Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1871-04-12
Walchman & Jnurnal.
WEDNESDAY. APRIL ". lsIl.
Congressional Manners.

Church. Tory Magazine Of Great Britain
that It's trouble with Republican Governmen
was not that it should elect its own ruler.
but that it should elect such rulers as 10 did
Perhaps the hereditary governments Of Europ
have not much to boast Of in the quality an,
character Of their rulers but 10 at any time
they should be represented by clown, Z
harlequin, a boor or bear the people woul,
charge the responsibility to Providence ant
not to themselves They might be ashamed
Of the manners or character Of their leader.
but they could not have prevented The evil
and cannot remove IT, II is quite otherwise
with such government as ours. Our Presi-
dent, Senators and Representatives are our
own choice and creation They generally
represent their constituents The people are
responsible for the behaviour Of their rulers.
Nothing shows the dccadcnce Of high cour.
tesy, Of lofty sentiment Of honor and self
respect from the popular heart like the man.
ners Of Congress One Of our own Senators,
in his place in the Senate has recently said
that the manners Of the Senate justified the
common sarcastic appellation Of a " bear gar.
den" If it is such, aud we are not inclined
to doubt it, i, is because there is constitu-
ency of bears We have never been into the
district which Butler Of Massachusetts repre-
senis il Congress but we have often felt dis.
posed to travel into that region in order to
investigate the curiosities and abnormal char
aetcrstics of human nature Butler is tac
man Of their choice the man whom they de-.
light to honor They did not find him 10
their own boundaries, but hunted him up in
another district aud brought him to their own,
that they might show to the world by his
election, the quality Of their ideas and man
ners. They have given him election upon
election, aud it cannot be denied that he fairly
represents them.
We have no disposition to criticiso Butler
or indicate either his cxcellencics or defects.
That he knows how to be insulting that he
uses his gift as a police lawyer to browbcot
and insult his compeers is notorious fact.
The Speaker of the House has felt obliged to
leave his chair and descend to the floor Of
the House in order to rebuke aud chastse his
nsolencc and not content with parading his
eifrontery in the eyes Of his associates in the
House, he inyades the Senate chamber, take,
seat by the side of one Of the Senators who is
speaking, and iasteus ON him his contemp
tuous gaze, until he drives the Senator into
frenzy Of passion and extorts from him ex
pressions more appropriate TO their objec
than fitting to be made. Himself the incar
nation of insolence and blockgunrdism, he be-
comes the stimulus and provoker of evil tenn
per in others. As General in the army h,
was incompetent to carry on war Once h,
was bottled up on the james river and once
he exploded powder ship at safe distance
from Fort Fisher, and was demonstrating
to a committee the impossibity Of the cap.
ture Of that Fort when the news of its sur.
render reached the Government. But h,
is master OF all kinds Of strife with tn,
tongue. He cannot be bottled up 80 tina
the yeasty foam of his talk will not ooze an,
sputter through the cork. lie expodes hi
torpedoes under the noses of his associates
and succeeds in irritating when he cannot per
suade, and in provoking and annoying whe
he cannot argue and convince But Butte
is Butler He was Butler when he was prac
ticing criminal law in the police courts O
Lowell lie was Butler when he was issun
proclamations while other Generals were fight
ing lie was Butler when he had a hand il
the disaster OF the Weldon Roads, where 81
many brave men bit the dust for nothing
lie was Butler when he conducted the I'M
parchment trial of johnson to an unsuccessful
termination. lie was Butler when he wa
punished by his own stone mason aud ditcI
builder for his insolence. lie was aud j., aad
TO be Butler to the end of time But he ueye
elected himself to Congress. That was tn
work Of the Essex district in Massachusetts
The electors of that district have right T.
be represented at Washington, and they ar
represented there. We sometimes wonder
for Butler is not immortal, where they viii
find his successor another man to represen
: them fairly. 1t is true they have the range O
the country to make their selection The
can go out Of the State, as well as out of tn
district. But when can they find anothc
adequate representative?
But seriously the manners Of Congress al
altogether too Dad, There are gentleme
there and we are glad that Vermont hu
none but gentlemen to represent her in Wash
ington; but the noisy blatant demagogue
of registering manners, or drunken behavior
or insolent department, who disgrace the
associates and dishonor the name of ii
American Legislature, give their own cha
acter too largely to the body to which the
belong. The country has borne too long al
b. too peaceably with this utter rudencss al
n coarseness and ill-breeding in Congress,
: excuses boorishness when it should ostraci
: it. 1t laughs at the scenic ill-manners
}. the House when it should condemn them.
|, palliates insolenee and brutality when
4 should denounde The drunkard, the bacl
u guard, the liar, the slanderer, the vilfc
e should feel the scorn of the country shou
l. be made to shrink from the publicity viii,
,. they now enjoy and boast. 1t is useless
s. try to educate our youth to the amenities
y life to the decencies of social intercourse
e to the proprieties of debate; to the courtesi
it which belong to noble character when Il
acknowledged chiefs of the nation, the repr
70 sentatiyes Of the people, the masters of d
bate, the leaders of Congress, are promine
. for their blackguardism, aud illustrious (
i. their insolence A lack of good breedi
,r should Danish man from the halls Of legsl
'. ton, or make his name infamous among |
~ associates. Congress has no right to "be
Ia and forbear" with bears, Its oscutche