St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1859-05-05
NUMBER Is.

political--of skulking the issue of
Cuba, and shivering in their shoes at
its mere name.
Nearly all eyes had been fixed on
Toombs and Seward-the latter calm
and pale, and looking steadily at his
assailant. But the few who knew
Wade well, had not failed to notice
h;e ha ra- c. ..,fo
of his chair, his compressed lips and
indescribable air of defiance that sat
on his countenance. Ere Toombs was
fairly in his seat, Seward, Wilson,
Fessenden and Wade sprang to their
feet. 1t was impossible for the chair
to assign the floor to anybody bat "the
Senator from ohio,' for the tone in
which he pronounced, "Mr. President"
and the eye he fixed on Breckenridge,
said, as plain as words could have ut
tered it, 81 must and will have it,
Wade, who don't fear the devil,
turned square upon Toombs, who
knows that Wade don't fear anything,
and bringing his fist down within an
inch of Toombs' nose and heavily upon
his desk, said, his eye riveting him,
and the hot words kissing through his
teeth, Skulk, ah shiver do we ?"
The Georgian pushed his chair-it
stands on casters-a few inches further
off SO as to give his Ohio neighbor
more room.
Wade went on, leaping almost from
the floor at every sentence, showing
plainly that though he was able to re-
,,l,y affo AZ ,.,1,, b., h., to, I
that fell from Toombs' lips, he would
rather drive them forcibly down his
throat-all of which Toombs knew,
because. once on time, they being
neighbors in the Senate then as now,
Toombs was abusing all Republicans
in the most vituperative style, when
Wade, his hands on the arms of his
chair, ready to leap to his feet, de-
manded to know, docs the Senator
include me in what he is now saying 7"
Upon which the Georgian responded,
" except the Senator from Ohio !"
Since that occurrence everybody
thinks Toombs desires to give Wade
a wide berth
But, to the speech The first sem
tence went straight to the core of the
snbject, and all the rest followed it.
You sncer at the Homestead bill, be-
cause it gives land to the landless, do
you? What is your pet measure?
Stea|tag nfggers for tie mggerless! We
| go to the country upon it" Land for
the Landless rersss Niggers for the
Niggerless |"
That was enough. The galleries
had seeming y held their breath. Now,
some feet came down with one deter
mined stamp upon the Hoor-a few
hands smote together-but the mass,
in gallery and in Senate, shouted with
a mingled roar of laughter and cheers
the President throwing down the
gavel in despair.
Having in this phrase, compressed
the whole argument into the smallest
possible compass. Wade went on
roasting the Democracy about their
nigger BILL" and satisfying Toombs
that he Wade) was not much fright
cncd, however it might be with him
(Toombs) and then he handed over
the fight to Fesscnden.
MIR. Eesscnden was more deliberate.
Indeed, he was persistently calm and
provokingly cool He told Toombs
that Republicans did not skulk or
shiver on the Cuba question, but only
meant by this course to take their own
time and teach gentlemen that the
Senate was to be governed by its own
rules and not by the DEGREES of a par
ty caucus, and that they should per-
NIT the vote to be taken on the bill
when they had said all they wished to
on the subject, and not one moment
sooner
At this time Seward sat quietly in
his chair. Those accustomed to read
his thoughts on his face, knew he was e
abiding his opportunity to reply. FL
nally he took the floor. He never
spoke of the Senator from Georgia.
He turned his back somewhat upon
him, with mingled air of dignity and
contempt He drew his own chair
aside, pushed Wilson's out of the way,
stepped back pace or so, shook off
trammels, forgot Blair's rhetoric,
Campbcll's rhetoric, and Stewards
rhetoric, calmly defined the differ
ent kinds of courage, said he hoped no
had enough to serve his purpose as
Senator and man, and then rose
with his theme, contrasting in few
glowing words the bcneficient objects
of the Homestead bill with the pernic-
ious scheme of acquiring Cuba, and
alludidg to the Presidents efforts to
clutch the purse and the sword, de-
nounccd him in severe but strictly
parliamentary language, for attempt
ing thus to divert the public mind
from the issues which his Kansas and
financial policies had precipitated up
on the country, and he concluded by
comparing, in few eloquent SEN
tences, the principle which would
give land and homes to freedom and
free laborers, with that which would
extend and strengthen the curse and
crime of human bondage among men.
AS he pronounced the closing words,
he proudly turned his back upon the
Chair, drew out his cigar case and
walked into the adjoining cloak-room.
After another short skirmish on
points of order, Toombs replied to
Seward. He tried to abuse him. But
it was not the vituperation of Sena-
tor. 1t was the raving of drayman
on the dock, cursing of common drab
i'll dirty alley.
In the midst of this gust of passion,
the tire-eater might be seen shaking
his clenched fist and curly locks at
the New York Senator, who was lean
ing against the doorway Of the cloak
room, quietly smoking his cigar and
calmly cycling Toombs. 1t was
'abfeaa indeed.
After long fight, Slidell, chief Of
the Cubans, at nearly 2 o'clock in the
showed the white feather and
moved that the Senate adjourn.