New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-03-26
4 PHOrOGRAPH or TWO NOTABLE
HEADS.
fFrom the OolAen Age.l

L 11Ah<1ASSs
| fFrom the Golden Age.1 III
Inetead of sending to the Golden Age any
| dreary outline OF the debates in either
house Of Congress, or Of specializing ON the
| San Domingo question, or of utteFing nav
indignation Vt the attempted political a.
sassination Of Charles Sumner, allow me to
indulge my pencil in the pleasant pastime
| Of sketching few portraits; and, in honor
| of the Empire State, let me begin with Ros-
cOe Conkling. -s -. 81.
| In the first place, all must agree that your
New York Senator has what Disrae1i as
cribed to himself under the maak of Vivian
Gray, - devil If . tongue"
In the next place, in . country like ours,
hag-ridden by Jealousy of superior men, and
where mediocrity resents as personal
anront every ascent above its own cheap
level, it Is Questionable whether personal
beauty, q commanding figure, manners
graceful and lordly by nature, be not an
obstruction to q politician, especially when
accompanied by intellectual endOwments
to match. We are not too apt to love and
vote for those men whose presence is
hOmily on our own insignifcance. By no
chicancry of old clothes, by NO strenuous
cultivation Of meek-mannered ways, could
Senator Conkling persuade those that look
at him that be is either NO better looking,
or NO moro conscious of talents, than them
selves. fancy that it is ON this amiable
principle of avenging ourselves against
any man who, in spite of himself,
throws us into an eclipse. that the
criticism upon Mr.. Conkling in Washing
ton drifts 60 frequently into irrelevant
remarks about his s0-called vanity, the cox
cOmbry Of his toilet, and his almighty strut.
And to hear these acrid commentators dis
course about him, you would infer that. as
an orator, he deserves the character which
Mr. Poyser gave of Craig in Adam Bede:
Hes welly like cock as thinks the sun
rose O. purpose to hear him crow" That he
has got ON SO we'll as he has in American
politics, against the tremendous odds of his
good looks, his aristOcratic bearing, and
his mental pre-eminence, il, after all, only
proof Of what is really the truth about him,
that he has not particle more of vanity
than many commonplace men who seem to
have Q great deal lese; and that, besides in
finite tact, persuasiveness and resolution,
he has the soul Of true gentleman, which,
indeed, 10 the best kind Of q soul that can
be invented. ~
l have seen nothing in the Senate quite 40
bitter and 60 thorough-going as the personal
feud between Mr.. COnkling and Mr.. Sum-
ner. Tney do not speak, nor exchange even
formal cOurtesies, nor serve on the same
committee. The politicians will attempt
to explain this alienation by rehearsing for
you some tale about a collision between
gued in the Senate: and they viii assure
van that tbe fend has ali crowv ont of tIa+
single circumstance. Bnt their d;sI;ke Of
EACH other. their dislocotion of feljowsI;r,
ia NOT an Incidental affair at ali. r. ;s r' Ysr'
Geological, result of temperaments, and
therefore inevitable. Both are by nature
men of strong and predominating wills,
knee.joints in their snirits Asif ia ;mnos.
eible for either fO rive wav to the Other
there ;s nothing left far them hnt n remo;,,
in a state of chronic. unaDneasahie aversion
.sTen moor men. y savs an oiI amthor ..can
sleeD tranouillv on a mat: hnt two k;nns
are not able to live at peace in a Quarter IF
the EARTH
The conflict between these two Senators
Mr.. Conklinp renresents the noI;t;ca, tvne.
Mr.. Sumner represents the ethical. The
former asks-sIs this measure expedient d"
The latter-"Is f. right ~ The Senator
from New York saws: 81 am not ;nd;ffer.
ent to what is right: but in order 10 Obtain
what is right, We must be willing first tn ac.
cept what is expedient The Senator from
Massachusetts, replies: II do not under-
stand that the universe is governed bv sueh
laws. First. last and siways. demand
what is right; for that only. in the long
run, is expedient." How can Mr. Conkline
do otherwise than regard Mr.. Sumner as an
arrogant and obstinate enthusiast for i'm
practicable ideasl How can Mr. Sumner
do otherwise than regard Mr.. Conkling as
an arrogant and obstinate maniDulafor Of
temporary shifts!
So turn from Roscoe Conkling to Matt
Carnenter.
Al the baptismal font, this now distin.
guished individual received the evangelical
name Of Matthew: hut a discriminating
public, with q sort Of tender irreyereuce.
has seen fit to override the arraneen,enfs
made ON that interesting occasion. and to
CRAFTY his own sense of fitness by persist
emily calling him Matt. LADY Juliet was
quite right when. in her passionate exposfu-
lation with Lord Romeo in the garden. she
disparaged all formal copnomens bv askinu
" What's in a name p Eyidentlv there IS
nothing in q name, and everything in a
nickname. How insignificant are the lib
critics we take-Or which We do not take
in the names of our public men! Lord
Campbell saws that the Prince Regent used
always to address Lord Erskine nv ssthe
endearing appellation of Tom" So. in this
country, our Prince Regents. to wit. the
peoDle. have a similar fashion of slow;nr
their fondness for certain of their renownei
servants bv christening them anew with
titles that are affectionstely fami!iar We
loved to saw Harry Clay: hut who was ever
go audaciOus as to saw Jack Calhonn or
Danny WeIster} That the peonie have an
idea that Senator Carpenter is a nart;cm.
larly good fellow. ia eyinced bv their fancy
for calling him Matt. In this instance we
came a good fellow from the hand of Na
ture.
There are some men in Congress who
aooun IN ho olvov. ~, +Lo;, r,ottie s.',a3