The weekly pioneer and Democrat. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1855-1865, 1860-04-20
The Lovejoy Scene in the House.
Correspondence of the Ohio Statesman.

The Lovejoy Scene in the House.
Correspondence of the Ohio Statesman. 70
#ta WASHINGTON, D. c., April Z.
DEAR Col: We had scene in the House
yesterday for the pencil of a Hogarth. 1t
was full Of grotesque comicality. Yet like
Hogarths pictures, there was serious side
and Sad moral in every delineation. After
the House refused to pass Mr.. McC lernand's
bill to effectually throttle polygamy by d.
viding Utah between the gold territory of
Jefferson and the silver territory of Nevada;
after they had pompously passed law to
allow MOrmons to punish polygamy by
Mormon grand and petit juries,-it was fit
that another farce of lower style should end
the days drama.
Accordingly Mr.. Sherman proceeds to
accommodate Lovejoy. Loveioy is the
Abolition leader, who wears Giddings'
mantle. Sherman moves to 60 into the
committee of the whole. One of the Wash.
burnes, of Maine-not bad family either
was called to the chair. He is the smallest
Of the family, bat the oldest. He is the
smartest; but he talks 80 much that some
call it chatter. Hence his name, Socko.
Kinder men, to distinguish him from his
brothers, call him zone story Washburne."
He gives the floor to Lovejoy. Lovejoy is
full bodied man. He is not fat, but has
embonpoint. His neck is bovine. His
voice, ditto. Hitherto, he has been led
about by Sherman, like prize Durham,
with ring in his nose, and rope in the
ring. Sherman had hold of the tip end of
the rope during the contest for speakership.
When the animal got ugly; when bis hair
seemed to kink little saucer; when his
nostrils dilated; when little silver threads of
delicate froth hung pendant from his chops,
Sherman kept his distance at the full length
OF the tether. Only once during all the
philipics on the Helper book and signers
did he below. 1t was little noise; much
like "baa!"
Transformed into the Bull of
Basham, he began his antics in the Hall.
The performance of relative of his in a
china shop, was no circumstance compared
to his in the Hall. Lovejoy is something Of a
rhetorician. He intended, as Republican
member told me, to get up muss. He
lacked some personal persecution and abuses
make him run we'll at home. So he took his
stand on the left of the speaker, among the
seats. As he began to reach his climax of
abuse on Acknowledgements them with
being murderers, polygamists, and all the
rest of the worst of crimes and insults af.
ter defending Helper and his worst designs
after clarifying John Brown and calling
the Democrats devils incarnate, and piling
of1 .>fn 1v okso md o1o
ical rhetoric, in order to reach the climax Of
his theatrical arrangement of style, manner,
and matter--he began with appraised arm,
clenching and shaking his fist, and many
bovine demonstrations of head and coat tail
to walk out of his place, into the arena in
front of the speakers chair. He walked as
he talked. He shook his fist as his poisoned
spittle flew about. Democratic members
sat without umbrellas. Over be came with
in reach of the Democratic benches-when
he was met with defiant and derisive threats
and cries of "negro thief "perjured villain"
and other delicate remainders of bis original
self. But on came this electrical bovine, un-
til all the hot blood of the south was
up. Red flags were fourished in thick pro-
fusion. That was what he wanted. He
then threw himself into an attitude,-put his
head back and snuffed several cubic feet of
hot atmosphere! Pryor, Mcqueen, Barks-
dale and others of the "sweet SOUTH" gave
him notice, amidst gesturing and uproarious
hubbub-to go back to his own side. Mem
bers called on the sergeant.at.arms. At
length chairman Washburne called on that
officer. 1t was like calling on spirit from
the vastly deep. He was absent. His as
sistant-who looks like the jolly fat boy in
Pickwick, rushed out with hair on end and
with the mace in hand. The eagle on it
fluttered about in utter dismay. The house
was all on its feet. The area was jam OF
disorder, noise and belligerence. Kellogg,
of Illinois, came down and roared- pure
sympathy. He did not know what he was
roaring about. Burnett, next in lungs -
but far above,-far, in ability-roared in
defiance. Members put on overcoats-nys
teriously.' Literally-inferno was to pay.
No lack of hot pitch, either, to discharge
the obligation. At length Washburne de.
serted the chair. Pennington took it. Quiet
was restored. The clerical bully was allowed
to go to the clerks stand-acco to the
rules-to finish his performance, and the
house adjourned with more bad feeling than
ever saw manifested here before. 1t was
deliberate and premeditated attempt to
bring about fatal and fearful collision, for
the personal qualification of Lovejoy.