New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1866-08-06


Gen. Rousseau has addressed to his constituents.
OF the Fifth Congressional District of Kentucky a
pamphlet, telling them all about his troubles with
Mr. Grinnell, of Iowa. In the first place he quotes
the abuse which the clerical gentleman from Iowa
layished upon the State of Kentucky and then
upon himself, all of which is already toierably fa-
miliar to the public. He says: & And SO rat.
tanned Grinneli. He INTERESTINGLY received the
eastigation, and repeatedly said it was all right
and promptly assured me he did not wish to hurt
mel Grinnel, he says, was, physically one Of
the strongest men in the House. The description
given by the general of the prosecution of his
ease, IN the House. is very rich Garfeds
speech, he says was vocifer0us and fierce, and
that, ike an actor, hired to pump up passion, he
snorted himself into rage and raved through the
case. Hesays:
q In the midst Of his speech, trivial fst-fght
occurred somewhere in the basement of the CAPT
toll and be logged account Of that into his argu-
meDtin tragic and ineendiaFy manner, as bru-
IA assault which he seemed to infer called for my
immediate punishment And thus we see a late
soldier, general OF the army, standing on the
floor Of the House of Representatives Of the United
States, and attempting to influence its Judgment
Y n the trial Of brother member, by creating a
sensation and arousng the passions of his hearers
5y an exaggerated detail of a contemplate matter
that should never have been heard in that body
an affair which would hardly have disturbeda tea
party of old maids.
But all this, as welt the gratuitous denunca-
ton Of a former brother soldier, was of course
prompted by his friendship for me. Save me
from all such friends and friendship! On the in
slant Of his announcement Of the fst-fght as
bloody and brutal outrage, Mr.. Alley, of Massa-
Ghusets, with shivering limbs and tremulous voice,
and finely acted artistic emotion, introduced reso
lat0n that the young man, victor in the tremen-
dous isticuf blow, should be arrested and held for
punishment by the House. The effect of this was
dramatic In the extreme; mems faces paled and
many seemed to think that the world demanded an
instant victim. The resolution was adopted, and
7the arrest of the pugilist ordered This terrible
interlude over, the partisan friends of Grinne,
grimly bnt triumphantly, proceeded in the i'm
mense work before them"
Gen. Rousseau asserts that Garfield perverted
his actions and misconstrued his conduct whenever
he alnded to either, and rallied at him like petit
logger. His description Of Gen. Banks and the
part he played in the prosecution is good:
Gen. Banks sat in solemn silence and looked
on, with c0untenanGe of gravity and wisdom
during the harangue of Wilson, and even during
thA nlagnhcently dramatic effort of Garfield to
achieve furry caused by the announcement of
fst-fght, but finally, after the previous question
which cut of all Teply--was called and seconded,
arose to take his part in the mighty affair. His
voice, cultivated and attnned TO that of an ambi
tious baritone, lacking only the Italian
melody and finish, rang out in full but unYa-
rying and m0notonous notes, and penetrated
every nook and corner Of the amphitheatred hall,
resOunding back from the furtherest galleries, and
heard by everybody in and about the building
except, perhaps, by the two chaps engaged in the
sanguinarT fist fight in the basement of the Capt.
tol. The general was eloquent, and, like Garfield
and Wilson, ever strong on the stronger side. In
true tragedian style, he informed the House that
this was q momentous period in our history The
House did not know, but happened to be in
formed as to what he alluded. had been told
that before the committee he commended that, as
the Southern Representatives would soon be again |
in Congress-, it behooved the House to set an ex-
ample and make precedent in my case that
would deter them, in all time to come, from re- |
senting any ofsnses, Or supposed ohenses, that
he
The gentleman from the fifth district of Ken
lucky tells his constituents that having resigned
when he was called to be reprfmanded, it was a |
question whether, as private individual, he was t
then subject to the censure of the House, and that
upon this question being presented, the radicals,
on all sides, started to their feet
Ana yociferated at each other and at the
Speaker. Some ran after books Of law, and
others, in discordantly clashing tones, shouted
rather than read precedents from law books and
Congressional records. The erect and energetic |
chairman, in his inaudible efforts to keep order
hammering away with his mallet--was quite as
impotent over the disturbed crowd as an automatic
figure would have been, or toy speaker pounding |
on toy desk.
Perhaps the victim might escaped Rousseau, |
although censured in fact by the action of the |
House. might, after all the trouble and fuss, get
nd Of the hanging and quarering that were set |
down for him in the BILL and which the jealous |
prosecutors came there TO witness and which |
some OF them predicted he would run away from |
Of seeing the victim march up with the sergeant
alarms and be reprimanded, like cuiprit, at the
bar Of the House. Radical piety could no more
brook to be thus bafied than could Shylock in the
play, or the good people Of the old days when in.
tent on drowning witch or burning hereto. In
TACT, the scene was not unlike Pope's description
of an excited spinster:
= hen flashed the vivid LIGHTNING from her eyes,
Ands reams horror TO the adnrhfed skies
Not louder shFteks 70 . tying heaven are cast
When husbands Or when lap dogs breathe their lastn
The general tells his constituents how he avoided
being conducted 20 the bar Of the House by the
sergeant alarms, by walking promptly and quickly
in front OF the speakers char. He concludes BY
saying
II have no regret for my conduct in the matter.
would have chastised Grinnell at every hazard
and / wonld do it again so-morFow, under similar
circumstances. No man shall ever insult, with
impunity, my people or myself, and on this issue
submit the case to your hands,
If tie general should not be reelected 70 Con-
gress, and having been SO unfortunate as to fight
during the war on the side that seems now TO be
unpopular in Kentucky, his political future is by
no means assured, even by Gaming radical, we
advise him to seek employment as Washington
correspondent of newspaper. his lively pen
would be q valuable acquisition to the press.
fCncnnaN Commercial
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