CHAPTER III. Elected to Congress - Character as an Orator-Speech on Revolu tionary Claims. In the summer of 1833, Mr. Pierce was elected from his native district to the lower House of Congress, for the term of two years, and took his seat in that body in December of the same year. He was at this time a graceful orator and gentleman, but twenty-nine years of age, popular at home among his constituents, and as may well be supposed, soon became a favorite in the best circles of Washington society. Young, fond of society, and of a genial nature, it would not have been strange, had the temptations which were scattered thickly about him, seduced him, to a degree, from a rigid attention upon the transactions of the House. But such was not the case. At all times, he was to be seen in his seat. When any important vote was taken, the name of Franklin Pierce, of New-Hampshire, is invariably to be found on the records of Congress. He never interrupted the proceedings of either House with what are vulgarly denominated "speeches made for Buncombe." We have been indeed surprised, in our search among the Congressional records for his speeches, to discover the prac ELECTED TO CONGRESS. 33 tical nature of every speech ever delivered by him in Congress, either in the House of Representatives or the Senate. Scarcely another man is living who has spent as many years in Congress, without speaking, occasionally to say the least, for the sake of political capital at home. There are several reasons why Mr. Pierce never pursued such a course. In the first place, his modesty of character, and his love of the practical, extinguished in his heart all desire for popular displays; and in the second place, he has always been so popular among the people of New-Hampshire, that there was never at any time any need of his resorting to the ordinary methods of keeping alive a half-expiring reputation, viz: by franking thousands of his speeches to his constituents-by making a violent ado about nothing, in Congress, for the purpose of preserving his name fresh in the memories of his political supporters and friends. The Democratic party has generally a very handsome majority in New-Hampshire, and Frank Pierce was always sure of a heavy majority, whenever nominated for any office. The first speech of any importance and length made by Mr. Pierce in the House of Representatives, was delivered February 27, 1834, and was upon the subject of Revolutionary Claims. We present it here, not because it is, in the ordinary acceptation of the term, a brilliant performance, but because it shows the excellent sense of the young orator, and his conscientious desire to oppose all ex travagance in the public expenditures. Through all his speeches there runs the same vein of economy. Though personally extremely liberal-far too much so for the good of his purse-he has always strongly opposed extravagance in the public expenditures. It is this fact, disclosed by the speeches of Mr. Pierce, which constitutes him a safe statesman and an exceedingly fit man for the Presidency of this nation. It is not every passionate orator, it is not every stump-speech-maker, who can properly fill the august Presidential chair. But a man who is opposed to extravagance and to corruption, and who is religiously honest and consistent in his character, though inferior to Daniel Webster in his intellectual acquirements, may be a far safer President than any mere orator, or intellectual personage of however magnificent talents. General Pierce is an honest man- -a consistent man; and the people never will be deceived in him or by him. But we will proceed with his speech on a bill reported by a committee of the House, "To provide for the settlement of certain Revolutionary Claims:" 66 ON SPEECH A BILL TO PROVIDE FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF CER- "Mr. Pierce, of New-Hampshire, thanked the House for having kindly deferred, on the suggestion of his indisposition, the consideration of the bill which had just been read; and he felt under par SPEECH IN CONGRESS. 35 ticular obligations for the generous courtesy manifested on that occasion by the gentleman from Virginia, a friend of the bill, [Mr. Mason,] upon his right. He had expressed, the other day, when moving the postponement of the bill, his conviction that it had been passed to a third reading without having received all the consideration due to its importance. That conviction had been strengthened by further examination and subsequent reflection. Nothing, however, but a sense of what he conceived to be his duty, as an humble member of that body, could have induced him to arrest its progress then, or new to ask, for a few moments, the indulgence of the House. He should be brief in his remarks, having nothing to say for political effect, or for home consumption; but with the opinions he entertained of the bill, he should do injustice to himself did he permit it to pass sub silentio, feeble and unavailing as his voice might prove. He had hoped that its importance, and the new order of things to be had under it, would have called up some gentleman whose experience and whose reputation might have insured general attention. He had waited to the last moment, and waited in vain, and now, upon its passage, he called upon gentlemen to pause before they proceeded to provide, by presumption, for satisfying claims of any character, from any quarter. "Mr. P. said he was not insensible of the advantages with which the bill now under consideration came before the House. It came, as he understood, with the unanimous approbation of a committee entitled to the most entire respect; and it related to services, the very mention of which moved our pride and our gratitude. They were services beyond all praise, and above all price. He spoke of the Revolutionary services generally. But while warm and glowing with the glorious recollections, which a recurrence to that period never fails to awaken; while we cherish with affection and reverence the memory of the brave men of that day, now no more; while we would grant, most cheerfully grant, to their heirs all that is justly due, and which we do extend to those who still survive; our grateful thanks, and our treasure also, he trusted we should not, in the full impulse of generous feeling, disregard what was due from the gentlemen composing this House, as the descendants of such men. What, then, sir, (said Mr. P.) are the objects to be answered by the bill, and what are its provisions? The general object is plainly and briefly stated in the introduction of the committee's report. They say: 666 Finding many petitions before them, asking the commutation of five years of half-pay, promised by the resolution of Congress of the 22d of March, 1783, to certain officers of the Revolutionary army, they have been induced, by several considerations, to present to the same a bill, the object of which is to remove these and some other similar claims from the action of the committee, and of Congress, and have them settled at the Treasury Department.' |