Cedar Falls gazette. [volume] (Cedar Falls, Iowa) 1860-1895, 1871-03-03
The Iuebriates of the Senate.


A Washington correspondent of
the Brooklyn Mirror refers to the
better characteristics of the Senators
especially notorious for inebriety, in
a manner at once charitable, tender
and affecting
with Senator Salisbury will van
ish one of the most memorable faces
and forms Of the Senate. On the
Democratic side of the Senate, he is
the grand figure head, as Charles
Sumner is on the Republican. Not
to see Salisbury with his hands
deep down in his pockets, glowering
up and down behind the last tier of
Senatorial chairs, restive and defiant
as Gagged lion, but his pale, trim.
temperate brother Eli i'm his seat,
will be to see new Senate. To look
upon, he Is great leonins man,
noble to behold, though he does chew
tobacco, and mock with strong drink
have seen him on the street ex-
changing chews on terms of perfect
equality with one of the despised
race which he ragged over the next
day In the Senate, as very little above
that of a baboon. L have seen him
empty his stomach in the gutter and
then drop down and lie In 1t, and
have seen him one of the grandest
looking of men, clad in faultless
black and spotless linen, walking be-
side Mrs. Jefferson Davis, on fair
June Sabbath, which her husband
spent at Fortress Monroe, gallantly
and devotedly carrying her prayer
book to church, / have heard him
recall to friend by his side, the days
of his boyhood, when he and ELI
played inIthe old barn, and slept i'm
one bed, and each told the other all
his heart, and each loved the other
so much that they couldn't quarrel.
And i'm this recital there were touch
es of generous nature, which told
that God made this man, in the be-
ginning, true, loving and noble. He
stands more than six feet high, and
is large i'm proportion. His face il
covered with abundant black hair,
just touched with silver, He has
black eyes, and finely cut features,
and, when he Is himself, most win.
ming expression. In early life he
studied for the episcopal ministry.
and even now, when he assumes the
white choker,' as he often does,
looks like one. With him and Rich
ard Yates, on the 4th of March de-
part the last OF the inebriate Sena-
tors, There may be plenty of
drinkers left, but no other drunk
ards
"'Poor Dick Yates as his breth-
eren so often call him. Probably
never did living. man battle harder
than he has done with an over mas
tering appetite. An inherited one,
born i'm his blood, no one not thus
cursed, can dream of the power of
such foe, nor judge by right the sin
of the soul that at last sinks van
quished. Brave generous and child
hearted-as the victim of the wine
cup often is--Illinois loved this, her
favorite son, loved him for himself,
aud for all that he had done for his
native State, trusted him, bore with
him, trusted him again--even when
through weakness Of the will he oft
betrayed her faith. How he strug-
gled To be worthy of that trust in
the highest Legislative council i'm the
nation, lie only knows and his God.
But there came an hour when it was
too late, when affection, intellect aud
will went down forever before the
insatiate foe, and Richard Yates, but
the wreck of himself, to-day, trem-
bling ia his seat, counts the days
when bis place will be filed by an
otheru