Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1869-04-30
doubt that Mr.. Sprague really intended to

doubt that Mr.. Sprague really intended to
compare you to puppy? = -a1ass 1a5is
Senator. Doubt can see mono, sir.
Have you seen the Globe, sir ? fCaking
up copy of that paper and looking over
lit.) You will see, sir, the way la which be
uses the terms rnastiff" and 'spuppy
dog" in his remarks as printed In the
Globe. He says, (readipg.) "Ia answer
TO the TRADE of the Senator from Nevada
and the Senator from North Carolina. I
am reminded of another little illustration. ;"
and then he goes on to tell story about
CHANGING to visit farmhouse and encoan-
tering a mastiff and mongrel puppy dog :;
how the puppy dog bit at his heel, and
then, frightened al his temerity, ran howl
ing away, followed by his larger com
panion. II his comparison meant any
thing, certainly it was tina! Eye was mas
tiff and a puppy dog. What else could
the man mean? It WAS bunglinGly ex-
pressed, to be sure, but that was his mis-
fortune, not his fault.
Correspondent. Don't you think the
mastiff is the most odious in the com pari-
son, Senator
Senator. have nothing to do With the
mastif, sir. The mastiff can take care of
himself laughing am the puppy dog
- smiling, and, as such, have only to
look after that little animal.
MIR. Marin. Sprague certainly had no
justification for using such terms.
NOT BEING A YANKEE, MR.. ABBOTT SEEKS
REDRESS.
Senator. Well, there need be no foll
lOll about it. 1t has simply come to this,
that Mr.. Sprague must either retract or do
worse. If l was from New England, per-
haps I would put up with such insults
meekly but not being from that peaceful
region l shall take the liberty of settling
the affair in another method.
Correspondent Sumner took quite
prominent part last night i'll quelling the
excitement
Senator. Oh, yes, of course and it was
his interference that made me moderate
my language. I was afraid he intended to
make charges against me for violating the
rules of the Senate, and therefore l ex-
planned that I was no duelist, but that I
simply intended to demand retraction in
open Senate or satisfaction outside the
Senate.
sPRAGUE AWARE THAT A RETRACTION WOULD
BE DEMANDED.
Correspondent. Did Sprague know that
you intended to make this demand before
hand
Senator. [ was informed that he had
heard of my intention, but don't know who
told him. You see it came up first while
We were in executive session. I rose and
stated that [ desired an opportunity to
make personal explanation about the re-
marks of Sprague early in the day. Sprague
thereupon jumped up and exclaimed that
if he was to be attacked again he wanted
to give notice that he would talk all night.
His object in saying this understood to
be to give me warning that he would oc
cupy the whole time of the Senate in talk
ing till the hour of adjournment, so as to
prevent me from having chance to make
any personal explanation.
HE SHALL HEAR FROM ME IN THE MORNING.
Correspondent. They say Sprague went
away after this ?
Senator. Yes, sir ; he got up and went
away, and then I found myself in curious
fix. I felt it incumbent on me to demand
an explanation, but found Sprague not
present to give one. What could do ? :
could only speak as I did subsequently,
when the Senate doors were thrown open
to the public That enabled me to place
myself right before the public and left it
to Sprague to take the next step. said
he skulked away. It is his place to notice
in the morning, as L said before. It is not
a pleasant thing to be called puppy
The other day I saw by your paper he
called another Senator 'smutton head"
and two others "pukes.' (Here the Sen
ator smiled.) What can he mean by such
conduct .?
NOT VERY HARD ON sPRAGUE.
I don't think I said anything particu-
larly i'll of him to call forth such extreme
epithets The worst said in any speech
during the day was that the criticism of
Burnside came from one who never ap-
peared upon the field but in one engage
ment, and who retired from that field with
no more than common credit. That was
not very hard upon Sprague.
SLY HIT AT A CARPET DAGGER.
l suppose, however, he said something
else against me, for he came to me one day
with piece of paper and lead pencil in
his hand, and coolly asked me what State
was from. This was about the time he
was going about hunting up the names of
the lawyers Of the Senate. [ looked at him
when he asked me the question and
answered by saying, "What State are you
from yourself Are you from Nebraska or
Nevada, or Kansas ?" He looked up at me
and said, Really, Senator. I don't know
which is your State" replied, "Nor do
[, sir, really know which is your State.
;hink, now, you had better go some place
else and look up the information you are
n search Of" Sprague thereupon lett me.
\ PUT UP JOB AND AN IMPARTIAL PRESIDING
OFFICER.
Correspondent. That really happened,
Senator
Senator. Certainly, sir. AS to rny speech
which gave him so much offence, pre-
pared it with much care, and showed it
to Senator Anthony. You
know the whole thing was put up. It was
arranged that Nye should speak first, then
Chandler, then Morton, then Brownlow,
md then myself in defence of Burnside ;
out Sprague got the floor, and would have
spoiled the arrangement, only that Antho-
~ understood the programme and recog
lized me.
After some further conversation your
took leave of the Senator,
With the request that should anything
urther happen during the night he might
% posted. The Senator smiled knowingly.
STATE NEWS.