New-York tribune., 1873-12-12

Republic should be maintained. Imagine the
chagrin of his sensitive soul when. buging
into discussion Of the Salary bill. with tho
consciousness that the eyes Of the monarch
lists were upon him, Mr. Negley of Pennsylva-
mia. a gentleman whose atmosphere seems foggy
with back pay cOnundrums, blurted out upon
him the low personal inquiry whether he did
not " take his ck-pay to the other side OF the
"Atlantc' 1t was brutal interruption.
But it did not disconcert the orator. lie
heard in fancy the chuclIe of the nonarchists
on tho other side, and the thought kindled
him into wthering eloquence. "When con-
"sent," said he, to degrade this body by
personal controversy, it will be when 1
"change my estimate Of public duty" Ill cur
rent slang "he had him there" The monarch
lists were baiIled, their chuckles silenced. III
was in almost the same words that Senator
Patterson of Hampshire flung back IN
ouiry last Winter. 1t was digniied and Sc
we're. We commend it to the consideration OF
the unhappy people who sometimes in courts
of justice decline to answer because IL VIII
criminate themselves. There is much more
dignity in the answer 81 will not degrade TINS
body by personal controversy"
Rising then to the hight of the occasion, MIR.
Roberts said Look at the exhibitions on this
" floor What is the effect of them abroad
Monarchists conclude that in republics yir-
" the goes into retirement Could any pre-
scutation of the case be more vigorous
even startlingf Let ia hope the picture IS
oyerdrawn. No, they must not think so.
How can they2 Haven't We minister at
every. Court =! And has not Mr.. Roberts
himself been abroad No; tho monarchstS
know better. Virtue does not go into retire
ment. Never mind about the exhibitions in the
House it would be only the grossest preju-
dice that would draw such conclusion from
the House but even then we have the Senate.
VIII any mOnarchist look in upon body
presided over by Mr.. Matt Carpenter and
say virtue has gone into retirement Not a
monarchist. Mr.. Roberts meant well, but he
oyerdrew the picture. 1t was eloquent but
exaggerated.
But it was in what appears in the press re-
port to have been Mr.. Robertss peroration
that he scared into what is called by one class
of citizens the empyrean" and took what is
called by another class the rag off the bush"
Let the iconoclast," said Mr. Roberts-and
the conoclast, we may be permitted TO ex-
plain, is a character which is well known
along the Erie Canal-"let the icOnoclast
"break down the idols if he will, but"-and
here doubtless his voice trembled-"let his
fury be stayed before he destroys the house
"hold gods and the divinity Of the Republic"
Better things than this were never said IN the
palmiest days of the Republic. In the i'm
perfectness of reporting and the confessed in
capacity of the Associated Press much of the
effect Of the parcnthesis is lost but can 1t be
doubted that the House broke down in sObS
at this point The picture is all too power
full No House could stand it. There must
have been weeping over it. Such an appeal
would stir into volcanic activity the lachrymal
glands of the most aged pachyderm. Had this
thing been said-this appeal for the house.
hold gods been made-on some Of the peaks in
Colorado, to the earnest and sensitive people
who inhabit those regions, assembled in some
thing say like mass convention, how 1t would
have irrigated those arid plains and invited
immigration. Aud the drouth-stricken agri-
cuturists would have stood by their pluyiated
crops and said Tears, idol tears. do know
"what We mean." But this, after all, is the
gross utilitarian view. Let us not consider
that the deep fountains Of the heart by strong
commissions rent apart md running all to
waste have any relations however remote with
agriculture.
Mr.. Roberts appealed in behalf of the house
hold gods 1t was not personal appeal either
To the metallurgical mind, which, running on
the low plane of selfish view, considers the
assurance of a man who held his back pay all
Summer and then made speech against it
as having a knship with the cheek of q hea-
then god, his stirring appeal for the house
hold gods may seem personal and selfish Not
so. A responsive people asserts the contrary
When Mr.. Roberts rises on his toes in the
American Congress and says "Spare our house
"hold gods" his meaning is not mixed or
doubtful. "Let the icOnoclast break down the
"idols if he WILL" says Mr. Roberts-and by
that he means principally Mr.. Samuel Cox
but, says he with impressive solemnity, "let
"his fury be stayed before he destroys the
"household gods and by these he means
Mr.. Roberts and Senator Conkling both of
Utica-and he adds in cloudy way, "the
divinity of the Republic" which means
and we have pondered over it good while
must mean-President Grant.
Aud they ought to be spared.
CH4STISING PARSON