Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1861-04-04
Nntauru1ls 8eaaino.
A Speech in the Missouri Legislature.

1OWluS speech. we cOumeuu tuo elo4acu
remarks to the studious perusal of all tn
patriots of the land:
Speech Of Gen. Riley, in the House Of Re
presentatavcs of Missouri, Feb, s, 1861.
After long and heated discussion OF
the reference of bill and amending the
charter of the city of Carondolet to stand
ing Committee of the House, Mr.. Riley ob
tanned the floor and addressed the House:
Mr.. Speaker: Everybody is pitching into
this matter like toad frogs into willow
swamp, on lovely evening in the balmJ
month of June, when the mellow light o.
the full moon fills with delicious food the
thin, ETHEREAL atmospheric air. Applause.
Sir, I want to put in a word, or perhaps 6
word and half.
There seems to be disposition to fight
I say, if there is any fighting to be done
come on with your corn-cobs and tightening
bugs! [Applause.] In the language Of the
ancient Roman:
aCome one, come ALL this rock shall fly,
80 From Its firm base, In pigs eye."
Now, there has been great deal of bonn
bast here to day. I call it bombast from
"Alpha to Omega" q don't understand
the meaning of the words, thought Sir,
the question to refer is great and mag
ni6cent question. 1t is the all.absorbing
question-like a sponge, sir-a large, un-
measurable sponge, of globe shape, in a
small tumbler of water-it sucks up every
thing. Sir, stand here, with the weapons
I have designated, to defend the rights of
St. Louis county-the rights Of any other
county, even the county Of Cedar itself
Laughter and applause.] Sir, the debate
has assumed latitudinosity. We have bad
a little black jack buncombe, little two
bit buncome, bombast bumcombe, bung.
hole buncome and the devil and his grand
mother knows what other kind of fbuncombe.
Laughter.
sWhy, sir, just give some Of .'em little
Southern soap and little Northern water,
and, quicker than hound pup can lick a
skillet, they will make enough buncombe
lather to wash the golden aock that roams
abroad the azure meads of heaven. Cheers
and laughter Iallude to the starry frma-
ment
The Speaker. The gentleman is out of
order. He must confne himself to the
question.
Mr.. Riley. Just retain your linen, if you
please. I'll stick to the text as close as
pitch plaster to pine plank, or lean pig
to hot jam rock. Cries of $50 on"
ayou'll do."l
/ want to say to these carboneriferous
gentlemen, these ingenious individuals,
these detonatipg demonstrators, these pere-
ginious VOLCANOES, come on with your CON-
bustibles If I don't-well I'll suck the
Gulf of Mexico through goose quill
Laughter and applause ] Perhaps you
tbiuk I am dimioutive, tubers and sparse in
the mundane elevation. You may discover,
gentlemen, you are laboriug under as great
misapprehension as though you had incin-
Grated your inner vestment. In the lam
guage of the noble bard,
81 was not born in thicket
To be scared by cricket [Applause.]
Sir, we have lost our proper position
Our proper position is to the zenith and ma
dir-our heads to the one, our heels to the
other, at right angle with the horizon,
spanded ~ that azure are of the lustrous
armament, bright with the corruscations Of
innumeralle consultations, and proud as
speckled stud horse on county court day.
CCheers.
"But how have the mighty fallen" in
the language of the poet Silversmith. We
have lost our proper position. We have
assumed sloshindicular or psychological
position. And what is the cause? Echo
answers "bunccmbe" sir, "buncombe. -
The people have been fed on buncome while
lot of spawned, riugboned, hamstrung,
wiudgalled, swyn. eyed, split-hoofed, distem
pered, poll.evilled, potbellied politicians,
have had their noses in the public crib un-
til their amt fodder enough left to make
cruel for sick grass-hopper [Cheers and
laughter.
Sir, these hungry brats keep tuggiug at
the public pap. They say, "Let down your
milk, sucky, or you'll have spit bag" Do
they think they can stuff such buucomb
down our craws. No, sir, you might as
well try to stuff butter in wild cat with a
hot awl. TContinued laughter The thing
can't be did.
The public grindstone is a great institu-
ton. One of the greatest, perhaps, that
ever rose, reigned, or fell But, sir, there
is too much private cutlery ground. The
thing won't pay. Occasionally big axe
is brought in to be fixed up ostepsibly for
the purpose of hewing down the gnarled
trunk of error and clearing out the brush
wood of ignorance and folly that obstruct
the public highway of progress. The ma
chine whirls; the axe is applied. The look
ers.on are enchanted with the brilliant
sparks elected. The tool is polished; keen
ly edged; and while the public stare in ga.
ping expectancy Of seeing the road cleared
the implement is slyly taken off to improve
the private acres of some "faithful friend Of
the people" What is the result? The
distractions remain unmoved. The people
curse because the car lags-or, if it does
move, tits at the expense of a broken wheel
and iaded and sore. backed team. l tell you,
the thing won't pay The time will come
when the nasal promonotories of these dis
interested grinders will be put to the stone,
instead of their hardware. Applause.] l
am mighty afraid the machine is going to
ston Tho orease 10 oiyino ont thunderipg