The Portland daily press., 1895-12-31
OUR PUBLIC MEN.
Senator Hoar Protests Against Reckless
Criticism of Them.

Criticism of Them.
|. Senator Hoar delivered, as president of
the American Historical society, at the
opening of its annual meeting in WASH
ington, d. c., Thursday evening, a
scholarly and eloquent address on the
theme. popular discomfort with repre-
sentative government" which was re-
oeived with every mark OF approval by a
large and distinguished audience. Among
other things, Senator Hoar said: I wish
to speak tonight of one or two causes of
popular discomfort with our representa-
tive government. I suppose that the
flame of patriotism never burned brighter
or clearer here than 1t does In the bosom
of the youth of America today This is
not only true Of those who are born and
bred on American soil, but. with the ex-
oeption am about to state, ssmen of other
races and blood seem to catch the Ameri-
can spirit as soon as they breathe the
American air. Yet when / consider the
tone Of the press, of men of letters, and
even some writers of history, when they
describe her, am sometimes astonished
that any American youth can love his
country at all. Every morning, Sunday
and week day, there comes from the press
by the million, by the hundred million,
what constitutes the staple reading Of
nearly all Of their people who can read
at all. These publications are largely the
of Cro ,oth o,ftr,
They represent the party to which they
are opposed, and especially the trusted
leaders of the party to which they are
opposed, as base, selfish, intriguing, or
at least narrow and rong-headed.
Yet it is unquestionably true that near
" all the voting population of the country
belongs to one or the other of these politi-
cal organizations. II these political or
are base. If the trusted leaders of these
political organizations are base and
mean, then the country is base and mean.
We are Testiye unoer foreign criticism !;
we resent, angrily, the common speech
of the Englishman; we are distur bed by
the bitter, contemptuous utterances Of
English magazines, like the Saturday
Review, and newspapers like the Times.
Is 1t strange that the papers of foreign
countries should adopt the opinions that
are constantly uttered by our metropoli-
tan press? Is there any offense of this
sort in London which cannot be matched
in New York?
Some of our men of letters are not
much better. When they speak of the
country in the abstract they adorn her
with graces and virtues proportioned to
come to speak of what she does, of what
she is, and write of the men to whom she
gives her confidence, whom she commits
sions to act for her, who are picked aud
chosen for the great transactions by which
alone her character can be made to ap-
pear, it is curious what Setebos or Cali
ban they make of her. Indeed, there
could not possibly be written more
curious chapter in the history of human
would record the opinins of men of
letters, of their contemporaries and of
their times-men from whom come to us
the great inspirations to courage and to
duty, whose noble trumpet blasts stir
the soul to it's depths who, in the time
of trial.. nerve us to great deeds, and to
great sacrifices, who console us in great
SORROWS and great sufferings-it would be
ludicrous, were it not pitifui to see how
at fault Is their Judgment of the men
with whom they are living, and the tran
sactions which are passing under their
own eyes. l cannot go very deeply into
the subject in the time which is at my
command. I can only touch one or two
matters, but hope we may be satisfied
that great deal of the public impatienoe
with our representative government Is
i'll founded, and that some of our more
plausible complaints are hasty and incon-
siderate. There are two classes of COM
plants which, I think, are likely to make
an impression on good men, and especial
ly upon young men, which il not alto
gether without foundation, are at least
greatly exaggerated. First, the complaint
OF what is called "party spirit" and Sec
fokleness and ineff1ciency Of Legislative
bodies.
After presenting the arg uments to prove
that these charges were greatly exagger-
ated, Senator Hoar said in conclusion:
am willing to compare our representa-
tive government in it's worst with any
monarchic government under which the
authority of the monarchy is really felt
in supremacy over the expression of a
represented and contr olling popular will,
at its best and risk everything that
hold dear and precious on the result of
the comparison. Now, my friends, hope
you do not think have come up here to
ask you to listen to few generalities and
bOaStful utterances. 1t is very serious
question to any American whether his
love for his country is sentiment which
has it root and it's foundation in solid
respect and honor. If it be true, as the
critics of the Saturday Review and of
the London Times, and their New York
imitators are telling us from day to day
and from week to week, that these repre-
sentative governments Of ours are but an
aggregation of base Inen seeking base
personal ends. governed by low and sor-
did motives, and that this condition of
things Is growing from year to year,
worse and not better. then your country
is not a fit object Of your love- You can
not be grateful to the fathers who have
bequeathed to you these institutions, and
you can have no rational hope for the
children to whom You hope to deliver
them. But it is not true.
My life for 80 years has been given in a
humble way to the public service. /
have known intimately through and
through the men whom the people from
all the states of the country have in
trusted with the conduct of public affairs.
You cannot be one of 60 or so men, shut
up together in the same room for 20 years
to debate and deal with the most exciting
subjects Of human interest, without
knowing pretty we'll the temper and
characters and quality of your associates
There ia q good deal of human nst,1ra in