Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1866-03-17

tlIIltu tnE HlEuA NNaAaldAs
Isay, then, that while ! entertain my
present opinions I shall regard il as true
that I have a right, standing here, to
c%riticise aprevi0us speaker; if he attacks
my propositions, to examine his argu-
ments; IL he offers a substitute, TO exam
inc that substitute and see what there Is
in it or Of t.; and 80 long as I do that in
respectful language and parliamentary
style, I can not conceive that any sena-
tor has a right 10 complain Of me for so
doing. Ifhis speech, or whatever it may
be. viii not bear criticism, that Is not my
fault and If / fail in my criticism it Is
nv misfortune. 1 think we are a little
too sensitive upon this subject. Criticism
upon a speech does not necessarily imply
Unfriendliness; il IS not personality. /
know II has been called so, and some eX-
eeptiou has been taken 10 il, and some
little has been exhibited in
regard 10 it. But, sir, q speech made by
any senator here is fair game, especially
10 one who is opposed 10 it, principles or
its assumptions; and il a senator COM
menting upon il deals with il fairly and
honestly and does not misrepresent H. he
has a right 10 do it, and 1t is his duty TO
do 80.
That is not the only distinction which
q EAU@NE MI NNN AAAA4NAAAAAE
country. There are two kinds OF debate
here. h they may be called debate. one
Kind is a long, lab0red, written printed
oration ~prenared carefully in the study
aiabo-atad. proof corrected, all the thun-
darboIts forged. everything put in proper
shame and then read 70 the senate.
Anrtbar kind Is where a senator, IN I'M
-Drameditated language and to the best OF
bis mower. Is occasion serves him, takes
m ffhe subject and discusses it without
The advantage Of that previous study n
I examination. 10 is not for me TO say
which of these j. the best, which IS the
most parliamentary. J only Know
have been told; ! eve was there-that
i'm the Parliament OF England n IN
France in their Parliament, no man IS
a,er narmitted to read q speech. He is
I scraDed down, cOE@hed down. ana put
down at once.
Mr.. Cowan. Oh, no; not ia France.
/ Theyare permitted toread speeches there.
Mr. Fesstnden. 7 was not aware OF
that. INIT | know that the practice IN
ENGLAND is as l have stated thaJ Is, L
have been told so. ID is not for me 70
saw which Of these two kinds OF debate
ii fbe hest. l can only say that u a ma
IL I,okirg To future ages, making history,
and u-9nt- 70 leave something on record
that viii he credit3ble 10 him, perhaps
he o-rafionfzing Is vastly the best OF the
two. But 7 do not think that senators
who have not that ambition, andr II lhey
had. cannot expect TO gratl1y lt, ana are
Obliged TO act along As they can ana 10
the best they cali under ihe clleuiH9iaH-
eos ON the subject Of debate, ought TO be
blamed very much If tHey are NAiihs 70
content Themselves with the little moul-
cum of the exhibition they make IN that
wav. Sir James Macintosh said That
these written o~rations proved nothing
except the power of argument ana ma
ginafiOn, and did rot necessarily denote
q capacitv for affairs. That was ms opln-
ion. I presume he was Influenced very
much by the practice that prevailed IN
ENGLAND. and with which he was most
accustomed.
There is another distinction that l
should like todraW. There are twOknds
of personalities in debate. One is a per-
sanaIitv that l. aimed directly al an indi-
vidual in the heat of debate, when men
are somewhat excited, when they cannot
or do not stop to choose their words, and
when sometimes things are said which
are to be regretted. Another Is person
alitv which does not aim at individuals,
but aims at masses. numbers, confines
IE-HtI To- L.tHLHlhr hra-- III fNiAlANANf fNeAn .
in denunciatiOn: does not pick out an in
dividuaI who csn reply 10 1t on the spot
and is elaborated carefully in the closet, /
full Of all manner of bitterness, but so ex-
pressed that no particular individual has
n right 10 take il TO himself. Both kinds
Of personality are deserving Of reprenen-
sion. I think the latter, iuasmuch as 1t
Is cool. deliberated upon, the words che
sen. exhibits vastly the most malice OF
the two. more certainly than the hasty
words that escape u n the heat Of ar
gument
Having thus drawn my distinctions
with regard 20 debate, and l suppose
that am as well entitled 70 draw them
as ANYBODY else I wish to call attention
to the speech that, under the head o! ar
gumeDt, was made bg the honorable SEN
at0r from Massachusetts,. On this subject
think he has occupied about eight or
nine hours OF the time of the Senate, and
on the last occasion, while saying that
PRINCIPLES were 10 be considered, he has
undertaken 10 designate the character OF
this proposed amendment. l have al
ready stated who the men were who
were in favor oft. What does the ela
tor call it, I have chosen a few, and
but q few, flowers of rhetoric from the
speech ofthe honorable senator. Com
promise of human rights" " violating
national faith "~dishoaOriug the name
Of the republic" F." bad mutton " new
museipular abortion, - " a new anathema
maranatha." abOmination, - paragon
and masterpiece of ingratitude, "abor-
tive for an good shocking to the
moral sense" {" the very koh-i-uOOr of
hlackneSs.n Essential un~cleanliness, "
''disgusting ordure, F." "iO3thsom stencil, -
and the men who support il, if they pass
il. viii be "Harpies," "PoutiUs PLATE,
with Judas IscariOt on his back l
think I cannot DO better than read a few
extracts from the honorable senator's
speech:
Looking at this compromise in its
most general aspect, it reminds me, If
You viii pardon the illustration, Of that
leg Of mutton, served for dinner on the
road from London to oxford, which DR..
Johnson. with characteristic energy, de-
scribed 'as bad as bad could be, ill-fed,
iu-killed. iIl-kept and addressed So
this compromise adopt the saying Of
an eminent friend, who insists that il
cannot be called an amendment but
rather g 'detriment' to the Constitution
is as had as bad can be; and even for
its avowed purpose it Is uncertain, loose,
cracked, and rickety.'
Again:
Regarding it as q proposition from
Congress to meet the unparalleled ext
gencies Of the present hour, il Is no better
than the 'musclpuiaF abortion sent into
the world by the 'paturient mountain
That is a specimen Of composition that
few of US would attempt. Again
adopt this proposition, and you viii
be little better than the foul harpies who
F-E "a a. E.L.H HHa.~ aan AA-anA nh .
Constitution j. the feast spread for our
country, and you are now hurTying 70
drop into its text a political Obscenjy
and spread on its page a disgusting
ordure,
me p~arLIugl5ayE a laa-thS0mes-euch behind.
And what DO You think the honorable
senator calls this2 He SAYS:
"Tf / use plain language it is because
the occasion requires it.'
Plain language! Again:
"Itwas no such thing. 10 was a COM
promise; and such is the precise charac-
ter Of the present proposition, which, by
It's very words, Is a plain license 70 a dis
gushing tyranny, in consideration that
the tyrants pay in political power. The
primary element in the casa which
out in darkness visible, is the
license: the secondary element Is the
pay. Here is nothing less thana mighty
house Of ID fame, which h is proposed to
constitUtiOnally for a political
consideration
l VIII 7uoJe no more OF these dowcrs Of
rhetoric. The application Of these phFa-
5es and epithcts to q proposition coming
rom a Committee Of the Senator's own
friends, and most of them his
personal friends, n Of them certainly
bis very intimate friend and colleague,
by more than tWO-thirds Of the
of Representative, among
whom We're the greater number Of {
his own colleagues in that House,
supported by a large majority
II this Senate, among whom IS his
Colleague VINO sits by my side, not ap-
llied in the heat Of debate. but prepared
n the closet, printed the proof corrected
md brought in here 20 be retaiied before
he county upon tbs men with whom
Dr. j. associated, Il a matter the proprietv =
# which must be left 70 himself to judge.
only ailude to the fact that such is the :
stack made upon this body and upon p
he House Of Representatives. ,
pg~Judge d. L. Terry brother Of the +
ate Col. Terry, Of the Texas Rangers, is y
ocated in Guadalajara, Mexico, where q
he has leases ioS four years a haeieadi of {
., 40 acres, five square leagues about 7
.alf Of which is first rateIand, producing y
,ft.ss arH.-r- aag. y...-t T.~r-.. 81