The Republican journal., 1869-04-01
Remarkable Speech by Senator
Sprague.


the bill to repeal the Tenure of Office Law be-
ing under consideration, Senator Sprague
of Rhode Island made the following re-
marks:
A few days ago he had expressed the opinion
that the Senate because Of the preponderance
in it OF men Of one profession Lawyers was
not body fit to exercise control over the Pres
ident in appointing and removing pcbllc o11lcers
but in expressing that opinion he had carefully
avoided reference TO any individuals. The Sen
ator from Nevada, however Mr.. Nye,) had
seen tit to reply by personal attack upon NM
self and had succeeded in getting on his side
the laughter of the galleries and of some of his
fellow senators. This being so, he (Mr.
Sprague) felt justified in addressing a few words
to the people now in the galleries. They were
representatives of the American people. He
observed that they were better clothed than
the masses aughter)-b whether their
dress covered more virtue than might be found
under less gaudy habiliments each would have
to Judge for himself. He did not wonder That
the galleries laughed at his warning. The
teaching of the past had educated them to make
light of serious things and had made them of a
frivolous, thoughtless, senseless disposition.
They reminded him Of the idiotic inmate of the
burning dwelling, who laughed at all warning
and persisted in the flames.
He would nevertheless, repeat his warning.
The affairs of the country were being msman-
aged and ruined by men Of the class he had
spoken of before. The people of England
would not tolerate such state OF things. The
men who controlled the affairs of England,
Gladstone and Disraeli, were not lawyers;
they We're men of wider culture, with the in
stincts of statesmen, fit to control the destines
of great nation. He had felt deeply interest
ed in the success of the republican party in the
past and had contributed to it he thought, as
much in character AID good deal more in mon
ey than other Senator's; indeed, ne believed
that his contributions of the latter kind had
been greater than those Of all the other Sena-
tors combined. When the war broke upon the
people without warning and found them UMPIRE
pared he had been among the first to rush to
the support of the government; but now there
was a great danger pending and he felt 1t his
duty to warn the people of it. He read long
account Of the character and career OF the no.
torious Judge Jeffreys and Of the condition of
England in his time, which, he said, was very
like the condition at the present time. Eng
land at that time was Just after revolution, and
the country was thrown under the control of
despotic power and Jeffreys was the eager in
strument. Four years ago this country had
come out of great civil war. Since that time
the great work of Congress had been, or should
have been, to restore harmony and prosperity
to the country. How had that work been car
ried on: Is there, he asked, peace at the south?
Is there prosperity or cOntentment among the
people there? Are they not rather in a state
of chronic revolution? Is there justice in the
land? Who that is 4 poor man dare attack one
that is rich in any court in this land? Is there
protection for the rights or liberties of the cit
izen in this boosted land of freedom? The i'm
migration to this country had fallen off 10000
during the last year, and it would continue to
fall off, because the industry and agriculture
of the country were so Frustrated at the West
that immigrants could not find remunerative
employment, and if they went to farm in the
West they could not sell their products for
enough to supply them with the necessaries of
life.
Whenever any one in the Senate or elsewhere
asked the reason Of the depression of our COM
merce and manufactures he was sure to be met
with the answer that it was owing TO the TACT
that we were not paying Specla: but the real
reason was that the legislation and the admin
istration of the government were so shaped as
to encourage capital to speculate upon every
industrial occupation in the country. If this
sourse were to be continued in less than five
years there would be clamor for a tariff to
keep out foreign cotton. But great as was the
mismanagement of our national affairs in every
department., the greatest abuses were in our
financial policy. That policy was directed and
controlled by the bankers; they no doubt gave
as SOOu ADVICE as lueN COulu, out tApelicilCS
had always shown that dealers in money know
little or nothing about the relations of money
to other occupations and interests. The bear
ing Of all this upon the pending bill was this:
If the legislators of the country had done their
own work so badly, how could they dare to as
sumo the powers and duties OF the Executive
also? He had intended to say a few words
about the relations between himself and GER
tain other Senators, by way of showing the I'M
HtnaSS of the SpOatp exercise r9VlSOrV
power over the acts of the President, but he
would reserve them for another occasion. lie
must, however, before closing say word about
the social condition of the country, which, he
thought, was quite as bad as the financial con-
dition. The rich were striving to be richer,
and the poor We're struggling to initiate the
rich, aud In this struggle virtue was lost. He
knew something Of the character of the people
of other countries, and he firmly stated that
there was less virtue and morality in American
society day than in any other civilized soci-
ETY. on the face of the earth The prevailing
Generalization was frightful. What mother
could send her son out into the world with any
confidence that he would be able to resist the
temptresses that would surround him? what
husband could close his door? (Laughter.) the
country was ON the brink of a precipice,
and unless the people could be reused from
their apathy all was lost. He had wished for
and aided in the election of General Grant
to the Presidency, because he believed that he
president Grant, had not been contaminated
by the politicians and had the capacity required
to see through and defeat their Vaccinations.
He had listened to the inaugural address with
intense interest and had been pleased by the
Presidents expression of his purpose to be in
dependent in the discharge of his official duties ;
but when he heard the passage asserting the
sacredness of the public debt he had gone away
disheartened and sorrowful, because it had
shown him that the canker that possessed the
American body polite had got possession of the
President also. Still he was not without hope.
He hoped that the President would yet discover
the great error into which bad advisers had led
him and would turn away from this policy as
| from a charnel house.
| The New York correspondent of the Roches-
| ter Democrat is responsible for the following
Alexander r. Stewart clears one thousand
dollars day all the year round. Cornelius
Vanderbilt pleads guilty TO twice that sum
while VIM. B. Astor rates his income at four
thousand three hundred and thirty dollars per
diem. Sleeping or waking, the latter gentle
man finds three dollar bill dropping into his
hat every minute of the twenty four hours. He
cannot sit down to talk with his physician with
out having little more wealth, If not health.
He cannot unburden his mind without feeling
his burden increasing in his pocket, and he can
not walk Broadway however the weather may