The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1878-10-10
Working VS.. Talking Congressman.
shreveport Standard. |

The proverbial member OF Con
gress from the Bnncembe district,
who did not care whether his fell
low. members listened to, his speech
or not, since the people Of Bun
combe would read it with avidity,
understood the functions OF the
TALKING member. In former days
every candidate for Congress was
nominated with the expectation that
he would occasionally make aspeech
on the great questions of the day.
The speech was printed in the Con-
gaessioaal Globe, read by his constit-
uenls, and then relegated, together
with the ponderous volume which
contained it, to the trunk maker and
Others whose trade called for the
use of waste paper. Congress thus
became grand National debating
society, whose debates were not
without interest and whose mem
bers were put through just such a
training as fitted them for so public
and so conspicuous an exhibition.
But with the rise of the power Of
the press and the multiplication of
the means of INSTRUMENTATION,
the occupation of the talking men,
Der is gone. The press takes up the
great questions of the day, discusses
them with an ability which throws
the average Congressman into the
shade, and sends the dissertations
by telegraph and steam to the re-
hottest parts of the country, so far
in advance of the Congressional
Record with its soporific contents,
as to be almost forgotten before its
arrival. Renee, there is no necessi
ty for the Congressional speech
maker; hence the cause Of the breed
having measurably died out. Occa
sionally, it is true, some one either
more gifted than the rest, or else
with a facility of making people
think so, takes the floor and COM
mands the attention of the House
and of the galleries through his al
lotted hour and sometimes beyond
| it. But this. is understood to be
only a means of amusing the habit
ues of the capital, and not with any
expectation of aiding the passage of
important bills. The speech is soon
forgotten and has no influence on
the question at issue. In fact, those
who have business at Washington
never apply to the talking men to
aid them in its transaction.
The talking member has necessa-
rily given place to the morking
member. The man who never
wearies Of attending to the business
of bis constituents; who never misses
a roll-call or vote and always votes
right; who goes through all the
Departments, if necessary, to get a
little information for constituent;
ond who never fails to respond to
all the demands of his people for
services, is the man who makes his
mark in Congress today, and whom
the people seek oat as the recipient
of their suffrages. The change is a
remarkable one, and has been some
what sudden. There are some
lQudatores trmp0ris acti-who regret
it. They lament the decline of ora
tory. We cannot but applaud the
change. The time when Republics
rest their foundations on the amount
of wind and tongue they could COM
mand, has passed away. Wind and
tongue as foundation for a Repub-
lie have proved somewhat of a fail
ure in America. They came near
bringing the American republic to
destruction. The passion for get
ting ones self understood by means
of articulate speech, as Mr.. Carlysle
would say, needs extinguishing in
this country. In time. when we get
older, we shall perhaps learn the
Ipower of silence. Talking members
will then be totally unknown
working members will begin to be
appreciated and get their deserts.
The people, as we have said, are
already beginning to appreciate
them and to seek them out. We
have noticed this fact in the recent
Congressional Conventions in the
districts in the different States with
which we are most familiar. AS an
instance We would mention the I'd
Missouri district, running through
the heart of the great city of st.
Louis. The Hon. Erastus Wells, a
notorious working member during
his eight years service, though he
did not seek the nomination, has