The national Republican., 1869-02-13
our w..ninsss. Correspondence.
s.,.s..r u. ls.

/
To he Rspubiiean!
THE LATE rLAnR-uP IN THE HOUSE.
Intense modification thereat prevented me
from writing you concerning the scene In the
House Hall on the day bsfore yestsrday amer
the return Of the seuate nom. consultation
relative to the admissIblllsy Of the slectorsl
vote Of Georgia. A nerc blan1swdrthy petr
formance hardly ever charactedkea the hls.
tory Of American Congressional proceedings. |
II simply went to establish the fact that |
philosophers are correct in the conclusion |
that the temper Of man has not improved |
since civilization began. His advancement |
In Intellectual development has served to
curb 1t BY bringingit II under the dominion Of |
the rule Of eouventionalities, leaving his
nature the same, to manifest its impcrfec>
tions too frequently on the slightest possible,
occasions. -. ..a acorn
oRKAT DEBATE. ..Er.I
The profound speech Of Mr.. shellabarger,
delivered yesterday, replete with learnd elo-
quence and sound ideas Of law, as II was,
was grand compensation for the mortlhca-
tlon Of the scene which gave rise 10 hs do
livery. He Is a great man-wise, learned,
statesman-like In his attributes, and unsel-
ashly patriotic withal. The profound atten-
tion paid to him by the House and galleries
was but Just tribute to his Intellectual
superiority and the respect paid to his views
on any subject by tho country at large.
Indeed, the whole debate Of the day was
one Of great interest, the speeches OF Messrs,
Butler, Bingham and schenck, with that Of
Mr.. shellabargcr, serving TO make the days
proceedings almost as memorable as those
Of the day before, which gave rise to them.
As a whole, this debate demonstrated that
the House possesses quite as much oratorical
ability to-day as at any previous time.
have been accustomed 10 hear the debates
frequently for forty years past, and do not
remember to have heard any finer speeches
on one day In the House Hall, marked by
greater force, pcrspicacity aud eloquencc.
PRECEDENT.
My letter Of yesterday was to the end Of
illustrating the enormities Of that ''old man
Of the sea-" precedent. As 1t blocks tho
march Of sound progrcss hore to-day, so !,
has been the lion In the path Of civil liberty
and tho general Improvement Of mans con
dition In every age and cline.
Our American Declaration Of Independence,
struck the hrst really effective blow at Il
The consequences flowing from this &C
demonstrated that men could govern them
selves without the Intervention Of kings and
oligarchies. Previous to our American Rev
olution revolutions were but squabbles bc
tween different claimants, by "grace Of God, ,
: to own peoples. Whichever might succeed
to the people the result was the same. Tn,
latter simply and Inevitably but changes
, masters and owners. Such was the histor.
Of every violent change Of government, iron
. the dissolution Of the Western Empire o
: Rome to that day.
The idea that man was capable of sell
: government had Its birth, practically, In ou
Revolution; which was thus the first sigma
protest against the supremacy Of veste'
I, rights, which Is but another name for pre-
cedent.
Only one year after our Declaration Of In
\ dependence, Adam Smith, the author q
"The Wealth Of Nations" struck the nes
v book which has done more for the advance
4 ment Of mankind at large In all the element
/. Of freedom and personal prosperity than an
4 other ever written. These two events-th
A American Revolution and the publication {
Ia Adam Smiths Wealth Of Nations"-hav
!. been the wedges inserted in the government
ps systems Of all nations thnt have progresse,
hr II L.. a
IN Of things as to permit the injection into go
er ernmental systems OF ideas founded on Il
cl- wisdom derived from experience. Ada
ly Smiths aim was to show that theories bas,
s. on national tradition and political econom
l. derived from ideas current In the ignoraI
is and consequently servile middle ages, we
m the great enemies Of the rights Of man ar
m his industrial and social progress.
IN THE cosTBsT.
a, From Adam Smiths day to this hon
N MIND has been fighting "precedeut." Lcgi
,f lation in every cline has been the ally
precedent, as Il Is In this country to-da
c. The only good 1t has ever done for the wor
nd i might quote you q dozen Of the wise
nd writer's Of the last three centuries to pro
We the fact-has been to undo what 1t did yea
he before. 1t has stood usually by vested right
~ which, as remarked above, Is but anoth
m name for precedent, never daring to she
ts them Of attributes interfering with the we
he being of peoples until admonished by Il
mt tone Of popular sentiment that not to relie
al the people of the oppression Of tho
,ly "rights" was surely to generate violent
of volution.
or Tue AIM or REvoLUTIoss.
ra- Every attempt at revolution that b
m marked the progress Of Europe in the Il
ur century has been but an effort Of society
nd relieve itself Of the tyranny Of precedei
n hanging, like the pail Of death, over socict.
ais every interest.
We EUROPEAN LE6IsLATIos.
n No European Legislature has ever assisl
or a European community to rid itself Of t
i'd rcpressive influence Of precedent until a
e solutely forced so to do by danger Of Il
IN overthrow of the existing State unless reli
of from Its enormities be granted. "Preceden
ed to-day claims that no more railroads m
lg lawfully be authorized to be constructed ct
IN of the Alleghanies than were sufficient
u for the condition Of the country thirty yet
IN ago.
" WHICH Is THE ORIGINAL JAcoBsl
or This forenoon singular case was cons
cred before the senate's Committee on Pr
SO lie Lands. Two railroad companies, ca
= claiming IN he the Ore0on Csntral Railro