The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1873-04-18
Cot. Mcclure and tie House.


cept to receive bills from the Senate
with amendments to be concurred in or
rejected. The Speaker sat in his chair
while the members amused themselves
by indulging in the manly and digni-
fed sport of throwing cigar boxes,
paper balls, and other missiles. at each
others rccreant head. The scene fitlv
portrayed the character of the actors.
IN the midst of this disgraceful finale.
BrOckway. democrat, from Columbia
county, who was Pete Herdic's man
Friday in the House, moved that a
committee of three be appointed by the
Speaker to wait on Col. A. X. Mcclure,
of the Senate, and invite him to adj
dress the House on the subject of re-
form. The motion prevailed and the
Speaker appointed as the committee,
Brockway, Sam JOsephs and Bob Tit
termary-a beautiful and congenial
trio. They repaired to the Senate and
informed Col. Mcclure Of the action
Of the House With a malicious twin
kle of the eve he promptly accepted
the invitation. When he appeared in
the main aisle of the House he was
received with shouts of laughter, deri-
sive cheers, and a shower Of missiles,
especially from the members Of the
Ring" He walked boldly to the
Speakers chair, and when order was
restored, proceeded to deliver a speech
compounded ofas much hsledge-hammer
truth and exquisite humor as we have
ever read. Ifthe blush Of shame could
be brought to the brazen cheeks of at
least two-thirds Of the members of that
House, this speech ought to have pro
duced that effect Here is Col Nc
Clure's speech, which in its own way
is inimitable:
Mr.. Speaker and Commoncrs of the State
of Pennsylvania | thank you for the dis
tinctiOn you have conferred upon me by
your invitation to address you on the sub
ject of reform. l know of no other body
of men, either of the present or past, that
needs instructions on the necessity of both
public and private morality, So much as the
House of Representatives Of this State, now
before me 0aughtcr), that has so broa0-
ly and deeply experimental in the line Of
individual and official profiigacy. Laugh
ter and applause | am not surprised,
however, that it is so when consider that
Of the members serving in this House from
my immediate locality, many were not
even nominated, and few, if any, were ever
elected. Shouts of laughrcr.) | sent you
reform bills, which cost me many days of
anxious thought and labor to perfect, but
you danced not when l pipcd to you, reith-
er did you weep responsive to my mourn
lug over the degcEeracy of the body poll
tic. must admit, however, that you were
prompt cxecutioneGS, for every bill that
looked toward reform was negatived with
yell 2s fast as rules would allow. But in
political, as often III moral and religious
cycles, the darkest hour Is just before the
GAVIN Of day and it is gratifying that af-
ter you have cOnSUmtaatcd all the harm
you can possibly iufiict upon the State. you
have by 4 unanimous resolution called for
confcSsOr. Laughter. 1t was veil to
pause thus, just Tor the sake of novelty or
reference, 50 that when the tempest breaks
you can point to this becoming act of con-
triton for the wrongs done TO your coastit-
ucntS and to the Commonwealth. [Ap-
pl&uSe and sarcastic shouts. Most of you
who have for three months been serving in
the places to which other persons were
elected by the people, have discounted the
ret:ibutiye wave of popular reprobation by
creating offices by legislative enactments,
to which YOU hope to retire: and those un-
provided for hope to be placed on the in
definite payroll Of the pastors and folders
OF the HuuSe, in accordance with the pre-
valent custom here to pension decayed
statesmen. IShouts of laughter. That
you seek liberal couuses to have good seed
suwn i'll the chaos of virtue that surrounds
you is hopeful sign of the times, and if
you do not cheat us more than so, 900 in
next fall the places that know
you now viii know most of you no more
forever. (Laughtcr.) But | turn to the
faint silver lining on the deep cloud of your
record. One act of this House gladdened
the hearts Of the whole people of the State,
and reinspiTed hope throughout the length
and breadth Of the Commonwealth. ! re-
fer to your vote in the midst of disorder.
that at n Philadelphia fire would be called
a riot, on Monday evening last, fixing an
carly day for your final adjournment
Laughter and applause | have heard of
no citizen of the State who did not heartily
approve Of that act. Gaughter) I am
happy to point to it as the oasis in the
withered d>scrt that you have made about
you, and to accord you credit for it, Hop
ing, gentlemen, if may be pardoned the
use of the term laughter), that the length
Of your lives may correspond with the mea-
sure of your virtues, and that you will be
succeeded by better men than yourselves,
l bid yOu goodnight.
"s-o"o-U
AT the last October election an