The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1873-04-26
RACY SPEECH IN THE PENNSYLVANIA
LEGISLATURE.

! 1VNEs
On the evening Of the adjournment
of the Legislature, on motion of MIR.
Brockway, of the House Of Represen-
tatives, Senator Mcclure was invited
to address the House on the condition
of political parties. The Colonel dis
charged this duty. Although the men,
bers appear to have treated his remarks
with levity, he said many things that
ought to have made them hang their
heads in shame. These State plundc-
rers made nothing by that investment.
| He addressed them rs follows:
"Mr. Speaker and Commoners of the
State OF Pennsylvania: l thank you
for tho distinction you have conferred
upon me by your invitation to address
you upon the subject Of reform. 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 [laughter], or that has so
broadly and deeply experimental in
the line Of individual and official pro-
| tiigacy. daughter and applause.1
am not surprised, however, that it is SO
when l consider that of the members
diate locality, many were not even
nominated, and few, if any, were ever
elected. [Shouts of laughtcr.l 1 sent
you reform bills that cost me many
| days of anxious thought and labor to
perfect, but you danced not when
piped to you, neither did you weep re-
sponsive to my mourning over the de-
generacy of the body polite. l must
admit, however, that you were prompt
cNecutioners, for every bill that looked
toward reform was negativcd with II
yell as fast as tho rules would allow
But in political, as often in moral and
religious cycles, tho darkest hour is just
before the dawn of day; and it is graft
| flying that after you have consummatcd
all the harm you can possibly intiict
upon the State, you have by Il unani-
nous resolution called for a confcssor.
Laughter.l 1t wns we'll to pause thus,
just for the sake of novelty or reference
SO that when tho tempest breaks you
can point to this becoming act of con-
triton for the wrongs done to your
constituents and to the commonwealth.
| Applause and sarcastic shouts. Most
of you who have for three months been
serving in the places to which other
men were elected by the people, have
discounted the retributivc wave of
popular reprobation by creating offices
by legislative enactmcnts, to which
you hope to retire and those unprovi-
ded for hope to be placed on the indeti-
mite pay roll Of the pasters and folders
of the House, in accordance with the
prevalent custom hero TO pension de-
caycd statesmen. [Shouts of laughter. I
That you seek liberal counscis to have
good seed sown in the chaos of virtue
| l,nf ssJy Sc, -
the times, and if yOu do not cheat us
more than 10000 in Philadelphia next
fall the places that now know you will
know most of you no more forever.
But turn to the faint silver lining on
the deep cloud of your record. One act
of this House gtuddcncu the hearts of
tho whole people of tho State, and re-
inspired hope throughout the length
and breadth Of the Commonwealth. l
refer to your vote in the midst of dis
order, that ut II Philadelphia fire would
be called II riot, on Monday evening
last, fixing an early day for your final
adjournment. daughter and applause. !
| have heard of no citizen OF the State
who did not heartily approve of that
act. Laughtcr.l ! am happy to point
to it rs the oasis in tho witilcrcd desert
that you have made about you, and to
| accord you credit for it. Hoping, gen
! tlcmcn, if ] may bo pardoncd for the
use of the term [laughtcrl, that the
length of your lives may correspond
with the measure of your virtues, and
that you may he succeeded by better
men than yourselves, / bid you good
night"
The Senator retired amid roaring
applause and II liberal shower of paper
balls.
SERVED HER RIGHT.