The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-12-22

any rate it would do no harm to try the expert
ment
The Winter Crop or Pickwicz<ian Duels.
The evil effect of wicked associations and bad
examples is beginning to tell fearfully upon
members Of Congress and their political friends
The national Legislature has but just finished
the second week Of its session, and the fighting
calendar has no less than six entries of affairs
more or less belligerent. The ball was COM
menced, before the opening of Congress, by Mr..
Ashmore, of South Carolina, who has been
elected to fill the place oi<Mr. Orr. 1t appears
that Mr.. Ashmore was opposed by an indepen-
dent elector-Mr. Maxwell-and after the canvass
long correspondence ensued. In the end Mr..
Ashmore lost his temper, and called Mr.. Max
well bad names. The whole matter was then
referred to "colonel'-whether militia or regu-
lar we cannot say-and the affair was there left,
with strong smell of gunpowder about its
| skirts.
The next rencontre was between Mr..
English member of Congress from Indiana,
and Mr.. Montgomery, member from Pennsyl-
| vania. The latter cut the former on account of
| an old quarrel about the eternal Kansas ques-
ton. The cut member struck the cutter with
| cane, and he was severely injured. He reco-
vered sufficiently, however, to throw brick at
his opponent. So the case is one for pistols or
police courts. They do these things better in
France. Very recently young nobleman was
entering theatre, when be recognized and sa-
luted man Of equal rank with himself The
saluted made no sign, whereupon the saluter
| said, Monsieur lie Due, why do you not return
my salutes' To which the other replied, very
naturally, that he did not choose to acknowledge
it. Then, said the other, shall force you to do
80" at the same time taking the hat of the saluted
FROM bis head and going through the pantomime
of polite recognition. There was quiet little
duel, in which nobody was badly hurt and doubt
less dinner for four at Phillppe's afterwards.
That is much nicer than the cane and brickbat
style of doing business.
But to return to our Washington matters.
Cotemporaneous with the English affair we
find the lie exchanged between a member
from Alabama-Mr. Shorter-and a member
from nlinois-Mr Washburne. The latter, we
believe, distinguished himself in pretty
little fist fight which occurred in front of the
Speakers chair during the Kansas debate last
session. Blood or ink must flow between the
chivalrous Shorter and the hard hitting Wash
burne 1t is cheering to know that the Empire
State is not without representative in the
Washington squabbles. Mr. Daniel E. Sickles,
whose quarrels with Mr.. Secretary of State
Tucker have already occupied a good deal
of space in the journals, has been the re-
cipient of verbal challenge from the brother
of the Secretary. That officer, although his
name is Gideon, prefers the pen to the sword,
and sensiby confines his duels to paper pellets.
But the brother, thinking that Mr.. Sickles
had impugncd the honor of all the fuckers,
sent to the member from New York rather
curious note, which might mean an invi-
tation to the field Of Mars or might not The
diplomatic Sickles declined to proceed unless
the challenge, as he termed it, was with
drawn. The irate Tucker amably complied,
at the same time asking Sickles for an
explanation Of charge contained in the
first note. Now, as the first note had been
Withdrawn there was no charge as the
Sicklcs party delcately suggested. Without
advancing step further, Tucker has apparently
retired from the field. Like his distinguished
namesake, he has got out of the way for
the present, and the chances are that the valua-
BILE services Of Mr.. Sickles will be preserved to
his constituents in the Third district. The coun-
try can go on easier after this
But IL would be wrong to confne all this sport
to the lower house. Senator Slidell evidently
thinks So for in letter relative TO some negroes
over whom Senator Douglas, as executor, has
patriarchal care, he (SlidelD uses the following
sharp expression:-" Mr. Douglas has, by author
izing and countenancing anonymous attacks on
me, through person officiating as his private
secretary, lost all claim to the explanations that
would otherwise have promptly volunteered to
give him." Here is a direct charge against Mr.
Douglas, and, as a matter of course, he will call
on Mr.. Slidell for an explanation. The end is
not yet.
Now, who, after reading the record Of this
plentiful fortnights crop Of duels, can say that
the days Of chivalry are over To be sure, the
parties do not exchange cartels with the pune
tilious courtesy Of Bayards or Byrons and the
issues Of the duels do not carry distress into the
households Of the opponents, or make widows
weep and orphans howl; but Is not the Pick
wickian philosophy, after ALL the best' Isn't IT
nicer to say IL you didn't mean that, didn't mean
the other, and so become stronger friends than
ever. The scratch Of the pen Is not half so I'M
pleasant to the sensitive ear as the click Of hair
trigger, and IL is much easier to write out
quarrel than to fight II out. Government finds
the stationery, franks are plenty, and so let the
honorable gentlemen fire away on paper. A
horrible thought, however, suggests itself If
the short session is so full Of personal quarrels,
bricks, canings, snd so on, what are we TO ex-
Grn, Tho Lang In