Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1899-01-26
CHAMP GLARK'S LETTER
His Opinion of a Typical
New Englander.
PERSONALITY OF DINGLEY.
Wisdom of Retaining Able Men
In Congress.
PERSONALITY OF DINGLEY.
NAMES POWER AT THE CAPITAL

Her Delegation In the House the
Most influential. According to Num.
hers. In That Body-DingIey Was
Strong intellectually and of Solid
AttainmeBts-Reed Master of Sar-
casm-DingIey's Tariff Views.
Especial Washington Letter.
In these letters have three distinct
purposes first. to aid. build up and
propagate pure Democracy; second. tc
make money; third. to give a correct
exposition of matters congressional &c
the many embryo congressman who read
them.
Amos j Cummings says that the
average length of service in the house
is four years. so assuming that boys be-
gin reading newspapers at s and some
now of that age will live to be SS-Sen-
ator Morrill, age-and that they will
then be in congress- 20 generations Of
congressman, according to Cummings
arithmetic. read these letters
Ordinarily these documents are pure
-ly political This one is strictly nonpo-
litical 1t is radical Democrats S ma
ture personal opinion of radical Re
publican Missourians observations
of typical New Englander
The neurology of the Fifty-fifth con
gress is peculiar in this 1t is the first
time within the life of one congress
that one state (Mississippi) lost both
her senators by death. and that another
state (Maine), with as many as four
representatives. lost half of them in the
same way
When this congress first convened,
the Maine delegation in the house con
sisted of Thomas Brackett Reed. Mel
son Dingley. Seth L. Milliken and
Charles Addison Boutelle-all full of
lusty life and apparently destined for
many years upon the public stage for
Maine representatives seem to hold
their seats by as certain a tenure as do
the peers of England Now Mr.. Mill
ken and Governor Dingley are in their
graves. Let us hope that ''after life g
ftful fever they sleep well. >
Governor DingIey.
Governor Dingley was college bred
man and an indefatigable student. par
ticularly in everything pertaining to
finance. He rexeled in statistics, and a
book made up entirely of figures had as
great fascination for him as the latest
novel has for girl of l6
He was frequent and instructive but
not pleasant speaker and had a weak,
rasping voice and a well developed
nasal twang.
Mr. Dingley's commanding position
at the time of his death teaches most
important lesson.
The north in general. New England
in particular. understands thoroughly
the wisdom of retaining faithful and
capable servants in congress for long
periods. believing correctly that if there
is anything in man it viii be devel-
oped and his influence in the national
councils increased precisely in proper
tion to his length of service
Daniel Webster. Edward Everett.
John P Hale, Jacob Collamer, John
Quincy Adams. Hannibal Hamlin, Viii
liam Pitt Fessenden, Henry Wilson,
Charles Summer, James @. Blaine and
others passed most of their lives after
reaching the congressional age in Wash
ington city.
Maine Strongly Represented.
Take the case of Maine once more.
When her delegation in the house was
composed as it was until recently. Of
Reed. Boutelle. Milliken and Dingley,
it was the most influential. according
to its number. in that body 1t was in
influence growing no less ont of length
of service than out of inherent capacity.
Experience is a hard school, but there
are hundreds of things about the COM
plicated congressional machinery which
can be learned in no other They do not
come by instinct or intuition No genius
or eloquence or learning can compensate
for this positive knowledge of details
and Of legislative machinery: knowl
edge which may appear trivial to the
uninitiated. but. as an aid to a success
full career. of vital Importance
No length Of service in congress could
make man like Reed or Wilson un-
less be were lowered by nature with
shining talents and nimble tongue
But there is scarcely district in the
United States that has not man within
its borders who would not become prom
inent if he were elected to congress at
the age OF 40 as Governor Dingley was
and kept there for life as be was
James A Garfield once said There
is no place where man finds his true
level so certainly and so speedily as in
the house of Representatives And say
there is no such training school for in
tellectual development anywhere else
on earth as the lower house of congress
A man whose mind does not expand
there is an incorrigible fool
Before came to congress. while in
congress the first time. while out be-
tween terms and since | am back again
my theory was and still is this The
people of any given district ought to Sc
lect man in harmony with their inter
ests and political beliefs. who is pos
sessed Of industry energy integrity
and at least fair capacity and who is
young enough to grow. send him to
congress and give him to understand
that so long as he grows and discharges