Cleveland morning leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1854-1865, 1859-02-24
Hon. John 3. Thompson on Cuba.

The speech of Senator THOMPSON, OF Ken
lucky, against SIidelPs corruption project, is the
speech of the session. 1t not only has sharp
points, bat is vastly entertaining. When de-
livered, the Senate was full and the galleries
crowded, and the entire audience were often
convulsed with laughter, and the Vice President
at last scarcely made an attempt to preserve or
der. Mr.. THoMPsoN's manner as well as matter
fixed attention The old man, with apparently
shattered constitution and feeble frame, sat at
his desk after the first fifteen minutes, and talk
ed on loudly enough to be heard at any point IN
the Chamber, his hands upon each side oil the
desk, and the only gestures consisted IN hitting
them and throwing the palms outward. He
spoke with impertursble gravity while all around
him were provoked to laughter, and with evi-
dent sincerity, and entire concentration on his
subject. The speech abOunds in graphic pictures
and home spun comparisons, and the reader
cannot but admire Mr. THoMPsoN's straight-for-
ward, practical treatment Impractical questions
Mr.. THOMPSON is an old Wing, and just now
belongs to no political organization. He hits
right and left, and the effect of his speech on
Senators and audience is thus described by the
correspondent of the New York Tribune:
Around the Speaker sat Senators of every
name and degree There was Pugh, who laugh
ed till the tears ran down his cheeks. There
was IGwin, brawny and broad, who shook him
self entirely out of all remembrance Of all rail-
road projects Close by, and directly in front,
sat Douglas, who, with his head bent upon his
breast, seemed in danger of choking, as he con-
vulsively bobbed it up and down upon his chest.
There was Mason, the impersonation OF the Vlr-
gina idea of Senatorial proprety, sitting first in
front, and then moving over to one side, and
then standing in the rear, but wherever he went,
intent on listening, and actively participating in
the general pIee. There was Father Simmons
of Rhode Island, sitting close by, from beginning
to end. a perfect convert to Free Trsde-In
laughter. There was Mr.. Seward, not having
the due restraints of grave Eenator upon hImr
sometimes to be seen IN convulsed, sometimes
in an exploded state of hilarity. There, too,
was his colleague, Preston King, whose fatsides
never stopped shaking. There loomed ale,
with his face constantly lighted up with
sort of gloriied merriment. There was that
soberest and grayest of ancient Senators and
venerable men, Mr.. Allen of Rhode Island;
a man who never speaks and never smiles,
eagerly listening and constantly laughng
looking first tnis way and then that, to
see if it could be possible that he was justi-
fed In such an unwonted exhibition of exuber-
ant nature. There was the Speakers col
league, the veteran Crittenden, gradually sink
ing under the inexorable humors of his friend
and admirer until, in apparent despair OF being
able to hold out himself, he suggested that his
colleague should give way for an adjournment
a suggestion gratefully recognized, but not ac-
ceded to, on the ground, apparently, that the
audience ought to be able to hold out as long
as the Speaker in his present intirm condition.
CIinuman refused to go away and laughed
to the end, generously helping the Speaker
with an apt correction of "free love" alluslon,
as a good bachelor should. Gov. Hammond
took a seat in the immediate vicinity of Mr..
Thompson at the start, and resolutely clung to it
to the end, not missing single good thing nor
falling to enjoy it. Gen Houston stuck by equally
close, swallowing the entire dose. Directly by the
Speaker sat Reverdy johnson, wholly unable to
restrain himself, aud laughing as though he
would split The detail might be pursued
Suffice it to add, that in addition to the distln-
puished gentleman referred to, there sat nearly
all thelrest of the Senators in similar condition
of broad exclamation. Bringing up the rear
in close order was Lord Napier, who began to
listen with his coat on and bat in hand. Dl-
recily he sat Then he removed his overeoat,
and next he put down his hat. For the rest,
he went in with the crowd. and became an un-
conditional partner in the general merriment,
taking most philosophicalIy the awful delinea-
tions of John Bull, the ''bloody old bruiser,"
and the palpable hits at the dinner-giying tao
tics of his di iplomatist in Washington. Another
live Lord on one of the sofas did not take the
sketch so graciously.
While this speech of Mr.. Thompson's did not
treat the subject from the Republican point Of
view, it is entirely too full of good things to be
neglected 1t is good speech to circulate. for
it contains much sound doctrine in an attractive
form.