Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-03-22
SPEECH OF GEN. RILEY,
IN the House Of Representatives of Ms
souri,, February 8, 1861.

ter Of the city Of Carondelet, to a stand
ing committee of the House
Mr.. RILEY obtained the floor, and
addressed the House.
Mr.. SPEAKER: Everybody Is pitch,
ing into this matter like toad frogs into a
willow swamp, on lovely evening in the
balny month Of June, when The mellow
light Of the full moon fills with delicious
food the thin, ETHEREAL atmospheric cir.
(Applause.) Sir, want to put in word
or perhaps a word and half.
There seems to be disposition to fight.
say, ii there is any fighting to be done,
come on with your corn cobs and light
ming bugs! (Applause) In the Ian
guage Of the ancient Roman
"Come one, come all, this rock shall fly
From its firm base, in a pigs eye"
Now, there has been a great deal OF
bombast from alpha " to Omega Q
don't understand the meaning of the
words lhough) Sir the question to re-
fer, is a great and magnificent question.
1t is the al-absorbing question like a
sponge, Of globe shape, in a small tumJler
of wine-it sucks up everything. Sir |
stand here with the weapons l have des-
ignated to defend the rights Of ST. Louis
county, the rights Of any other county
even the county of Cedar itself. (Laugh-
ter and appIause) Sir, the debate has
assumed laiindinosity. We have had
a little blackjack buncombe, little two
bit buncombc, and the devil and his
grandmother knows what other kind Of
buncombe. (Laughter)
Why, sir, just give some Of EN- a lit.
tie Southern soap and little Nonhern
water and quicker than hound pup
can lick skillet they will make enough
buncombe-lather to wash the golden flock
that roams abroad the azure mead5 Of
heaven. CHEERS and Iaugater) l al,
lude to the starry armament.
The SPEAKER. The gentleman is out
Of order lie must confne himself to
the question.
Mr.. RILEY. Just retain your linen if
you please. I'll stick to the text as close
as a pitch plaster to pine plank, or
lean pig to a hot jam rock. (Cries of
" 30 OF you'll do
want TO say 10 these calboniferous
gentlemen, these igneous individuals,
these decorating demonstrators, the pere-
ginous volcanoes, come on with your
combustible / don't-well, III suck
the Gulf of Mexico through a goose
quill daughter and appIauoe.) Per.
haps you think | am diminutiye tubers
and sparse in the mundane elevation.
You may discover, gentlemen, you are
laboring under as great q misapprehen-
sion as though you bad incinerated your
inner vestment. In tbs language Of the
noble bard,
" was not bora IN a thichet
To be scared by cricket" Applause .
Sir, we have lost our proper position.
Our proper position IS to the zenith and
,nadir-our heads 10 the one, our heels
10 the other at right angle with the hor-
'rizon, expanded by the azure arc of the
lustrous armament, bright with the cur
,ruscations Of innumeraLle consultations,
and proud as a speckled stud-Lorse on
county court day. tCheers.)
-" But how are the mighty fallen" in
the language Of the poet silversmith.-I
We have lost our proper position. We
have assumed a sloshindicular or dag
anological position. And what is the
cause Echo answers buncombe,"
sir, buncombe." The people have
been fed on buncombe, while a lot off
spawned, ringboned, hamstrung, wind
CALLED, splithoofej, distempered, pot-bel-
lied pohtitions have had their noses in
the public crib until there ant fodder
left to make cruel for a sick grasshop-
per. CHEERS and laughter)
Sir these hungry brats keep Juggling
at the public pap. They say, " let down
your milk, SGeky, or you'll have a split
bag" Do you think they can stuff such
buncombe down our craw! No, sir; you
might as well try to stuff butter in
wild cat with a hot awl Continued
laughter) The thing can't be did.
The public grind-stonc is great in
stitution. One Of the greatest perhaps
that ever rose, reigned or fell. But, sir,
there is too much cutlery ground. The
thing won't pay. Occasionally a big axe
is brought 10 be fixed up, ostensibly for
the'purpose Of hewing down the gnarled
trunks Of error and clearing out the
brushwood Of ignorance and folly that
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