The Leavenworth weekly times., 1876-08-03
LONG TERMS FOR coHoREssnEN
From the New York Times.

In his late letter declining to be renomi-
mated for Congress in the Twenty-fifth Dis
trict OF this State, Hon. E. W. Leavenworth
gives a scmewhat discouraging view OF the
interior of Congress. Mr.. Leavenwcr,h's dis
trict is composed of the counties oi Onon
daga and Cortland. 1t has been the Gus
tom, as in districts similarly made up of
two or more counties, to change the nomina-
tion from county TO county, giving each one
"a chance" as the phrase goes, to be repre-
sented in Congress. Mr.. Lesvenworth has
served one term. and was likely, therefore,
to be renominated. But in year or two
his lease of official lite would expire. His
district allows no man more than iour con-
secutive years in Congress. In the present
Congress he has been with the minority.
On this point he says: "Of the three COM
mi,tees upon which l have been placed not
one of them has reported bill or done
anything but investigate" These investi-
cations, he declares, are not worth the pa
per consumed in making them. He has
been obliged to see time and money fritter-
ed away in these futile investigations, and
he decides that, as he is no longer young
enough to look forward to the time when
he shall, by freqent reflections. be able to
master the business Of Congress, he must
decline a denomination.
There is nothing peculiar in all this, I'M
less the candor and simplicity with which
the whole c,se is put be novelty in poll
tics. Inf-rentiallv, however, there is q les
son in Mr.. Ieavenworth's letter which
nominating conventions and Congressional
,n.titueuts may proftably take to heart
He declares that the State of New York
f,ils to acquire and hold in Congress its due
proportion of influence, because its delega
ton In the House is constantly changing.
1t is not to be understood that this
is due to political revolutions in
the several districts, but to the general
notion that the nomination is a sort of local
advantage which must be carried about
from point to point, throughout the district.
"They have had it long enough" complains
ore end of the district, speaking Of the
Office Of Representative "why not give us
chance at it?' No higher consideration
than this can be urged. The present Rep
resentative may be honest, faithful and
capable. No matter; he has served two or
four yeaIs, and has thus exhausted the priv
ilege of the county, or the particular local
ity in which he lives. So it has come to
pass that States which maintain that a
good Representative should be kept in
Congress, practically control Congress. Mr..
Leavenworth frankly says that, in his opin-
ion, a single member from The State OF
Massachusetts has had more influence on
the legislation of the country for the last
tlan the .
members from the State Of New York. Ii
is not that the last named members lack
talent or education that their position in
the national legislature is so insignificant.
1t is because they lack experience; they
are comparatively new TO their places !;
therefore, they are unfamiliar with their
duties. They will give way to others, who,
in their turn, will follow them into private
life
No matter which party is dominant, the
older members Of the House will be in the
front rank. In their hands the great bu-i
ness Of the House will always be found.
The large questions which arise each sea
son have been in Congress, in some form,
many times before, and the older members
are familiar with their salient features
On the important and intricate points in
volved q new member is heard with ILL
disguised impatience. He has not yet se-
cured the confidence of the House. If he
were wiser than Solomon, he could not in
one session, scarcely in one Co grese, gain
the right to offer advice, while members
of long experience in legislative affairs
were about him. All this seems sufficiently
obvious; but ii needs 10 be enforced by Just
such a candid letter as that which We
have above referred to. Mr.. Leavenworth
knows that, according 10 immemoria,
usage, he could have the Congressional
nomination Of his party for a second time
He knows that that would be the end OF
his Congressional career for the present
lie has extensive private interests which
are more important to him than a brief
and barren apprenticeship In Congress. II.
feels that this is an Improbable outlook
for him and for his constituents. How
many Congressmen are there who are pre-
cisely in this condition, lacking, perhaps,
the decision OF character necessary to &C
knowledge as much and withdraw before
being retired?
1t ispossibly vain TO advise constituencies
to keep their Congressman when they find
one who is fiji TO represent them. The lead
ing men in Congress, on both sides Of the
House, are those who have been returned
again and again. 1t is not alone because
they have sps cial gifts that they have been
allowed to acquire this long experience. Ii
this were SO, We might as we'll admit that
this State has few men who are fit to be
to sent to Congress and kept there. The
two most prominent men on the Democrat
ic side OF the House have served almost
continuously fifteen or twenty years; and
their case is most notable because, during
most of this time, they have been in a
hopeless minority. One would suppose that
each district would see for itself the advan-
tage of giving the House . legislator
who should be . leader, not a learner.
Possibly, this is . reasonable expectation to
entertain of constituency but competing
politicians, anxious to cut figure in na-
tional politics, are constantly intriguing to
disPlace the sitting member. The really
conscientious Congressman cannot keep both
eyes on his district While he is in Wash
ington, trying to learn his business, some
rival runs awsy with the nomination, and
30 the whole dreary farce is repeated. 1t is
time that this ia hien of psddling the Con-
gressional nomination from one end of .
district to another came TO IN end. When
this State has. as in few instances, been con
tinuously represented in the lower House
by one or two men, it has been we'll repre-