Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1868-11-27

If was worth hearing. heneyer he addressed II
/ Senate, it was always upon matters actual
8 under consideration, and with the purpose
influencing those who heard him He neye
y spoke for buncombe.' No man could have
: greater contempt for that oratory which is in
: tendel to exat the reputation of the speaker
not to affect the judgement Of the listeners"
Thus wrote Senator Anthony Of RhOd
: Island for the Providence Journal, on tn
first announcement Of the lamented death
This is verify rare instance OF persona
, achievement as an actor upon such a stage
! and may well claim something more than 8
summary statement of the ultimate facts.
, have already remarked, that, out of hi
! peculiar mental qualities, and his character
izing traits as a Lawyer and Judge sprung
his Greatness as a Legislator. minister o
State, and Senator. By trac ng bin
through the debates IN which he participated
and the reports which he drew and presented
as a member Of various COMMITTEES, and the
Bills and amendments to Bills which he drea
and offered, it will be seen that he was still
the LAWYER and the Judge, and something
more. The qualities in those respects which had
rendered him so eminent at home were ear
ried forward, and took to themselves the best
qualities Of enlarged and exalted statesman
ship.
He made his first speech on the Sth day Of
February, lS4i. about two months after he
first took his seat in the House Of Represen-
tatlyes. In 1872, an act had been passed APP
portiOning representatives in Congress among
the several States, the second section Of which
required that they should be elected by Dis
tr1ets within the several States. The Com
mittce on Elections had reported resolution,
declaring that " said second section was not
law made in pursuance of the Constitution
OF the United States. and valid and binding
upon the States Upon that Resolution he
made his first speech. Four States had dis
regarded said second section, as being unc0n-
stitutional, and had elected their quotas, un-
der the apportionment, by gnTalHcka. The
House ol Representatives was called upon u
sustain. by adopting that Resolution, the
course taken by those States and thus by it,
own action without the concurrence Of the
Senate, or any other department Of the Gov
ernment, definitely to pass upon the consti-
tutionality Of a law made by the concurrent
action of both Houses and the President \
very important question. involving the pow
er OF Congress under the Constitution To con-
/ trll that subject. as against the legislation
OF State. was also presented. Judge Col
lamer addressed the House in a brief speech
Of only two and a half open loaded pages,
with mastery Of the learning appertaining
to the subject, with a clearness and precision
Of discrimination, and with a force Of reason
ing, that must have satisfied those WHO heard
him, that no ordinary man was challenging
their attention. and calling for the ablest to
cope with him in argument That speech
Trefgurei what subsequently proved true
namely, that in the field of Constitutional
law, very literally. ga second DANIEL had
come to Judgment" In a biographical sketch
Of Judge Collamer in the Wig Reri1r for
February. loi9, supposed 10 have been writ
ten by that uueQUallcd scholar, and dstin-
Guished diplomastit and statesman now rep
resenting this government al the Italian Court
then his colleague-the Hon George p.
Marsh. it Is said, that that speech '' had a
marked influence on the course Of the debate
and. as it is believed, on the subsequent ac-
tiun of s0me Of those States all Of which
at that time, were electiug IN districts, in
compliance with the law of lSi2. And well
that might be so for the argument was as
nearly conclusive rs argument on such a sub
iect can be- IL was only inferior to absolute
demonstration. HIS next speech was deliver
ed on the 2jth Of April lo4i, which he quaint
ly and appropriately entitled Woo and
hoo'eHs. IL was made iu Committee 0tthe
hole on the subject oi the Iarif. In 1870
Vermont produced more wool than any other
State except New York. and, in proportion
90 population. three times as much as New
"iN itself ith the tendency oi Congress
and the Administration on the subject Of pro-
tectlon 10 home products and manufactures,
ir1o' and ro0's1S were of momentous inter
est u \emont-to New Ensland-to all
wool growing and w1llen manufacturing Sec
tons OF the Jm'n- An elaborate report OF
the .mmittee ot Ways and Means accom-
ianl- Bill mad been made. and twenty
Thousand extra copies oi 1t had been printed
"y order oi the House for distribution. IN
Which the multiplication doctrines OF the pre-
dominant parties were elaborateiy set forth
ana enforced Alr. Hudson oi Massachusetts
bad made a Minority Report, which the
House contrary to AL precedent and all de
cency, ha9 refused pers,Ir-tently 10 Order to
ue printed. IL was ln TINS con uluncture that
Judge Io.ia'ler male Ais second speech II
history OF the wool and woolen interest IN
'his country ! kn9" ol no document IN the
pn'i' aIehi'es winch IN such comprehen-
sl'e ana iuieii-ihic I1rm' gives so much Gu
4 Ihief"o'eh Win liat feature oi the speech Is
a clear ana ''ns'''e summary oi the national
leSl'lati'n- ana lis OPERATION ana elect upon
those interests. Inc speech then proceeds IN
clear discussion ui The SUBJECT, With refer
enee 10 the constitutional power OF the gov
ernn'nt 70 accord protection by means OF du-
tg, on lmrorte-t' The effect OF the proposed
legislation upon the industrial interests Of the
re- ft
ana unantr ana commerce In thus speech,
ar iuily as IN the l1rlner' he showed his ahl-
lty ana M faculty Tor mastering constltuu n
al ana statutory law IN ITS history, and urin-
ciplcs, ana legitimate applications, and prac-
teal results. those two speeches constituted
an epltome, and very distinct ioreshadowing,
OF what be approved himself TO be- with ever
Increasing scope, ana faculty, and strength,
and weight OF consideration. and effectiveness
ofinilucnce. IN the halls of Congress. through
out bis service there within the succeeding
twenty years of his public life.
From the impression mad by them, high
/ consideration was at once accorded to him in
/ Congress. He held an important position as
member Of the Committee on Public Lands.
and was chairman of it during the 3oth Con
gress He gave himself with unsuaring as
Hluullg 10 'i'' =" 49, anu "SNdlit 'llS l'd''-
mind in Congress in deyising the proper pol
icy, and maturing proper measures. for the
administration Of the immense national do
main. His powerful and unansweable argu-
ments in speech, not published. except in
a neagre note in the daily reports OF Congres-
sional proceedings, are said to have been
largely instrumental in defeating the iniqui-
/ tous graduation 6H oflSl6. The subiectand
object Of that bill was kept on foot, and press.
/ ed by all the means that greedy spectators
and greedy demagogues, and the Jealous and
selfish champions Of supposed sectional inter
ests, could bringito bear, from session to sess-
/ ion, till on the 23d day Of June. lS4S, Judge
( Colamer, as Chairman Of the Committee
having the matter in change, made Report
that stands conspicuous as an exhaustive
/ and unanswerable treatment of the whole