ABSTRACT
THESenateoftheUnitedStateshasbeen bothextravagantlypraisedandunreasonably disparaged,accordingtothepredispositionand temperofitsvariouscritics.Intheeyesof someithasastatelinessofcharacter,aneminencyofprerogative,and,forthemostpart,a wisdomofpracticesuchasnootherdeliberativebodypossesses;whilstintheestimationof othersitisnow,whateveritmayhavebeenformerly,butasomewhatselectcompanyofleisurely"bosses,"inwhosecompanionshipthe fewmenofcharacterandhighpurposewhogain admissiontoitsmembershipfindlittlethatis encouragingandnothingthatiscongenial.Now ofcourseneitheroftheseextremeopinionsso muchasresemblestheuncoloredtruth,norcan thattruthbeobtainedbyajudiciousmixtureof
theirmilderingredients.Thetruthis,inthis caseasinsomanyothers,somethingquitecommonplaceandpractical.TheSenateisjust whatthemodeofitselectionandtheconditionsofpubliclifeinthiscountrymakeit.Its membersarechosenfromtheranksofactive politicians,inaccordancewithalawofnatural selectiontowhichthestatelegislaturesarecommonlyobedient;anditisprobablethatitcontains,consequently,thebestmenthatoursystemcallsintopolitics.Ifthesebestmenarenot good,itisbecauseoursystemofgovernment failstoattractbettermenbyitsprizes,not becausethecountryaffordsorcouldaffordno finermaterial.
