Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1875-02-18


degeneracy Of the present Congress as
compared with the Congresses of old.
They have cited the names of Webster,
Calhoun. Clay, Randolph, Benton, and
still later, Buchanan, JEFF Davis,
Toombs, Douglas, Chase, Hale and
others. All. they say: "Why cant
we have such men nowadays !" The
age Of craftsmanship is past, and we
are governed by demagogism and
mediocrity. No longer does the Sen
ate Chamber and Representative Hall
resound with rolling eloquence and
rounded periods. No longer do the
people look with awe upon the legis-
lative genius which was wont to find
its home under the roof Of the Capitol.
Men were giants then; they are pig
mics now.
But while we claim this kind of
talk is all bosh, we wonder what these
croakers will think of the new Con-
gress as compared with this. 1t strikes
Us that then they will have some cause
for groaning. Mr.. Dawes is no longer
in the House to take care of the
national expenditures. TO be sure,
he goes to the Senate, but be certainly
Is no improvement on Sumner there.
Mr.. Butler retireS ut the time when
he is most needed The old bullying
spirit of Southern members is develop
ing itself again as eXemplilied by the
blackguardism of John Young Brown,
wno Is further encouraged by the
Southern Democratic press generally,
and one State Legislature has even
gone 80 far as to pass resolution
thanking him for his iniquity. VINO
is so well fitted to repel this kind of
reckless wickeduess as Ben Butler
Preston Brooks had his Burlingame,
and Brown had his Butler. The
Brooks and Brown spirit still lives,
and there may doubtless some new
man rise in the Republican ranks pc
culiarly fitted to meet it, but we can
not point him cut now. There are
other men who will be lost from the
House whom the nation can i'll spare.
Some of the best Democratic members
go out, among them Eldredge of this
State
When we come to the Senate, whom
does the nation lose +! Carpenter is
to be replaced by Cameron, Chandler
by Christiancy, Carl Schurz by
Cockrell, Stockton by Randolph, Buck
ingham, by Eaton. These are the promi-
nent changes Does anybody think
they are for the best in an intellectual
point of viewl Ben Butler felt sore
over his defeat at first, but when he
found how many good men were to
keep him company, and what bad
company he would have been in had
he been reelected, he said he was
glad of it. The worst of it all is that
the Democratic side of the House
retains its intellectual strength. The
Democrats have put their best men
forward There is Thurman, Bayard,
Gordon aud others of known ability
In the Democratic ranks, as a rule, !
ability is retained. In the Republican
ranks men seem only to rise above
their fellow men to be knocked down
by envy, or what not, and some harm
less creatures substituted for them.
The Republican party of course has
many excellent men who will remain |
in Congress, and who will fight the
good fight earnestly and ably, but
their ranks are broken in that the |
changes which have been made are
for the worst. Ability has given
place to mediocIity, and experience
to lnexpelience. In view of the i'm
portant matters which must come |
before the national government during
a few wears to come il is impoSsihle !