The Sun. — 1835-04-30 (London, England)

SAYINGS NOT DOINGS.  TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.  This, Sir, ought to be the motto of many of our public men. They are all talk—they begin by talking themselves into the House, and end by talking the public out of their money. Long speeches appear to be the religion of all those who are, and also of those who would be Members of Parliament. The elections in progress, as well as those concluded, have afforded our orators the opportunity for indulging their prolix propensities to their hearts' content. I wish, however, long speeches were out of fashion—l wish the public would set their face against them. Where's the wisdom of measuring an individual's legislative aptitude by the facility of his phrase ? Fluency and folly, a copious vocabulary, and an empty head, have a nearer connexion with each other than is generally suspected. A fool, says Solomon, is known by the multitude of his words. Barbarians—the savages of Africa, for instance, can vie with any Hon. Member in the practice of making long speeches : many of their orators can certainly speak as long and as much to the point as some of ours. I dread the 12th of May. Such a deluge of debate—such an interminable war of words—so much evil speaking—so much more silly speaking--such midnight murders of sense—such prolix interminable prosing— they are typical of eternal punishments. I seriously put it to those Hon. Gentlemen who have such an appetite for making long speeches, whether they would not better consult the public interests, as well as their own private reputation, by confining themselves to the question, instead of rambling on for an hour or more in their wonted strain of rhetorical inconclusiveness. Did Franklin—a statesman as well as a philosopher—did this great man ever make long speeches? Did Washington ever wander from his subject into the irrelevant garrulity of our modern great men? No ; these Republicans, whose names will go down to posterity, immortal by their virtues and talents, and by the just and noble use to which they applied them, seldom, I believe, spoke in Congress for more than ten minutes at a time. There are Hon. Gentlemen in our Congress of collective colloquy, who will twaddle till midnight; and even our best men, accommodating their supply perhaps to the public demand (for as I hinted before, legislative fitness is absurdly enough inferred from the being able to make a long speech), greatly overdo the question. Instead of applying their remarks to the great points, and leaving the subordinate ones to follow in course, they cram their speeches with every topic which they can possibly contrive to squeeze in. Brougham himself, the greatest orator of the age, is not, perhaps, wholly free from this fault. Mr. Buckingham, some time ago, proposed to limit the length of Hon. Members' speeches in the House—and of course took nothing by his motion but a little laughter—of which the means, perhaps, rather than the end was worthy. The practice is not the less to be deprecated on that account. The public interests are injured—the public service damaged —the public time wasted—the progressive well-being of the community is retarded by indulgence in the vicious habit of  . 1411111111 tr,  making long speeches. In the hope that " The Sun," which shines and enlightens so many thousands of readers, may reach also those unfortunate speakers, who have been long labouring under the cacoethes loquendi, I have ventured to throw out a hint for their adoption. B. B.