The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1866-1891, 1874-01-15
Changes in Congress.
A SKETCH BY GRACE GREENWOOD.
1From the New York Times. |

From the New York Times.
The House presented to ME on my re-
turn an unfamiliar aspect. The new
furniture and carpets have frightened it
up somewhat, but the strange forms and
faces bewilder sme. I missed the old
land -marks-Banks, with his two-story
head and soldierly figure; Farnsworth,
with his frothy beard tossed ia air, and
Cakes Ames, with his heavy face, and his
slow, elephant eyes On the Democratic
side there is not SO much change. We
miss the uplifted face of Brooks, pallid
and troubled and disdainfnl, but the New
York Democracy has evoked Samuel to
fill his place, and Don Fernando still sits
buttoned up to the chin in elegant pro-
prieties, still bears aloft his snow-wreath
of moustache, while the belligerent Beck
keeps his old stand in the aisle, and
pitches forward into every debate. Ohio
still leaves us her urbane 6;ld, and has
sent us back her Lawrence, who will
"never give up the ship" Of State any
more than Mrs. Micawber would desert
Mr.. Micawber.
At one of the front desks of the
middle aisle sat, on Wednesday morning,
a peculiar figure, the sight Of which
strangely moved my heart. 1t brought
back scenes of long ago, of another regime
almost, it would seem, of another world
Most vivdidly it recalled days and nights
of memorable long session in Congress,
during which the discussion of the old com
promise measures shook the country and
nearly shattered the old Capitol. 1t was
the figure of Alexander Fl. Stephens, the
nervous, impassioned little orator, toward
whom, during that troublous time, often
looked from the little loft Of gallery, and
to whom listened with profound interest,
though he seldom uttered matter to my
mind on the question of questions-slave-
ry. He is less changed than I thought to
find him, for in the old time he had an air
Of premature age and feebleness, and SEEM
ed to be wasted by the intense flame OF
his own restless and fiery spirit. de
used to wear as wide collar as Mr.. Clay,
only it was turn down, and long, black
neck tie, simply knotted and falling. Now
the collar is narrower and the neck tie
shorter, and on his round, compact head,
which was always too small for his hats,
he wears q black velvet skull cap, reveal
ing light fringe Of hair, white with "the
winter of his discomfort" His keen eyes
are masked behind glasses; he walks on
crutches, moving very slowly; but the
princely will and the the high, quick sPlr-
it seem quite unsubdued, as is shown by
his repeating, the other day, substantially
the speech he made on the question OF sala-
ries before he went out of the Union-re'
minding one ofthe men who had his skull
broken in an explosion, and lay insenslole
fer many days, but who, as soon as the
trepanning process was commenced, pro-
ceeded to finish the sentence he had be-
gun at the moment of the accident. With
what amazcment and admiration must Mr.
Stephens have watched the late free-and
easy debates-how his mind must have
gone back to the dark days of bondage, to
the arrogant old days of Democracy ana
,bs duello when man was held RESPONSE
Bile for hot, hard words, in the House OF
Representatives, as elsewhere D.; when he
v.s not allowed to free his mind in debate.
unless that mind was in decently sane
and moral condition when honorable gen.
tlsmen could not indulge themselves in
,be use of such little epithets as "thief
and liar" and "dirty dog" without dan
uer of being not only turned out, but "call'
ed out" In view fthe glorious liberty
in which our legislators now revel and riot
be must see that our blood and treasure
were not expended for naught in the
great war, and haply feel consoled tor the
desolation Of the South.
The Senate is less changed from last