The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1873-03-28
PARLIAMENTARY RECOLLEC
TIONS.

TlONS.
Memorable Words and Phrases in En-
gIish Politics.
The sayings and witticisms of lords
and commoners, not exactly soubriquets
or SMILES for individuals, have been
numerous and varied. Most readers
viii call to mind some, at any rate, of
these flights of ready wit, condensed
epitomes of matured experience, are sug-
gestive forms of expression. every
man has his price, was Sir Robert Wal
poles mode of expressing his belief that
bribery and corruption were almost uni
versal; although his biOgrapher states
that the charge was brought, not against
all politicians, but against those who
made very warm protestations of patri-
otism. " Airing his vocabulary" was
Curran's description of a dull speech
made by a dull member. The Begun
speech was the best speech ever made
by Sheridan, and one of the best every
heard in the House of Commons. 1t re
lated to the grievances of a begun, or
native princess of India, and was the
subject of long study and preparation
by him. The &" dagger scene was en-
acted by Burke. A dagger had been
sent from France to Birmingham by the
revolutionists, with an order for large
number to be made like it; Burke, hav-
ing obtained possession of it for time,
drew it from under a cloak, threw it
down on the floor of the House of
Commons in a somewhat theatrical way,
and exhorted his countrymen 10 keep
French principles from our heads, and
French daggers from our hearts ;" but
was admitted on all hands that he a lit
tie oyer-acted this scene. Lord Ches-
terfeId claimed to have "bled for his
country - for brother peer, who had
dabbled little in surgery, one day bled
him for a feverish headache the titled
amateur, gratifed at his own success,
voted as his patient requested in party
division in the House of Lords. Max
ing the "crown not worth wearing"
was the terse description by Chatham
of the probable effect of a particular
measure. eff the ministers persevere
in misleading the king, will not say
that they can ALLEVIATE the affections of
his subjects from his crown, but 1 viii
affirm that they will make the crown
not worth his wearing" Sowing dra-
gOns' teeth had reference to the later
and declining years of the Irish Parlia-
ment the English government propos-
ed to heap new taxes on Ireland, and
caused a violent commotien in conse-
quence of the proposal Mr.. Burgh,
in the Irish House of Commons, said
" England has sOwn her laws like dra-
gons' teeth, and they have sprung up
armed men," "AIl government a com
PROMISE - has been decided as a mean
and tricky apothegm by extreme poll
ticians but Burke had thought out his
subject when he said "An govern
ment-indeed, every common benefit
and enjoyment, every virtue, and every
prudent acts founded on compromise
and barter we balance inconven1ences,
we give and take" 'The people. our
sovereign" It was strange to hear so
democratic toat as this proposed by
the duke of Norfolk at a whig dinner, at
the very time when the French demo
Gratis were infusing alarm and dread into
the English mind it cost him the Ierd-
ieutenancy of the West Riding. Ham
mer it into them was Fox's mode of
impressing his meaning on the attention
of the House, by speeches full of repe-
titions but it IS believed that he thus
claimed credit for a defect which he
could not help. "A memory for Jokes,
and imagination for facts, - was sarcas-
tic hit at the mental characteristics of
Mr.. Dundas by Sheridan the wit had
jotted this down in his notebook long
before, as a capital hit, which he would
use on any favorable occasion. GA
minute-gun speech" was the name given
to a speech made by Lord Butte, on ac-
count of its pace being so very low and
solemn and the joke was made more
puDgent by a remark that " it might be
considered announcing the funeral OF
his ministry" "Where law ends, tyr
amy begins, " and " stabbing the con
stitntion, we owe to Chatham; "the
wisdom of our ancestors" to Sir VIII
liam Grant and ''Pluto's tears to
Burke, in allusion to tears shed by
noble lords, not for dying laws, but for
their expiring places" One Of the
finest things said by Wilberforce had
relation to Pitts frmness In resisting
the spread of French Jacobinism IN Ell
gland He stood between the living
and the dead, and the plague was stg-
ed" The schOolmaster is abroad %
was Brougham's descriptisno Of the grow
ing desire for popular education. " The
ignorant impotence of taxation" and
/" men turning their backs upon them
selves" are assigned to Lord Castle
reagh " stemming the tide of democ-