The Planters' banner. [volume] (Franklin, Attakapas Co., Lou.) 1849-1872, 1853-06-30


not being at the time in the best pos
sible condition for Judging of the pro
liability of Mr.. Wilberforce delivering
such a speech, they repaired to theil
respective offices. and actually gave a
copy of it into the hands of the printer
Next morning it appeared liz all the
papers, except the one with which
O'Sullivan was connected. The sensa.
ton of surprise it created exceeding
everything. Had it only appeared in
one or two of the papers, persons of Or
dinary intelligence must at once have
concluded that there was some mistake
about the matter; but its appearing in
all of the journals except one, and that
one so very obscure, that scarcely any
body knew whether the speech was in
it or not, forced as it were, people to
the conclusion that it must have been
actually spoken.
The inference was plain. Every
body, while regretting that the neces-
sity should exist, saw that no other
course was left but TO put Wilberforce
at once into straight jacket and pro-
vide him with keeper. In the eve-
ming, the House met as usual, and Mr..
Wilberforce, on the Speaker taking the
chair, rose, and begged the indul-
gence of the House for one moment, to
matter which concerned it, as we'll
as himself, personally. every homo
dable MEMBER he observed, "has
roubtless read the speech which am
represented as having made on the
previous night. With the permission
of the House will read it." Here the
honorable member read the speech,
amidst deafening roars of laughter.)
II can assure the honorable men,
bers that no one could read the speech
with more surprise than myself did
this morning, when found the paper
on my breakfast table. For myself per-
sonalIy, | care but little about it
though if l were capable OF utterring
such nonsense as is here put into my
mouth, it is high time that, instead of
being a member of this House, | were
an inmate of some lunatic asylum. 1t
is for the dignity of this House that |
feel unconcerned: for, if honorable
members were capable of listening to
such nonsence, supposing me capable
of giving expression to it, it were much
more appropriate 10 call this theatre
for the performances of farces, than a
place for the legislative deliberations of
the representatives Of the nation"
1t was proposed by some of the men,
bers to call the printers Of the differ
ent papers in which the speech ap-
peared, to the bar of the House, for a
breach of privilege, but the matter was
eventually allowed TO drop,
To show the mistakes which such
jokes are apt to cause, the Missouri Re-
publican lately published the identical
speech as coming from Mr.. Wilber-
force, upon a bill for the amelioration
of the laboring classes of Great Britain
and Ireland MIR. Wilberforce is made
to say: physically, he himself pre-
sented but very unprepossessing spe-
cimen of humanity; but had it not been
for the Irish potato, it would have been
immensely worse with him. Had it
not been for that invaluable esculent,
upon which he was mainly raised, in
body and mind, he never would have
been comparable with what he was,
inconsiderable as he might be in both :
and to the great use of that vegetable
he attributed the superior brightness,
shrewdness, wit and sagacity of the
Irish over the English, who lived most
ly on roast beef and pudding"