Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1896-06-13
COMMUNICATIONS.

FOR CONGRESS, JAMES l.. MARTl \.
Gen. Grout is now serving his
fourteenth year and seventh term in
Congress. This is the longest term
ever given any representative from
Vermont except Horace Everett,
who also served fourteen years, and
if Gen. Grout had proved one of the
greatest and most influential legislat-
ors the nation had. it would be fair
question, under the prcccdents of
our politics, if it Were not time for a
change, but as Il matter of fact he
has proved a very commonplace
one, under whom the state has large
ly lost her prestige and power of
leadership she had for two genera
tons, with Bradley and Seymour,
Phelps and Prentlss, Collamer and
Footc, Edmunds and Phelps, in the
Senate, Niles and Chittenden, Fiske
and Bradley, Marsh and Crafts,
Rich and Mallory, Everett and Shade,
Hall and Dillingham;, Walton and
Baxter, Poland and Willard in the
House. There has never been IA
time until within recent wears when
Vermont's representatives were not
everywhere recognized as among
the nations foremost in statcman-
ship.
How Is it now, so far as Gen.
Grout is conccrned' He certainly
is not prominent in debate, and has
not shown any great capacity to con-
struct, or influence, legislation.
Looking back over all these fourteen
years, what great measure of nation
al importance has been associated
with his name: TO have to ask the
question ought to be enough to de-
pr1ve him OF denomination. Com
mittee positions arc good test of
the estimation in which members
are held in Congress. Probably
there was never one in the country
and certainly there never has been
one from Vermont who did not get
better positions than Gen. Grout has
after an equal term of service. He
is now chairman OF the committee
on expenditures in the War Depart
ment, one of the minor committees.
He has, it is true, been the chairman
of the committee on District of Col
umbia, but that is good ways from
a committee position of first class.
When it comes to the chairman ship
of any of the leading committees,
Grout simply is not thought of.
Judge Powers, of Vermont, now in
his sixth year, was placed at the head
of one of the most important COM
mittees of this congress, that ON the
Pacific railways.
ust compare him with the great
men Vermont has had in the House
in the past: Rollin G Mallory, the
Mckinley of his time, served only
twelve years. Justin S. Morrill, was
in the House only twelve years, and
at the beginning of his fifth was
chairman of the committee on ways
and means. He had been in the
II ouse only three years when he car
ricd through the first measure against
Norman polygamy. In his first six
years he carried through the bill for
public land grants. Poland with
only twelve years service was, six of
them, chairman of the House Judi
ciary committee, and was, by COM
mon recognition Of his great ability,
put in charge of the great work of
and revision of the Fed
cral Statutes, and he was chairma II
of many of the most important COM
mittccs of his time. William Slade,
in his bold fight against the slavocra-
cy, Highland Hall, in ten years SER
vice recognizing the whole post
office department, are other illustra-
tons of the difference between the
service of statesmen and w. w.
Grout, all of it done with less adj
vantage from seniority than he has
had. What good reason is there
why he should be continued longer
in Congress, especially when the re-
suits are so meagre'
James l.. Martin. of Brattleboro,
who has, within few days, con-
sented to be Il candidate, has the
mental equipment to restore this
prestige of the past to the old Green
Mountain State. A fine orator, a
careful student of public affairs. a
strong lawyer. one Of the foremost
Jury advocates in the state. brilliant
in his supreme court argument, a
thorough master of parliamentary
law, a skillful manager of men, and
an excellent judge of what is practi.