The miners' express. (Dubuque, Iowa) 1849-1854, 1853-06-29
WILBERFORCE'S GREAT SPEECH ON
POTATOES


The following amusing sketch of joke of
a Parliamentary reporter, is taken from the
Great Metropolis, London work.
About ,hirty-fve years ago, when only one
sentence of speech was given on an average,
in every five or six minutes, and when the re.
porters had to sit for many hours at time, they
were often at loss what to do with themselves
On one occasion, when laboring under an at
tack of ennui, and also under the effects: Jack
Finnarty, well known reporter Of that period.
yawned out,
"Mr. Speaker, will you favor US with
song :"
A roar of laughter Immediately followed from
all parts of the house One of the officers im-
media,ely repaired to the gallery, and inquired
who the offender Jack Fnnarty, without
opening his mouth, pointed to Quaker OF very
dminu i've stature, who was sitting IN Inc 'front.'
seat The officer Immediately seized the UNI
offending little man by the breast OF his collar
less coat, and without condescendng to give
the why II wherefore, dragged him down stairs,
and transferred him to the care OF the sergeant
at farms. The latter, after keeping him In safe
| custody during the night, and compelling HIM
to pay nearly $50 for his lodgings, set him at
liberty on the following day.
| About the same time, the debate. which was
about English laborers, being one evening un.
usually dull, Jack Finnarty, who had but a
short time before been imported from fipperary
said to the only other reporter IN lne gdHeTy at
the time, that he felt very drowsy, and that he
: would be after taking little bit OF nap, II he
! would tell him when he awoke anything which
might take place. The other agreed, and Jack,
a in moment was fast locked in the arms OF
Morpheus. An hour elapsed, and after half a
dozen yawns Jack opened his eyes.
t HAS there anything happened:' was the first
d question to his friend.
D TO be sure there has, said the other, whose
It name Morgan O,Sullivan.
sHas there, by the powers? exclaimed Jack,
g prcking up his ears in the plenitude OF his an
, xiety to hear what it wds.
IS Yes, Jack, and very important, too
sThen why don't you be after telling it TO me
If at once? what was it about?
about the virtue Of the Irish potato, Jack.
sWas it the Irish potatoe you said, Morgan''
: The Irish potato; and most eloquent
!. speech it was.
70 Thunder and lightning, then, and why don't
:, you tell it me 2
a. I'll read it from my notebook. Jack, and
you can take it down as 60 on said Morgan.
sOch, it's myself sure, that's ready al any time
i, to write what any member says about our prai'
w. ties are you ready to begin?
NC sQuite ready, answered Morgan.
a sNow then, said Jack with energy that
n strangely contrasted with the previous langour
- of his manner Now, Morgan, my boy
Morgan, affecting to read from his note book,
ne commenced thus.
I'd, sOch, be asy little Bit interrupted Jack,
en- who was the honorable member.
n Morgan hesated for moment. was 1T his
he name YOU asked? Suse it was Mr.. Wilber-
force
at MIR Wberforce , och very well, then
od Morgan resumed
he .Mr Wilberforce, said that it always appear
he ed to him, beyond all question, that the great
On. cause by which the Irish laborers, were, as
Ill body, so much stronger and capable of enduring
so much greater physical fatigue than the Eng
ION lish, the surprising virtues OF their potato.
The And he
es, morgan, my dear fellow! shouted Jack, at
up the mention OF the Irish potato, his countenance
lightning up with ecs,acy as he spoke, morgan
" my dear fellow, this is SO important that we
on must give it in the first person.
lch sDo you think so said Morgan.
rn- sTroth and do, answered Jack.
ria, sVery well, said Morgan, and then resumed !,
tAnd have no doubt, continued Mr. Wilber-
nde force, that had i, been my lot to be born and
the reared in
ual Did the member say reared' interrupted
der Jack, exuting y, evidently assocIating the
i'm word with the growth Of potatoes in his ''bess-
ed country.
in Gle said reared observed the other, who
The then continued, 'had it been my lot to be born
the and reared in Ireland, where my food would
have principally consisted of the potato-that
lent most nutritious and salubrous root-instead OF
tel creature you, sir and these honorable gentle
men, now behold, would have been a tall,
day athletic man, and able to carry an enormous
rks, weight.
. of Here Jack Flnnarty observed, looking his
YER friend Morgan eagerly in the face,
the tFah Morgan, and that's what call true
nan eloquence. Go on.
lole 81 hold that root TO be invaluable and the
'led man who first cultivated it in Ireland, regard
and as benetac,or of the first magnitude to his sPe-
ma DIES. And my decided opinion is, that never,
'a s until we grow potatoes in England in sufficient
yed quantities to feed all our laborers will they be as
the able bodied class as the Irish !! Hear! hear
ents from both sides Of the house
nee SWELL by St Patrick, but that bates every
nee thing observed Jack, on finishing his note
all that's rare philosophy and the other members
ns- cried hear, heart DID they
ned tThe other members cried, Hear hear,
his answered Morgan
doris In a quarter of an hour afterwards, the house
: OF arose. Morgan went away direct to the office
lily, of the paper for which he was employed, while
re Jack in ecsacies Of the eulogium which had
,sed been pronounced on the virtues of the potatoe
'cy of sold Ireland, in breathess haste to pub
UNI lie house where the reporters who should have
,nce be en- on duty for the other morning papers
had were assembledt He read over his notes t.
will them, which they copied verbatim, and not be-
able ing at the time in the best possible condition to-
but Judging of the probability of Mr. Wilberforce
light respective Offices, and actually gave copy Of
,ror, it into the hands OF the printer
e. Next morning il appeared in all the papers
on except the one with which OSullivan was con
was nected. The sensation of surprise it created
that exceeded everything. Had it only appeared
ring in of the papers, persons OF ordinary
his intelligence and must at once have concluded
Of that there was some mistake about the matter
but it's appearing in all Of the journals except ont
900 and that very obscure, that scarcely any
HON body knew whether the speech was in it or not
uni forced as it were, people to the conclusion tina
osed it must have been actually spoken.
the The inference plain. Everybody, while
S0,- regrettins that the necessity should exist saw
Viz that no other course left but to put WILDER
in force at once into straight jacket and provide
pop him with keeper. In the evening, the House
ants met as usual, and Mr.. Wiberforce, on the
or Speaker taking the char, rose and begged ths
his indulgence Of the House for one moment, to
matter which concerned it, as well as himself
each personally Every honorable member he OBJ
teal ser we'd has doubtless read the speech which
d. am represented having made on the previous
III to night. With the permission of the House
and will read it, (Here the honorable member rea'
the speech, amidst deafening roars of laugh
,ntl- ter)
war Il can assure the honorable members that n,
his one could read this speech with more surpris
land than myself did this morning, when l found
er of the paper my breakfast table. For mysel
too personally, care but little about it-though it
end were capable of uttering such nonsense as
bian here put into my mouth, it is high time that
instead ofbeng member of this House, wer
rgh an inmate of some unatic asylum 1t is for thu
from dignity of this House that feel concerned; 10
pay honorable members were capable OF listening
the to such nonsense, supposing meicapable giving
the expression to it, it much more appropriate
used to call this theater for the performance of fare
es, than place for the legislative elaboration
ince of the representatives of the nation
sy to 1t proposed by some OF the members t
gre call the printers of the different papers in whcl
the the speech appeared to the bar of the House TO
of breach of privilege, but the matter was event
Te- ually allowed to drop