Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1875-03-27

I
of his character. When he accepted Office
what did he say in reference 70 the morals
/ Of the country and the expenditures Of the
Government? In bis message that he sent
to Congress with regard to making prOvis-
ion for the executive department he asked
them to make no further provision for the
executive department than was absolutely
necessary to defray the legitimate expenses
of the Office We know Furthermore that
Washington was opposed to a third term,
and set the example Of serving but two.
We know also that in sustaining the
morals Of the country, and in setting an
example both by his practice and precept,
Washington received no more while he
was serving the country even in the army
than bare suficiency to defray his ex-
penses.
Grant rs a Gln-Taker.
There is a provision contained in the
Constitution which declares that "no title
Of nobility shall be granted by the United
States; and no person holding any Office of
profit or trust under them shall
accept Of any present, emolument, office,
or title of any kind whatever from any
king, prince, or foreign State.n The minds
Of those who made the Constitution were
directed 70 the other side Of the water:
they thought temptation was most likely
to come from that direction. If in the last
lire Of this clause of the Constitution they
had added cor any citizen Of the United
States" what a fortunate thing it would
have been. Laughter More danger lies |
in gifts and presents and gratuities from
citizens Of the United States to pubic Of
ficeIs than from any prince or potentate or
foreign power. Here it is in our midst.
right among us, and if some Senator were
now to offer a resolution suggesting the
propriety, and giving it as the SeDate's
opinion, that the Constitution ought to be
amended in this respect, it would be sub
ject of very important consideration about
this particular period.
Here let me refer to resolution passed |
in 1895 in the House Of Commons in refer |
ence to the Speaker Of that body Sir John |
Trevor, who in thirty years mounted from /
the lawyers stool 70 such dignity that in a |
| national and royal procession for him was |
| reserved a very distinguished place; and /
! how high this distinction was you will /
/ understand when you know what this pro-
| cessiOn was in which he thus appeared. It /
was the funeral Of Queen Mary, the wife Of
/ King William LII. Her burial took place
on the 9Th Of March, 1926, a day long
memorable in London. The Queen had
died young; she died beloved. Her death
was sudden, almost terrible; she was struck
down by the malignant smallpox. Public
sorrow for Queen Mary was great-never
was so universal a mourning, constrained
by true sympathy. Parliament resolved to
follow her body to the grave. Never be
fore had Parliament followed a royal fe-
male. They did so, however, robsd IN long
cloals Of scarlet and black, attended by the
ma fhn Of 1,afr h,ff = |
Of the House Of Lords and of the House Of
Commons, came after the hearse, on which
was laid the purple velvet-shrouded coffin.
The streets were hung with black. It was,
in truth, pageant Of unusual sOlemnity. !
The whole English nation was represented |
there, the nobility, the judges, the Lord
Mayor, all the authorities both civil aud |
religious; and walking in this grand pro-
cessiOn between the Peers and the House !
Of Commons, in a space set apart to do him ,
honor, with mace borne before bin and his ,
train carried up, there walked that knaviSh
squirting lad, now grown into a knayish,
squirting man. His name was Sir John ;
Trevor. As Speaker of the House of Com !
mons he took this place, nor had any of /,
their Speakers before him been thus dis
tinguished as the first commoner of the
realm; no former Speaker had been hon T
Ored by heading in royal procession the !
whole House Of Commons. Thus was Sir /;
John Trevor, as the first commoner of the
realm, publicly ennObled on the 9th Of
March, 1885. Within a week, in the eyes
Of all England, he was a man the lowest i
and most degraded among EHglishmen. '
This was how it happened. We saw Ire [
vOr on that 9TH Of March, as Speaker Of the )
House Of Commons, leading the House
aft aaffi &c = e1,aE 1 II
only seven days later Trevor had to do as !
Speaker? Standing in his high place, stand
ing there before all the representatives Of I
England, he had 10 read aloud words to this \
effect: v
Resolved, that Sir John Trevor, Speaker Of ;
the House, for receiving gratuity Of one thou :
sand gUineas from the city OF London, Is guilty Il
OF high crime. Il
This was the resolution Of the House Of '
Commons, and this was what England did a
in 1925. Notwithstanding there has been
so much reference made to the cOrTuptions
Of England and the English Government, if
such was their view and such was their &C :,
ton In reference 10 the Speaker Of their s
House Of Commons, who had received a 3
guineas as a gratuity for
his influence and assistance in pass
ing bill through the House o
for the benefit Of the city of London. A q
guineas. Only $4,000 If you
look around and contemplate for moment n
can you not fad that this principle could :
be applied in this country? Perhaps it D
would be as legitimate to have a resolution il
Of that character under consideration for
the expression of opinion in this body to L
day as the one that we have before US. G.
This resolution was adopted on the 18th Of g
March, 1896, now one hundred and eighty q
years ago. 1t lives in history. Notwith- S,
Standing the Government Of England has p
been called corrupt, that was their view Of p
gratuities. We find that they carried it so ST
far as that. You will find il in Macaulay, St
Dr. in the History of the Speakers of the q
House Of Commons. They carried this u
proposition so far that he was made to read h
he resolution, so as to feel to the fullest fl
extent his own degradation. When the
was adopted, he was made to get St
up and read the resolution which con- ~
iemned him and which expelled him from lie
he House.
This would be just as legitimate a sub NJ
ect Tor the Senate now to consider rs the n
)ne before us. l might express an opinion r
n reference to citizens receiving gifts from ~
citizens, when it is provided in the Consti- n,
ution Of the country that they shall not +,
'eceive them from any foreign prince, pO- ii
entate or power. Why not consider a =
subject like that? Let the popular heart T
Understand it and let it respond. Ii is n
line we turned our attention TO things like
heSe. Where are we going? What is the IN
condition of the country? / merely refer 7.
o this for the purpose of making a gen NJ
raj application to anybody that is guilty a.
# like conduct. That is what England did n
o one Of her speakers who had accepted n
Tatuities fCom corporation for his infu- ffi
nee in Its behalf -
The kellogg Government. n,
When we get to the kellogg government do
n Lou siana what do we find there? Do II
We find a case like the one to which have 50
allied the attention of the Senate and then th
10 we find the action to correspond With
he action then taken? When we get to
we find that kellogg comes in as ~
OTernOr; how? "a committee of the Senate, T.
ompOsed Of able gentlemen, made a report Gi
n reference to Mr.. kellogg and the govern NJ
nent OF Louisiana, and in the conclusion as
f1,.sr