.
But we will not premise further, as we
took up our pen for the purpose Of noti-
cling one or two gentlemen whose public
course we have observed with much
interest during this session. Hon. Justin
L. Morrill,, from the second district of
Vermont, and the able chairman of the
Committee of Ways and Means, was born
in Strafford, of that State, April IA, 1910,
and is therefore ffty-six years of age
Heappears to be about forty-fve. This we
presume is owing to his abstemious habits
and the intelligent care which he observes
of laws of health. Mr.. Morrill, is about
the medium size, somewhat angular in
person, with a slight stoop of the shoul-
ders. He has kind word for all whom
he meets, benignant countenance, is
affable and courteous in his manners, and
merits, as he receives, the respect of men
of all parties in the House. Mr.. Morrill's
only education was received in the COM
mon schools and academies of his native
State. He afterwards engaged in mer-
camille pursuits, which he followed with
assiduity, and we think with success,
until 1913, when he turned his attention
to agriculture. He was first elected to
the Thirty fourth Congress, and has been
returned to each successive Congress up
to the present time. He was for some
time an influential and useful member Of
the Committee of Agriculture but since
the Republican party has been in the
ascendancy, he has served on the Commit
tee of Ways and Means, of which he is
now, as we have said, the chairman. He
is known as the author of the tariff which
bears his name, a measure which very
naturally met with very severe censure In
Europe, particularly in France and Eng
land. It was not made to please the
manufacturers of those countries, and it
is not strange, therefore, that the selfish
statesmen and journalists Of the old
world deuounce it. Some of our own
journals in the interest Of free trade are
also disposed to criticise it rather severely,
If we hal any complaints or ,demurrers
to file against Mr.. Morrills protective
ideas, we should say that he does not come
up to our notions OF protection by long
chalk; we would give tie Is..qeest ooss'ble
profection to all the great leading manu-
featuring interests of the country, fartIc-
ularlv to that of iron, and we are not sci
fish in this, because We firmly believe that
the best interests of the whole country
will thus be promoted. Mr.. Morrill, is
certainly deserving cf much credit that
he has SO far mastered the great financial
questions of the country as to be able
ALWAYS to throw much light upon those
subiects which lay at the foundation OF
all national prosperity. His thoughts and
reflections upon those topics indicate that
he has been for long time most labo-
rious student of this most difficult and
abstruse science 1t is thought by many
that he will be selected by the Legislature
Of Vermont as the successor, to the U. D.
Senate. of Hon. Solomon Foot, and we are
sure that the Green Mountain State could
-, 6n5 a better man to fill the place OF
the lamented Foot.