North Iowa times. [volume] (McGregor, Iowa) 1867-current, 1870-07-06
The National SchOOlmaster.

Inc NAtlOn0l ScnOOlmaSter.
We reprint from the Congressional
Globe the following report of Senator
Stockton's humorous remarks in the
debate on the abolition of the frank
ing privilege. The raillery he address,
ed to the Republican members on the
intolerable bore of their speeches,
against which the people protest in
their petitions for the abolition, will
be found pleasant reading:
"Mr. President, 1 was called out of
the Senate Chamber q few minutes ago
and when I went out the Senator
from Wisconsin (Nfr. Howe) was
speaking on this bill and as I passed
out of the Chamber 1 heard him say
that if the object of this franking priv
iiege was to enable us to be schoolmas-
ters and educate the people he would
send all his speeches to his Democratic
friends to enlighten them. Last night
the Senator from Nevada (Mr. Stew
art) said he was in favor of this bill
because he would like the Democrats
to have an opportunity of printing
their speeches. on the bill to enforce
the fifteenth amendment. Now, Mr..
President, I always listen to the Sena-
tor from Wisconsin and the Senator
from Nevada with great interest. I
trust that my constituents, having af-
forded me the great pleasure of sitting
here and listening to them, of taking
advantage of their grace of manner as
well as their beauty of diction, it will
be long before they recall me from
these halls and deprive me of that in
estimable privilege. (Laughter) But
sir, in the ordinary course of human
events I may be taken away; and
then what a consolation in my declin-
ing years to be able to read the beauti-
fully rounded periods of my friends on
the other side; to be enabled to lay
down those "grand old masters whose
footsteps sound through the corridors
of time," and take up the speeches of
the Senator from Nevada and the SEN
ator from Wisconsin, to console the
closing hours of my life. A happy re-
tirement passed in receiving those val
liable documents! Naughter). But,
sir, I hope that l shall always have 2
cents on hand to pay for the docum't
when it arrives; and if do not, per-
haps grateful constituency may make
some provision, so that may console
myself in my declining years in that
way without putting the country to
the enormous expense now imposed
upon it. Mr.. President, these petitions
have come in here as the great sponta-
neous outpourings of an overburdened
people. They come to Congress pray
ing you to abolish this enormity which
is pressing them. They poured in
their petitions day by day and hour by
hour, until the Senate had not time to
receive them, but had to make a gene
raj rule that they should be handed in
at the Secretary's table withou the ce-
remony of presentation. The House
of Representatives passed this bill in
hot haste to please their constituents ;
and yet the Senate seems to be inclin-
ed, not to kill it decently, not to kill
the measure promptly, not to vote di-
rectly upon it, but to worry it to death
as dog would worry cat; to make
it die in spasms, in fits. Can they not
let it die decently? Mr.. President, re-
member that it was stated last night
by the Senator from Wisconsin (Mr.
Carpenter)that there were thirty-three
thousand people who have the frank.
ing privilege. Out of that thirty-three
thousand who have the franking priv.
ilege how many are Democrats ? There
is not an office holder who is Demo.
crat. Nobody but members of the
House of Representatives and the Sen
|ate-seventy-five Democrats = out o.
thirty-three thousand franking Off
cials, at the outside. But, sir, why il
it the people come here to beg you tt
abolish the franking privilege? Tht
iSenator from Wisconsin informs u!
that he has spent $500 out of his owl
lpocket to send Republican speeches al
. over the country, and that $50, 600 wa
spent in sending speeches from Wash
: ington throughout the country.
Iohn,,ld liko oc r soid hofOro tn SnAnt