The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-04-04
WASHINGTON, March 81. 1874.

! The impression widely prevails that the United
States Senate Of 1874, compared with that OF the
old pro-slavery regime, which was swept away oy
the deluge OF our great Southern Rebellion, IS u
body OF small politicians and commonplace men,
representing only party expedences. caucus IN
trigues, the power OF money or some lucky chances
in the chapter Of accidents. This general opinion
though practically trne, Is essentially mistake
1t Is true that the giants or the Senate have disap
peared; true that through adroit intrigucs or
money or lucky accidents many seats in the
chamber are now occupied; but 1t Is also true that
the average intellectual caliDre. qualifications and
practical experience OF the members have been
greatly enlarged. Any man, for example, con-
vcrsant with the elements OF the Senate OF $4,000
that Senate which marks the last OF the com
promises with Southern slavery ana the beginning
OF the end-wiil be satisfied, from the observa-
lions Of day or two from the Senate galleries at
this time, that, though the peers OF the old giants
OF the Chamber are wanting. there is in the body
collectively. a manifest Improvement. Indeed
there is an Improvement corresponding with the
advance OF the country from the Fugitive slave
law to the fifteenth amendment.
STARTLING TRANSFORMATION.
The impartial critic OF the Senate OF 1850, IN look
ing down IRON the galleries upon the Senate OF
1874, will observe that there is less OF the planta.
tion and more OF the shop in the equipment Of the
members and in their bearing towards each other.
He will in the faces OF the Senator's and IN the
tone and temper OF the debates That much has
been gained in the virtues OF moderation, decoium
and dignity. He VIII observe that the proportion
OF venerable bald heads and tLoughtfIi
gray boards in the chamber Is very large that
| the younger members are modest ana decrential
toward their elders that with The end OF the vio
lent and desperate conflict over slavery there was
| an end to the fierce passions and personalities
which in the old time frequently led to brutal col
lisIons or deadly challenges on the moor. In short,
| the change in the morale and esp,H da corps o!
the Senate within the period indicated is quite "a
remarkable and gratifying as that which Dickens
discovered as having occurred in America and the
Americans in the interval between his hrst and his
| second visit to this country.
THE SENATE OF 1850.
what was the composition OF the Senate OF 1850?
| 1t embraced such men as Clay, Webster, Calhoun,
| Benton, Seward. Chase Cass, Douglas. Hale. Ham
| lin, Corwin, Dayton, Mason, Hunter. Badger Ber-
/ rien, Sone, Foote and Jen Davis-hostie forces IN
| a conflict which even IN those compromise meas
ures was drifting to 1.-The perous edge OF battle.r
That Senate gave us the last hopeful 7'Vusfment
| on slavery In behalf OF peace, and II Saened the
4 door to the war. There were then nitcen ree
States and fifteen slave States, and the admission
/ OF California free State turning the scale led
| the South first to 'bleeding Kansas and then 70
\ Fort sumter From 1850 the great revolution set
drop or or and iI now they have ali disappeared. The
conditions which developed these no longer exist,
ana these Political n GGahs have simply BECOME
/ longer want towering mediator between the
| North and South like Clay, for the bayones has
/ settled the slavery and the negro questions. We
want no more great constitutional expounder like
WEBSTER; for slavery being stricken out, the con.
reader as charter OF liberty, There Il no open.
ing for sectional abstractionist and revolutionst
like Calhoun. Tor he mas nothing to build upon
| THE DAY OF GIANTS PASSED.
so it Is that sucn overshadowing orators and
oracles as We had IN the senate OF 1850 are not TO
has oeen made 80 plain on the basis Of liberty and
eauality, the masses OF the people have become so
far enlightened, from the diIiuslon OF Fixed facts
Iree thought, free speech aud pubic documents,
that TING Old time political orator finds his vocation
gone. The telegraph has abolished him. There
are 600 volumes OF his rubbish in the Library OF
Congress, which have become useless, except as
marking the DRIFT OF an epoch before the Hood Tie
constitutional distractions OF Calhoun, the argu
ments OF Webster and the pleadings OF Clay are as
dusty in their plgeonholes as the windy rhapsodes
cle.n
THE AGE or oRAToRY GONE.
The age OF oratory. like the age OF chvalry, is
gone. our iubilees OF political poetry, Inaugurated
with the log cabin and hard cider campaign OF
mlnstrelsy which hurried the lamentea Greeley to
his grave. The fifteenth amendment has made
the political orator sounding brass and tnk.
drama. or an owl in the open field at daylight, he
has remained abroad too late, and he Is blinded
and slenced by the strange glare and noises
around him. The United States Senate, mean
time, has undergone q great transformation.
Almost insensibly to itself II has come down IRON
the lofty defamation and gitterng PROFESSIONS OF
the forum to the hard facts and testimony Of
investigating committee. Recently. in the discus
sion OF a certain bill, we had some feeble displays
OF the spread eagle and ''fa.l Columbia - but as
they we're follow ed by appropriate apologies these
obsolete ebnllitions OF patriotism were excused.
Ana yet, while the venerable senator Cameron
was telling how the old bell OF independence Han
h
Of a great nation, and how this nation has grown
in strength and beauty tili It's glory Hills the whole
him IKE the chorus OF the star Spangled Ban
ner" But It was CLEAN OF glory which in
moment passed away under the shadow OF the al
mighty dollar. 'How mnch viii this thing cost -
was too much for the cioquencc OF Cameron
THE DOMINANT PATTY WITHOUT A LEADER.
But II eloquence has become . thing OF the past,
II long oratlons VI wind ana gas nave been DIS
nom the first week OF December last to the fourth
week OF March this reconstruct ed senate has been
! occupied chiefly in powwow, seemingly end
/ less ana purpOselesS powwOw, the currency
question which has sickened the conntryY Under
the halcyon administration Of Captain Tyler,
Henry clay, in the course OF a few weeks, pushed
through both houses bill establishing a National
Bank. II the senate has improved as body FOR
| business, how we 10 account Tor this success OF
Clay IN the old time and the recent delay OF
sherman to get his financial scheme into the form
wasted IN beating the bush ? 4 lew words will
serve as an answer to this question. Clay was
the leader and the embodiment OF the old
| whig party-the party ut the time OF his
| Rank bill which held working majority in both
houses: Ills word was the law TO ms party, and he
had only the opposition party to contend against
IN pushing through his bill Now rhc dominant
party has no recognized leader in the Senate
the House and II is all adrlt these questions OF
taxation, the banks and the currency. The Sen.
/ ate was like regular army with general az It's
! head; now II Is % body OF free militiamen, each
! man acting as his own captain. sherman awaits
| the Instructions Of the Senate; the Senate, eacn
man acting lot himself finds il difficult TO agree
upon any INSTRUCTIONS. As last resort they have
| resolved TO drift 10 an agreement
\ DRIFTING TO A SETTLEMENT op THE FINANCES.
Nevertheless the time expended these tedious
! debates has not been wholly prontless, though
most OF IT may he charged 10 Buncombe. EqualIry
now the supreme law OF the land, Is the supreme
| law OF the Senate. Accordingly every senator
! claiming hearing must be heard, and every mem.
I her undertaking speech thinks he can enlightea
the body or graty his constituents. mus az least
the differences to be djusted are understood and