Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1908-04-10
Hon. c. c. CARLIN,
House Of Representatives,
IEnchinnfnn u q


House Of Representatives,
Washington, d. G.
Ny DEAR CABIN: In answer to
your request for advice as to whether
you ought to leave your post OF duty
here in order to participate in cam
paign Of joint discussions or other
wise. in your District, and your re-
quest to know whether, in my opinion,
as leader of the Democracy on the
floor, you could be properly spared, l
have the honor to anwer both ques-
tons in the negative. l have lately
given notice to the House of Represen-
tatives and to the American people
that from now on there should be
yirile opposition, a refusal OF unani-
nous consent to ordinary legislation
and later on, if the necessity arises,
call for the yeas and nays upon every
piece of affirmative legislation to pass
the House unless the Republican party
shall bring up for the consideration
Of the House certain matters Of re-
form legislation demanded not only by
Democrats, but by patriotic people
everywhere.
For you to leave now and neglect
your present duties as member OF
Congress for the purpose Of securing
your reelection, would be, in my opin-
ion. a subordination Of public duty to
personal and private interest. That
you might run down in your District
upon occasions when you could leave
after Congress adjOurns and come back
before it met the next day, If duty de-
mands it, goes without saying; and
even then you ought to know before you
left that there would be nothing prob
able to cause a night session, and you
ought to know that beyond question.
In giving you this advice / do not
want you to think that | am advising
you to do that which | myself have
not uniformly practiced have never
left Washington during my fifteen
years of public service to meet oppo-
sition at home while Congress was In
session, except on one OCCASION when
lost three legislative days for the
purpose of procuring primary cleo
ton in my District and to prevent un-
fair treatment by an executive COM
mittee. | have had some Of the hard
est and hottest fights for nomination
that any man in this House ever had
in 1894, in 1896 and in 1904, not to
mention lesser occasions. One Of the
years mentioned my opponents were
six fayorite sons, each expecting to
carry his county, who were upon the
stump every day Friends were writ
ing and telegraphing for me to come.
| took the broad position that a man
at post of duty and receiving a salary
to be there and compensation In the
way of public honor and public regard,
larger and more precious than his sal
airy. had no right to seek future pre-
ferment at the expense of the per-
Torrance of present duties,
| would, Of course, dislike very much |
to have my advice stand in the way OF
your interest, but my experience IS |
that the judgment and good sense and |
sense of equity of the people Of any |
southern constituency can be. safely |
trusted, and that they regard the per-
fomaDce Of present duty as the strong |
est reason for the conference OF adj !
ditional honor.
am also informed by you that 1t !
is being charged that yOu are mem /
Der Of two unimpOrtant committees
One is the Committee on Elections No. {
3. which it is charged never meets, F.
and the other is the Committee ON
Coinage. Weights and Measures. II
seems to me that it is almost useless
on your part to call attention 70 the
fact that if the Committee on Elections
has no business before it, it is a sub
ject Of congratulations to the Minority,
but that the consideration Of contested
elections demands upon the part Of
members Of such a committee acute
intelligence and accurate knowledge Of !
constitutional and election laws, and
that service upon such cOmmittees has
been the making Of several men. The
Honorable Charles Crisp before his
election as Speaker served upon the
Election Committee, where he made
the reputation which made him speak
err. The Honorable Charles T. O'Far-
rell of Virginia, probably owed his