Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1874-01-24
"ChOSen Men of the Nation"
tExtract from Ben Buffers Speech on the Salar
Repeal Bill.

[Extract from Ben Buffers Speech the Salary
Repeal BILL
There is one thing wish to say to my
fellow members, especially those who
are here for the first time. During the
seven years, more or less, that / have
been here, have found that the great
fault in Congress is the selfabnegation
of it's members. Let but man point
his finger at member of Congress, and
we are apt to shrink away from him, and
act toward him as if he must have done
some wrong, without standing by him
us an honest gentleman until his guilt is
proven. Let single thing be said
against the acts of any member of Con-
gress, and forthwith some demagogue-
for occasionally demagogucs get in here,
as of Christ's twelve apostles one of them
had devil laughter some dema-
goguc, | say, to show that he is not
guilty of the same thing, when most
probably his conscience accuses him,
brings in a bill restraining the Congress-
man from doing the thing charged. This
has gone on for n series of years, until
Congressman is shut out from the pur-
suit of almost all kinds of business. We
cannot have any interest in contract
that has any relation to the Government.
We cannot practice as attorneys in the
courts in which the largest interests of
the United States are involved. The
Supreme Court is about the only one
left to us. We cnnot go home and
practice in our State courts, or do any
other business, without neglectiDg our
public duties.
The trouble is that we do not stand
together, but let the men up there
(pointing to the reporters gallery who
live by our bounty, sit there by our in
diligence, to write diatribes against us,
and blacken us all over until the whole
world is made to believe that members
of Congress are worse than other men,
when, i'll fact, we are the chosen men of
the nation, and better as a class, than
men in any other single profession
clergymcp, lawyers, or doctors for
whenever II clergyman gets into Con
gress, we have seen he is not especially
conspicuous for his virtue any more
than his fellows. Laughter. l say
that we ought to stand here and say
Congress is not to be maligned; and if
we are maligned. let us stand together
and say that without proof the charac-
ter of no man, simply because he is a
member of Congress, shall be attacked,
and the attack bounded on by his fellows
from petty envy, jealousy or rivalry.
Bingham in Japan-A Lively Scene.
| A Tokei, Japan, correspondent of the
Boston transcript, writing of the cele-
bration of the Mikado's birthday, in
November last, says:
In the evening dinner was 6 iven at
the Emperor's summer palace, to the
eight foreign ministers accredited to
Japan. Terashima, formerly envoy ex-
traordinary to Great Britain, and now
Minister of Foreign Affairs, presided.
With the dessert, Sir Harry S.
Parkes, as British minister, rose and
proposed the health of His Majesty the
Emperor, which he accompanied by Il
neat little speech. At the close he
called upon the French minister, re-
marking it was his turn next to speak.
The Count briefly responded, excusing
| himself from speaking in English, and,
us he resumed his seat, Judge Bingham,
the United States minister, rose to
offer " Progress, prosperity and happi-
ness to the sovereign and people of
Japan, when Sir Harry, violently in
terrnpting, shut him off completely,
motioning him to sit down, and crying
out : "No more, no more p
Judge Bingham resumed his seat
gracefully, like true gentleman, but
Immediately opened a lively discussion
across the table, in which Sir Harry got
very excited, contending warmly that
the sentiment was out of order, as it in
troduced politics, and was superhuous
in language, as " the Emperor was the
people )" but the Judge coolly informed
him that he might have heard of a
church without "a bishop, or a people
without a crown, but inquired if it were
possible to have a bishop without II
church, or a sovereign without apeoplc.
When pressed for an answer, Sir Harry
reluctantly admitted 1t could not be,
and Immediately Judge Bingham good
naturedly congratulated him on having
"come to his way of thinking.
! III Ios, go,