Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-02-24
TaImage and the New Jersey Legis-

ldTurG.
The publication Of an extract from
sermon of Talmsge by a Camden, New
Jersey, paper last week, in which MEM
bers of the New Jersey House Of Repre-
sentatives were pretty severely criticised
for using language uubecoming gentle
men. caused much excitement and indig-
nation in the lower branch OF the Assem-
blv of that State. A resolution hitting
Talmage some pretty hard blows, and de-
clariug that he was more anxious for nc
toriety than to benefit his fellow men was
proposed.
Before the resolution was voted on, how
ever. 1t was discovered that the extract
was from a sermon preached year ago,
and had no reference to the present As
sembly.
The fact that the movers Of the resolu-
ton which was intended to belittle Tai
mage and weaken his influence did not
take the trouble to inform themseN es
about the alleged sermon before attacking
him. shows that New jersey Assembly
men do not rank very high as fair-minded
legislators. 1t is probable that the feeling
that they deserved all that Talmage pos
sibIy could say about them Influenced
them to try and set themselves straight
before the public by Safeguarding the
Brooklyn preacher.
The fact that they desisted when they
found out their mistake did not prevent
| TaImage from addressing the Assembly a
| very caustic letter. If the members had
not already inspected their ears with the
aid of a looking glass in order TO satisfy
themselves that they did not belong to
| the donkey breed Of ANIMALS, they doubt
less made the inspection after they re-
ceived Talmage's letter.
In his letter. Talmage, after quoting
! from a well authenticated report the pro-
fame language used by the Speaker and
certain members of the Assembly of 1884,
AID their indecent behavior, which be
| criticised in his sermon, he says:
Let me express nv utter contempt for
| the members who on the first occasion in
/ March. 1884. and who on the second Occa-
| sion last Tuesday made such an assinine
! exhibition of themselves. To what a
/ depth has the New Jersey Legislature
| fallen. Shades Of Samuel L. Southland
and William l.. Dayton and Theodore
/ II
| the past, rebuke them! The language
used by some of your members in
| March, 1884, would disgrace mule-driyeT
! on the tOw-paths of your Raritan canal
| You have no right by your vulgar behav-
| iOr to depreciate a State which many OF
| US are proud TO call the place of our ma
| tivity, and in whose Legislatures have
been many whom we have loved and hon.
| ored, among them my own father. AS to
| your charge that | seek nOtorlety IN at
| tacking you, that is absurd. No one, for
| such purpose, would assail such insigniti-
| cant men as those who went into that
| legislative wrangle and INDUCED in sucn
| scurrility. L never saw their names be-
| fore, and probably Will never see them
| again unless find them some morning in
| the calendar of the police court. Surely
| if | wanted a reputation for skllltul hunt
ing would not 90 to shooting muskrats.
Talmage closes his letter with a series
| of resolutions, which he advises the AS.
sembIy to adopt. One of the resolutions
be calls a mathematical problem" II
is as follows:
If the report of an old sermon, the con-
tents of which l have forgotten, throws
| New Jersey legislators into such con-
| sternatiOn and parOXysm, how many
! thousand feet INTO the air would they be
| blown by a new sermon on legislative OUT
RACES?
Talmage would do the people Of many
of the States and Of the whole country a
service if he should devote considerable
portion Of his time to ''blOwing up" not
only State Legislatures, but also Con-
| gress. A little more wholesome truth
telling with respect to large percentage
of national and State legislators couldn't
| fail To do GOOD.