Mineral Point weekly tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1859-1868, 1863-05-06
Legislative Eloquenee-Speech Of S the
Gintleman from ManitOWoc" on the
HArh0r Rfll

Legislative Eloquenee-Speech Of Sc the
Giutlenan from Manit0Woc'' on the
50 sRll1
There was good deal Of sport, just at
the close of the late session of the Legis-
latare, oyer bill providing for special
tex in Annitowoc county for the puspose
ofimprd6ng tie Harbor at the village of
AnitoVoc. II. RAND of the Assembly,
w4o rel1esentsd the district in which the
village q Manftowoc is situated, and Mr..
WAS IL Senator from that county, fevor-
ed thebill. Messrs. SHANAHAN and Ca
BILL, who represented the two country
districts, were violently opposed to it.
The latter gentlemen were Of the Hiber-
nian persuasion, and evidently elected
more on account of thu ardor Of their at
tachment to the Democratic party, than
because of any special qualification tor
Legislative, duties Both had very strongly
marked Milesian features, and used the
richest quality of the I" rich Irish brogue."
Whenever the Manitowoc Harbor bill came
up they were in the widest excitement.
A few days before the close of the session,
when the bill was ready for third reading
each addressed the House with fervor
that atoned for all shortcomings OF Ian
gusge or logic, and the bill, in an uproar
OF mirth, was indefinitely postponed.
On the day prior to the final adjourn
ment, all business having been concluded
except the reception of the reports of the
commit ee On enrolled bills and messages
from the Governor, and the two houses
having taken an informal recess, some Of
the wags. mindful of the fact that it was
the 1st day of April, pretended to call up
the Manitowoc harbor bill. The two
Houses were declared to be in joint con-
vention, and certain members avowed q
purpose of putting the bill through under
suspension of the rules, unless the two
gentlemen" aforesaid, could show by
good and conclusive reasons that it ought
not to pass. Thus appealed to, the rural
members from Manitowoc supposing the
proceedings were in dead and direful earn
est, proceeded in the most impsssioned
aud excited manner, one after the other,
to address the House, and to respond to
the questions and arguments of members
who affected to be opposed to them. The
whole affsir was one of the most amusing
ever witnessed in legislative halls, and
could only be adequately described by the
author of Handy Andy. Some one, how
ever, has succeeded in writing out the
speech of one of the Manitowoc mem bers,
and has very happily preserved in it some
thing of the spirit of the occasion. If it
is not a verbatim report, it gives With suf.
ficient accuracy, the general tenor of his
remarks. Here it is
GintLcn,en 1t is not me habit to spake
in public, Blu: shure | can not how'd me
tongue when see the interest of meselt
and me neighbors undermine. l can not
how'd me tongue when | see such al out
rageous bill as a ManitOwoc harbor eoin'
to pass. l can not how'd me tongue when
l see money goin' to be stole frum the
poor farrumers Of me District who hasn't a
clint in the world. No sir; can't how'd
it, nor won't how'd it. The dimycratic
voters of Manitowoc county sent me here
to represent them and their principles, AID
if did not do it now, they would say |
was afeared to open me mouth. A man
who knows the djmycratic principles is
not afeared to tell them. 1t is not dimy-
cratic principle to bring a harbor into
Manitowoc. 1t is not dimy cratic prin-
ciple to take the last b1shel of whate from
poor man who maybe wants it for coat
on his back. 1t is not dimycratic prin-
ciple for the farrumers of me District and
their little childer to 60 naked, which will
i shurcly happen if the harbor passes. Divil
stitch they have on them now, and would
you strip them intirely
Would you take the last bit of bread out
of their hungry bellies and put it in the
mouth of the harbor2 Would you take
the blue jean rags from their sunburnt
backs and stuff them in the pockets of gov
eminent contractors! Oh! me friends,
| there's enough of that work goin' on in
| Washington, where one nagur Is thought
| more of than all the white men and Irish
| men put together! Oh! that didn't fall
prey to the Irish famine before l came
! 10 this country to be rowled in the gutther
| by parcel Of black divils! On! that
ever me father reared me to be brought
on level with the dirty nagurs! Oh
that ever me mother bore me to mate with
such disgrace in America!
! But shure uayther me father nor mother
was republican, and it is not right to
| blame thin with the acts of the Admins
| tration. Divl blow ovid Lincoln and the
first day he ever came across Us. While
he was splittin' rails, we were enjoyin'
pace and prosperity and if we but sowld
dozen OF eggs or a pound of butther III
Manitowoc, we got store pay for it. While
| he was mindin' his own business we did
not know in which direction either North
or South was, and wouldn't yet if the
dimycrats was in power. II the dimycrats
was in power, we wouldn't know the diff
ference between harbor and q stovepipe,
for de ye see, such things are not in the
platform and how the divil dimycrat
like Mr.. Rand or Mr.. Villas, got how'll
| OF it passes me comprehension intirely.
Me honorable colleague, Mr.. Cahill, tells
me that no man who is dimycrat can be
| in favor Of putin such heavy load as a
Harbor on the poor farmers of Manitowoc
county. he also tells me that nathur Mr..
Rand nor Mr.. Villas love the dimycrstic
principles 30 we'll as they do the maxim OF
| money, and be me sowl l believe it. You
see one is a merchant and the other Ia a