National Republican., 1874-05-18
PERSONALITIES IN CONGRESS

PERSONALITIES IN CONGRESS-
In our issue of Saturday, in the report of
Congressional proceedings injustice wss
done Mr.. Kellogg, of Connecticut, by the
statement that Mr.. Hale, of New York, as
serted on the floor in the debate on the bill
authorizing Norman Wizard to apply to the
Commissioner of Patents for an extension
of time for making application for patent
for preventing explosions in steam boilers.
that Mr.. Kellogg was the paid advocate of
'this, as he was of every other monopoly
'that came before Congress"
In the confusion existing at the time, it
was difficult for our reporter to obtain the
exact words of Mr.. Hale, but an examina-
ton of the Record shows that Mr.. Hale as
serted. not that Mr.. Kellogg was the paid
advocate" of monopolies, but that ordi-
nariiy he lent his vote in that direction,
while he (Mr. Hale) was attempting to de-
fend the rights of the Government.
We regard this as an excellent opportu-
nifty to protest against the personalities
which have been so frequently indulged in
during the present session of Congress, and
TO express the hope that members will real
ize that the prevailing sentiment created
among sensible people by such exhibitions
is one of disgust. 1t may be that a sharp
retort is sometimes necessary, and that the
House enjoys the spectacle of member re-
ceiving deserved rap for asserting supe-
rior virtue over his fellow members, but
that is no justification for the occurrence of
mere offensive personalities, notably such
as took place during the past week between
Messrs. Dawes, of Massachusetts,, and But
Ter, ofTennessee.
So far as the controversy between Mr..
Kellogg and Mr.. Hale is concerned, we are
unable 10 reach any other conclusion than
that the latter was very clearly in the
wrong. The bill in question had received
the long and careful consideration of the
Committee on Patents, the chairman of
which. Mr.. Conger, of Michigan, is an old
and able member of the House, and was
unanimously reported by the committee,
4. which, by the way, is inimical to most of
the applications for relief of this kind, hav-
ing reported but one bill of similar char
acter during the present session.
Mr.. Hale opposed the bill, without, by
his own admission, having the slightest
knowledge OF the facts in the case beyond
what appeared from the report of the com
mittee, and antagonized measure upon
mere suspicion, bringing into the discus
sion at the same time the entirely irrele-
want fact that the beneficiary of the pend
ing bill was then claimant against the
Government for relief on another matter.
In large body like the House Of Repre-
sentatives composed of 292 members, it is
simply impossible that one member should
be able to acquire that full knowledge and
information in regard to all the various
measures pending before Congress to Justify
him in antagonizing a bill which has re.
ceived, after careful examination, the unan.
imoUs Endorsement of COMMITTEES com.
posed of eleven members, no matter
whether he be an able attorney, as Mr..
Hale confessedly is, or not Another fes.
ture of the bill referred to, that should have
commended itself to the favorable consider
alton of gentlemen who had no special
knowledge of the subject is that the inven-
ton of Mr.. Wizard is in the interest of hu-