Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1873-07-24
The Record of Congress.

Vice President Wilson, at the Dan-
quet of the Society of the Army of the
Potomac in New Haven on the 14th of
May, made an excellent speech in an
swer to ''The National Representatives
at Home and Abroad" (which, as it
has not been published, we insert here.
After few words by way of introduc-
ton Mr.. Wilson said:
You ask me to speak for "The Ma
tlohal Representatives at Home and
Abroad" "Well it is pretty hard
subject to speak about. Laughter.
In the first place, if 1 say anything in
favor of the representatives of the
United States abroad, why, you under
stand, am praising the Presidents ap-
pointments." If say anything against
them | am "censuring the Presidents
appointments" You know you and
l, and all the people of the country,
hold him responsible for giving US
good representatives abroad. Laugh
ter.
L am very glad to say for our foreign
representatives that, take them in the
lump, taking them as a whole, L think
the United States is at this time as
well represented abroad as at any other
period Of our history during the past
generation. Applause and Cheers.
There may be a chance to Improve
them a little. / take it the President,
during the next four years will try. to
do so; at any rate we shall advise him
to that end. Laughter.
But the idea of speaking for the ma
al 80. gS.f aO of
Washington Why, nobody does that
nowadays. Laughter.] l think if I
did it here tonight I should be the
only man in the country who would
have said kind word of them for the
last three or months at least. Laugh.
teri tell you gentlemen that l do
not feel like joining in the outcry
against them, although l might safely
do it now Laughter, since 1 do not
any longer belong to them. After a
little more than eight years L have left
the Senate, and taken place that re-
minds me very much of wheel that
you used to see upon the batteries NOV
ing off to the war; the wheel was of
some account if another wheel broke.
Laughter l have come to the con-
clusion thai leaving the Senate of the
United States for the position of vice
President was leaving place of re-
sponsibility and power, and accepting
one in which l do not see the response
billty and do not feel the power.
Laughter. l can, however, say this
much to you, that bad as the national
representatives are, and as they are
supposed to be, if you will open the
books of laws you will find that during
the last twelve years they enacted
some important laws and some think
that concern very nearly, the men
who fought for and saved the republic.
["Good % "Good % and applause
You will find that the action of Con-
gress in regard to the officers and SOL
diers has been the most liberal and
generous ever enacted by nation
since the dawn of creation, T"Right ~
and applause. You will find that
during the last dozen years there have
past through Congress, with all it faults,
measures that will affect for genera
tions to come the interests Of our be-
loved country.
L know tits fashion nowadays to
talk as though Congress did not do
anything. Why, read a speech-a
scholarly speech, too, delivered recent
ly by one of the most learned men of
New England, in which he spoke
about Congress talking great deal
and doing nothing!' l thought 1
would Just turn back to the old days and
see how many bills Congress had be-
fore it when entered it, little more
than eighteen years ago, and compare
the number with the number at the
last stsession. did so. l found that at
the first session / attended, Congress
had had fifteen hundred bills before it,
and the number of bills befor the last
Congress which | attended as men,
ber, and upon which Congress acted,
was fifty-seven hundred. / thought I
would 60 back to the time when great
men lived. So l went back to 1885
and found that the Congress of that
year had before it seven hundred bills,
aginst fifty-seven hundred at this last
Congress. The Senate of that year
had before it ia bills, against i,7OO
now. And the bills of the present
are, undertake to say, quite as inn
portant as the bills in those days. lap
plause.
The truth of it is, that Congress is
like the people OF this country-neither
UCllCl ItO1 WOlSC. Ii lflC pcOplt Wtut
Congress to be better, let them send
better men to it. | do not think
anybody can object to that.
l hope, gentlemen, that we shall
have good representatives abroad
wise, and able, and good men. hope
that we shall have honest and good
men in our national councils. 1 am
among the men who believe that the
great body of the men representing us
abroad, and the great body of those
representing us at home also, are men
of individual honor and personal char
acter, patriotic and devoted men, and
1 say it without reference to political
opinions or partisan associations. [Ap-
plause.]
desire, gentlemen, to say just few
words to you while l am here, on an
important subject. You have assem-
bled on this occasion to call up the
memories of the past. Nobody can
doubt your passionate, vehement, in
tense spirit Of nationali.y-["No, sir"
and applause] your love of liberty,
for you have fought for and saved your
country; you have fought for liberty,
and by your devotion and your sacri-
fees on the field you have made
r