New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-03-29
USELESS ELOOUENCE.

n, Saturday the House Of Representatives
- washington at the opening of the session
doro+od itself TO what was called question
NJ privilege raised by the Democratic 'eauer'
Mr. Roiey. OF Texas 1t related to the ac'loh
n Republican member from North Carohha'
who having been accused Of abusing the lraiiN-
mo privilege of the House, had, under leave 10
nrint inserted in "rhc Record" the matter
which no had been charged with Thanking I'M
nronerly Mr.. Bailey moved to strike the CD
iectonablc matter from 1.-THE Record, giving
nc his rem son therefor that the House only the
dov before had refused to allow n MONTANA
member TO get political matter into "Ihe hec-
ord" The Montana member. 1t may De re-
WONDERED. desired TO inject into the debate on
the Naval Appropriation bill, and subsequently
into "The Record for home consumption some
stirring bur irrelevant eloQuence on the CUBAN
question The House, being in a hurry 10 act
and not lust then hankerng for eloquence, sal
on him and would not let him proceed Whcre-
unon Mr. Bailey. ms leader Of minority deter
mined to assert its rights. even though SPAN
stood ut the door with thirteen torpcdo-poatS'
sat on the House and would not let the House
proceed Saturdays performance was lh'ehucu
to even I'D transactions. The North Carolina
The Record" by vote of the House as n sort
of COMPENSATION TO the Montana Populist whose
irrelevancies" had been barred out the day be
fore. and then the House resumed business.
These occurrences suggest the prevalence OF
two decisions In the minds Of some gentlemen
doing business as statesmen at the old stand.
The first Is that what they consider eloquence
and are so anxious to inject into debates and
sJ,l,o a
pertinent or impairment. whether it be relevant
or irrelevant, counts for anything anywhere
except as magniloquent gibberygosh and sweet
encd wind As matter OF fact IL does not.
Obviously. existing political conditions hold ont
unusual temptations to the attltudlnizlhs de'
chalmers. the yusty orators Of passion, the
goosehesh raisers and animated wlndmis'
They think 1t is an opportunity to get the centre
of the stage and fire the popular heart with
figures of speech and burning words. There's
where they make a mistake It's no time Tor
eloouence It isn't needed any more than job
type in printing the news. We have had a
great deal Of II in the last few weeks, but the
public will bear witness that the whole flood
of 1t has not had Onetenth or one hundredth
as much influence In shaping public sentiment
and producing practical results as the simple,
plain straightforward, unadorned narrative OF
Senator Proctor, in which there was no at
tempt at oratory or eoquence, but only calm,
unstudied effort to present facts and tell the
truth And that after all, was, in the clrcum-
stances. the highest order Of eloquence
Another deluson that seems always to haunt
in greater or less degree the mind Of the states
man OF the period IS that II he can, by hook or
nv crook. get something. relevant or irrelevant,
into that mausoleum of dead, buried and still
born mental processes. "The Congressional
Record" so that he can frank It to his constt-
uents. he will be making profound impression
upon them and lifting himself by his own
suspenders up to great heights Of popularity.
SO he gets leave to print. and filings his beautl
full thoughts and broad craftsmanship at great
length into that voluminous publication But
what nonsense! There are very few constt-
uencles whose voters are 80 benighted as not
to know that the daily newspapers print each
day everything said in the debates that Is
either worth saying or worth printing. And If
their representative has said nothing that the
bright and alert correspondents have thought
worthy of publication comment they don't
care TO read what he has had printed at Gov
eminent expense and sent them under his frank.
Not one franked speech in ten thousand is ever
read by the constituent to whom 1t Is sent.
Public expenditures are proverbally wasteful.
but most wasteful as well "a silly Is that in
Cured in printing and binding the spoken and
unspoken eloquence OF ambitious statesmen
and giving 1t free distribution through the mails
all over the country.