The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1867-03-08
THE IOWA DELEGATION IN CON.
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v The New York Ysibsme's washiagssn cor.
respondent goes through near thrse columns
of racy shprply touched sketches of the per-
sonel Of the House Of Representatives, If
there be one thing In didactic and the lighter
writing, that more than another, attracts us,
it is personal sketches. II is largely the way
Of the world. There is nothing that inter.
ests man SO much as man, after all. We
don't know any other subject appearing in q
newspaper, that cosld 20 sratefally lead us
through three columns. We could lilly heal
their speeches fora half hour, but the Con.
gressmen themselves shall be capital com
panions for fill half day, if they don't in
troduce the subject of their re denomination
and reelection.
So we could hear the said correspondent
chat Of the marked men Of the Thirty Ninth
Congress, and would like to make our readers
sharers in the hearing. 1t is too long. Hence
we cut company with the majority. With
Banks, the elegant and gentlemanly; the
most agreeable speaker on the hoor,n brill
iant, but only negatively, not positively,
strong. Boutwell,, of Massachusetts, tall,
slender, a little round-shouldared, with long
night-black hair, and inky beard, handsome,
mo orator as Brutus is, but he speaks with
such splendid background of zeal and ear
nestness and honesty behind him that his
clear voice will ring down the centuries with
l ia nf c,,l IL IL
of Ohio, with massive intellect, with grand
head, already growing bald, with full ques-
tioning brow and wonderful cavernous eyes,
able to tighten behind their sleeping eompo-
sure" Judge Bingham, of Ohio, the ablest
Of lawyers, " figure straight, grseeiess, solid,
immovable as rock head large in front, su-
perbbrow, aquiline nose, unyelding chin; pos.
tive aggressive, chatting at interruption, impa-
tent of contradiction or dissent" Schenck
of Ohio, "of medium highth, stout, muscu-
lar, with yellow hair and beard, and plain
strong features, a worker, a straight clear
thinker, spes ker without ornament" Gen.
Garfield, I" a fair.faced nervous, large. framed
man full of strange whiras, and bearded like
the pard, talks with muscles sinews, and
veins, as well as with voice and is quite too
lavish with all )" most eloquent stumper, q
dsshing soldier, and an excellent worker.
Long John Wentworth who looks I" no" even
when be votes Eyes" Ashley Of Ohio, the
lmpeacher, whose jolly temperament units
him for the positive aggressive role that is
his ambition. Roscoe Conklin of New York,
an elegant, negatively strong, Banks style Of
man. Haywood, small. alert, dexterous,
and able, fights with small swords" talks
eternally and nothing comes of it. Blaine,
Morrill,, Horace Maynard, Griswocd, Spauld.
ing, Deming, Baldwin. Thsyer Kelley,
brandagee, Julian, many others from the
East and West. Last because FIRST and we
wanted to speak most Of him, "a gaunt,
weird, tall old man has risen in his seattle
man who is often called the Leader Of the
House. If to be voted down on half the
questions of the day, to be admired, wonder
ed at, listened to with strained attention, and
then resisted in argument, and beaten on ap
peal, be the Leadership, he has it, but not
else. Deep eyes, hidden under q cliff of
brow, the strong nose of a pioneer of thought,
shut, thin lips, face pale with the frost of
the grave, long, bony, emphatic limbs-these
cover the uneasy ghost which men call
Thaddens Stevens. Our communicative corr
respondent says;
The great days Of his power past Per-
seus has slain his dragon, and now he would un-
chain the fair Andromeds for whom be fought,
bind her brows with the stars. The new vision il
sadder than the DID, for he will not live to see the
glory for which he has wrought. Yet TO drop
metaphors, which dangerous will of- the wsps
be Is wonderful even in his decline. Day after
day he comes, compelling his poor body, by the
might of the strong soul that is in him. to serve
him yet longer. He looks 50 weary ofthis confus-
ion which call life, and yet resoiute 10 com
mand It stili. He is sAlaric, the Scourge, whose
mission is TO chasten this terrible, turbulent
South tin she shall yield. II the means proposed
are odious to her. they none the worse for that
thinks this relentless Hun. Let her pride be bro
ken. Has not she broken hearts OF ours, aye
and honor. which is more than hearts?
But we were to cut company with all these
and talk only of what was said of the Iowa
delegation. Mark all these men well, how
ever. These are historic times, and we give
You historic names. You may deem them
pignies now, but as they are touched by the
light and shade Of the coming years, they
shall grow colossal. The verdict of the fu,
ture must be that the men of this, the great
est Of times, were equal to Its requirements.
There could be no higher praise than that,
and it will make them immortal.
That was the large body of Introductory
comment that grew out of this brief tex, Of
our correspondent upon the Iowa delega
Gon.
80, Tribune, the half has not been told about
the West side of the House. Rail at Congress as
the mslcontents may it is sturdy, honest, excel
lent assemblage, and tender II my acknowledg-
ments for all the good 1t has done. The Iowa del
egation disputes with the Ohio members the title
OF the best In the House. There are no orators
among those, though Kasson Ia one of the rcsdi-
est debatcrs on the hoor. Wilson let's off bullets
Of words with force which sends them home
and Allison. Who emphasizes every sentence with
his extended right arm, who has the long head Of
Aiswyer, and the cor, bright eyes of poet is 80
SURE OF his matter, so clear Of his point, so wide
In his scope, that he interests one at once. He
has the reputation which, after ALL is better in the
House than an orators, that of being the mos,
tireless Of workers"