Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1869-04-22

very naru-WOrKlng student OIL Ou5lnesS
for on the outer edges of his face there
are burrows that one of his age should
not have. He wears his hair somewhat
long and with extreme csrelessness, as
though the comb that nature provides in
the fingers had been the only one he ever
made use Of 1t Itcertainly presents a very
dishevelled appearance; but it shows, at
least, he is above the small vanity of Law
ishing on the outside of his head the time
that is better bestowed in cultivating the
inside. In speaking on the great subject
freconstructing the present vicious sys.
tenn of finance and taxation he appears
like one who had in his minds eye some
thing of such colossal proportions that
the bald vocabulary of the English Ian
guage and the finite powers of expression
vouchsafed to man were wholly inade-
quate to represent its immensely. There
fore it is that he hesitstes as he speaks,
and his eye moves troublously as though
he we're inwardly swearing at the ineffi-
cacy of words to translate at once the
thoughts that heave unanimously in his
soul. Sprague is q man without the
faintest trace of outward affectation. He
could roll in his carriage with lacqueys
and livery if he chose, but he prefers to
walk, and we remember several times
seeing him walking all alone miles from
the city, with his head bent down and
the inscrutible machinery Of thought
working, no doubt, at hard rate within.
Some of the results of these long and
lenely walks are now before the world,
crude in shape, perhaps, but pregnant
with the image of immortal truth. A
mild-mannered man is the Senator from
Rhode Island; not timid, not diffdent in
asserting his opinions, and ridiculously
Indifferent to the criticism of the whole
world and the worlds wife combined.
He has one of the elements of greatness
-tenacity. Those who suppose he in
tends to subside, quit the busy stage and
retire forever from the living drama after
startling his audience with one or two
spoken pieces, are wofully mistaken. He
has but fairly commenced, and as Sam
son, by a vigorous and persistent applica-
ton of an assinine jawbone to the heads
of the Philistines, made everlasting
smash of that unhappy community, so
l,hall Sprague, going forth on the war
u ath with the club of truth in one hand
and the State of Rhode Island in the
otl,er, spread terror among the tribes of
mo uey shysters and Shylocks.
81 have been to New York" observed
the Senator "to make arrangements for
the printing of my speeches. | shall have
sixty thousand copies printed, and il the
people want more they shall have them
a million for that matter must be printed.
| do not think my money could be better
spent. 1t will 90 for the instruction and
enlightenment of my countrymen, who
want both these things badly. A silent,
sure and fearful weight is crushing them
to the earth and they do not know it. but
they feel vaguely that their life-blood is
ebbiug fast; that their substance is de-
caying, dying, melting away; but as long
as / think know the cause and the cure
/ am not going to sit down, fold my arms
and let the country go to the devil. 1t |
felt like acting such q towards part,
would much prefer leaving the country
forever, and my means are ample enough
to make life pleasant in whatever foreign
land / might 20 to. Look here" he ex-
claimed, pointing to long row OF bum
dies on the mantelpiece, there are let
ters from every part of the nation, from
men of all parties and all conditions,
asking for copies of my late speeches
Just run your eye over one of these bum
dies" he continued, handing us lot
embracing over one hundred and fifty
lstters received by the morning nail.
We did so, and not without sincerely
believing that in spite of all that is said
10 the contrary, Sprague has touched the
most vital chord in the popular heart.
One letter was brief, simply requesting
fifty or hundred copies for distribution.
/" Just the music for the people was the
emphatic endorsement, and then, by way
of postscript, Let us ksow if there is any
charge" Another letter might cover
two pages of foolscsp, giving the writer's
views as exactly coinciding with
and winding up by an earnest
request. in Sumner laconism,to stick.
A third letter comes from q member OF
Congress, one of whose constituents asks
him 10 send along fifty copies of Sprague's
speeches, and so on ad fHJIRitum. Every
principal town in the country is repre-
sented 10 the entire collection, which
might probably number two thousand
letters. representing a total request for
perhaps fifty thousand copies of the Sen
stor's speeches. Ordinarily Senators
send their effusious TO the country with
out any specially expressed desire from
their constituents, but in this instance
the people sacrifice their postage stamps
10 tell the Senator they want to hear him.
Most Of the pamphlet speeches that leave
here BY mail find their way finally into
retail butter stores; but Sprague's, Il is
safe 70 say, will meet better and less
unctuous fate. 49,,
"Well, Senator" said We, the work
ingmen Of Washington call upon you to-
night. What will you have to say to
them p
There it is," be replied, pointing to
seven or eight pages of manuscript
which General Halsted, a gentleman with
an iron gray mustache as large as cata-
ract, was diligently engaged in copying.
"Dses that complete the series Of
your speeches, Governor 2 We asked.
using his titles alternately for the sake Of
variety.