The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1936-07-24
HIS RECORD SPEAKS
From The Salisbury (Md.) Times

er of the House or representatives,
recently giving expression to the wis
dom acquired from years of obser-
vance and experience in legislative
halls, wisely remarked:
Everybody knows the length
of service of Members of the
House increases their usefulness
to their districts. New men,
bers who are sent to Congress
begin at the bottom of the list,
and it requires considerable time
to acquire a complete under
standing of enacting legislation
and making contacts with vari-
GUS government departments.
l was a member of the House
for 22 years before l became
chairman of major committee
Every Speaker of the House
served 20 years or more before
he reached the high position.
Article "a of the Declaration of
Rights of the Maryland Constitution
reads:
A long continuance in the
Executive Departments of power
or trust is dangerous to liberty;
a rotation, therefore, in those
departments is one of the best
securities of permanent freedom.
That pronunciation was made at
the Constitutional Convention in
1857. 1t was conspicuously silent
IN membership in legislative bodies.
Then, as now, extended tenure in
office of legislators must have been
considered factor for public good,
rather than liability, considering
If course, that the legislators con-
duct and labors have been devoted
20 betterment of his constituents
general welfare.
These two quoted statements come
20 mind now with the candidacy of
Congressman T. Alan Goldsborough
| who is asking to be returned to the
seat he has occupied In the House of
Representative continuously since
1921.
Recently printed pages of the Con-
sressional Record provide some in
teresting statements lin praise of
Congressman T. Alan Goldsbor-
ough's record, of efficiency and
economy"
Under date of June 8, 1885, this
publication, a record of Congression-
| II proceedings, carries the following:
He Speaker Byrns) pointed
out that Representative Colds
borough, of Maryland, who has
served approximately Is years,
ranks second on the important
Banking and Currency Commit
tee, and has been acting chair
man most of this session.
The Banking and Currency Com
nittee originates and directs through
the Congress nearly all monetary
| matters affecting the Government.
in the last two or three sessions, this
has been one Of the government 8
major programs, including the RFC,
Hole and FILA, mediums designed
% assist business and the individual.
On the same page of the Record
appears an editorial excerpt from an
eastern Shore newspaper:
Mr.. Goldsborough has never
handled his office in a political
way, and in his endeavor to pre-
vent the waste of public money
has several times halted the pas
sage of costly legislation. Mr..
Goldsborough was almost entire
ly responsible foor the defeat of
the silver-purchase bill, provid-
ing for the purchase of 10000
900 ounces of silver from silver
miners at 81 per ounce. At the
time the bill was up for passage,
silver was only worth IS cents,
so that in the defeat of the leg
islation alone, Mr.. Goldsborough
saved the Treasury more than
$5,O00,0O0, enough to pay
Congressman's salary for 500
years.
In the current campaign much has
already been said about the old-age
pensions and social security pro-
grams of the Democratic and Repub-
lican parties. And since these dis
cussions are likely to continue until
the November election, another in
teresting excerpt may be taken from
the Congressional Record. Mr.. Colds
borough, speaking from the floor of
the House on May 26, 1886, said !:
Mr. Speaker, about 6 years
ago, on June IL, 1880, / made
the first speech ever made in
| the American Congress advocat-
4