Red Wing sentinel. [volume] (Red Wing, M.T. [i.e. Minn.]) 1855-1861, 1861-03-13
or GENERAL RILEY.
IN THE HOUSE. OF REPRESENTATIVES, Q
q acaIa

]
IN THE HOUSE. OF RFPEEsENrATlvEso OF
\ g,g1e MISSOURI, FEB. 8, 1861.
After 4 long and heated discussion
OH the reference Of a bill amending the
charter of the city Of Caronde!et, to a
Istanding committee Of the House,
Mr. Riley obtained the floor, and adj
dressed the House: S@a
MI. Speaker: Everybody is pitching
into this matter like toad frogs into a
willow swamp, on lote9y evening in
June, when the mellow light Of the
tu!l moon fills with q delicious Good
the thin, ctherial atmospheric ai,.
(Applause.) Sir, want to put ii, a
word, or perhaps word and a hal:.
There seems to be a disposition tv
fight. I say, if there is any fighting to
be done, come on with your corn cobs
and lightning bugs! [Applausc. In
the language of the ancient Roman,
:" "Comc one, como all, this rock shall fly;
j From its firm base, ina pigs cye!'
Now there has been a great deal of
bombast here to day. ! call it bonn
bast from "Alpha'' to "Omega." Q
don't understand the meaning of the
words, though.) Sir, the question to
refer is great and magnificent qucs-
ton. 1t is the all-absorbing question
like sponge, sir-a large unmeas-
ur:ble sponge, of globe shape, in a
tumbler of water-it sucks up every.
thing. Sir. stand here with weapons
| have dc>ignated,t to defend the rights
of St. Louis county. the rights of any
other county-even the county of
Cedar itself: Laughter and applause. I
Sir, the debate has assumed a latitu-
dinosity. We have little black jack
buncombe, little two bit buncombe,
bolnbast buncombe, bung hole bun.
combe, and the devil and lis grand
mother knows what other kind of
buncombe. Laughter. ~
Why sir, just give some of 'em a
little Southern soap and a little North
ern water, and quicker than hound
can lick a skillet they will make enough
Of buncombe lather to wash the golden
flock that roams abroad the azure
meads of heaven. Cheers and laugh
teri I allude to the starry frma-
ment. ta7 .a rs.
The Speaker. The gentlemen is out
of order. He must confne himself to
the question. e<-es-ss 49,. sss.-.-
Mr.. Riley. Just retain your linen
| if you please. I'll stick to the text
as close as pitch plaster to a pine
plank, or lean pig to hot jam rock.
Cries of $50 on" "you'll do.')
/ want to say to these carboniferous
gentlemen, these ingenious individuals,
these dctonating demonstrators, these
pereginous volcanoes, come OH with
your combustibles. If don't-well,
III suck the Gulf Of Mexico through
goose quill. Laughter and applause.
Perhaps you think / am diminutive
tubers and sparse in the mundane ele-
vation. You may discover, gentlemen,
you are laboring under as great a
misapprchension as though you had
incinerated your inner vestment. In
the language of the noble bard,
f.r.'":l was not born in thicket =.
Tobe scared by a cricket"
Applause. '...2s' ~.>...=
Sir, we have lost our proper position.
Our proper position is the zenith and
nadir-our heads to one, our heels to
the the other, at right angles with the
horizon, spanned by that azure arc of
the lustrous armament, beaming with
the curruscations and innumcrable
conscientious, and proud as a spcck-
led horse on county court day
! Cheers.1 .,.,. ...,.-..
stBut how have the mighty f;,llen,'
in the language of the poet Silvcrsmith.
We have lost.o proper diaganologi-
cal position. And what is the cause?
Echo answers, "buncombe," sir, :"bun-
!combc:'' The people have been fed
ion buncombc, while a lot Of spawned,
ringbohed, hanistrung, windgalled,
|swyned, split t-hoofed, ,distempered, poll.
}eyilled, pot-bellied' politicians have had
their noses in the public crib, until there
amt fodder enough, left to make a
Iorucl for a sick, praSsl>ODner. [ChecrS