Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1869-08-11
Corruption of congressman.

A very timely and sensible protest is en-
tered, by Mr. james Parton, in the atlantic
Monthly for August against the prevalent
vice Of our time, Of repeating and believing
all that is said of the corruptions existing in
Congress at Washington and makes plea in
behalf Of public men, showing that while they
are far from being perfect, yet they are quite
equal, in average integrity and virtue, to the
constituencies they represent, and that as a
rule they represent the better and more USE
fu classes of the people Of the United States
1t is doubtless too true, as Mr. Parton re-
presents, that mankind are inclined to beliere
the 'oorst, especially concerning our public
men. He specifies instances where grossest
libels on public men gained currency and be-
lief which were refuted by subsequent dis
closures of fact Gen. Butler kept twenty
two hundred men on vessel lying in Boston
harbor for over three weeks in daily exp c.
taton Of setting sail for some point of mill
tary operation. The rumor gained currency
that the commanding General had an interest
in the charter, and was pocketing several hun
dred dollars a day on account Of the delay
While the fact was that the government at
Washington was obliged to keep the feet Of
Admiral Farragut and the troops of Butler
where they were until it should be known
whether war was likely to result from the
Mason and Slidell affair then pending So
history tells US it was at one time in the Rev
dictionary war Gen. Washington kept his
army waiting near Boston for fire months,
while grave doubts Of his loyalty to the cause
of the colonies went from mouth to mouth
1t was said that the delay could not be for
lack of powder as he fred salutes with great
regularity Yet it 'oas rant Of po,oder and
the vain cannonading was to hide the fact
from the enemy. So error flies ON lightning
wings, while truth lags in the pursuit of his
antagonist.
Many of the fippant and wholesale tiradei
against Congress, such as Senator Spragu,
delights to utter, are pronounced simply anC
plainly uutruthlul" The reputation o
Congress, Henry Clay said, was part of thu
moral property of the nation" and the PEG
pie ought to be as careful Of it as possible.
Concerning the appearance Of Congress
and the work done by it, Mr.. Parton says
$ "The members do not look like aldermen or su
pervisors. | lived three weeks among them som
q time ago, and they appeared to my imperfect Wis
ion lnb0riOus able and respectable body OF men
% intent on doing the best they could for the eOun
try. Congress, being composed Of mortals, ha
n its faults and its loibles it does wrong some
: times it fails often to do right il has its wea
1, members and its weak moments there is nee
" of some changes in the system ON which bushes
u is carried on and ON all these points ! may ven
o ture 10 discourse little by and by. But d
l. not believe that Congress is in any proper sens
a of the word corrupt body nor do beiey
there is in the world national legislature NOR
= pure, more patriotic, or containing greater mas
IS of ability. There are fewer false lights in Con
II gress than there used 20 be, when Calhoun deluc
e ed the South, and Wehster's august appearing
and ancient reputation lent semblance of pOwt
% utteunces untrue or Insignificant aud Their
y Is a greater quantity than ever OF practical abb
&c ity, and Ut the kind Of understanding, the mos
ii precious OF all, which arrives at correct conct
r. sions and originates practical methods
Is The writer then enters into an examna
% ton Of the various ways by which a bad reI
~ utation is given to our legislators and pull
u lie servants by the shameful aud vicious col
st duct ola body Of men entirely outside of then
1t In this connection the following paragrap
occurs which we give, as showing the drift
y the entire article
r. 4" Members of Congress are not all the immacl
30 late, dsinterested, and devoted men whom "
could wish to see sitting in those cane-bottomt
It chairs. II they were, they would not represcl
e, US. think that, as a body, they do represel
al us just at this moment, when several Stat,
so cannot send 10 Washington their natural leader
- and some Of the Western States and Ieuitor,
~ are imperlectly organized, Congress may not pc
O. haps, be 50 accurately representative as it hi
% been aud will be. Nevertheless, the average
ability is much higher than that of the poop
"a, generally, and the standard of morals not lowe
" Congress does wrong one hundred times fro
he carelessness, Incidence, ignorance timidity, @
lg price, or good nature 10 once that it does wror
rs From motive that so much as sayors Of CORFU
in ton. And 50 do We the people whom they re-
- resent and so do all mankind