New-York tribune., 1874-10-23
An UNCOMMON SPEECH.

The speech of Col A. J. H. Duganne at
the Republican County Convention, Tuesday
evening, could hardly have been improved
had it been done in verse. His man was
not nominated for Mayor, to be sure, but to
be the subject of such an address as that is
worth moro than any nomination or even
election. Col. Duganne's apOstrOphe to the
Hon. Thomas Murphy, who presided in his
usual rosy and felicitous manner, was thrilling
and effective, and the reference to his "hos-
"pitable mansion" when the war against /" the
"hydra- headed monster" began, was enough
to bring tears to the eyes of the most Obdu-
rate. The poetic imagery with which ne de-
scribes Tammany Hall was likewise very fine.
This is the passage: "YOu have been with me,
members of county conventions, when raised
"my feeble voice against that monster, and
"say it in no invidiOus sense that it Is
"pOlitical monster, monster which like that
"serpent of old, that constructor, which de-
"voured peoples has been put to sleep for
I" few years, because. like the constructor, it
"was gorged with its prey, but is now beginning
"tO move, because, like the constructor, it is
"hungry again and wants its political food"
This is very clearly stated. Nor does the
description lose any force from the omission
of the constructors first name. Every person
present knew from the moment it began that
it was a boa. Col. Duganne expressed the
opinion that the monster had not been ex-
tinguished, but that the only thing accom-
plished thus far was I" the drawing of its
"fangs for a time, with the enfeebling of its
strength for time until having been struck
"to its mother mire the mire gave it strength
"again, and it now rises again to confront
"you.n "MOther mire" is uncOmmOnly good.
Doubtless refers to the venerable functiOnary
at the head of the city government.
The Colonel warmed up still more as he
looked around him upon the faces of "the
"warriOrs and fighters of that campaign, the
"men who regarded their offices as nothing
compared with their Republican principles"
He recognized them without the slightest diff
ficulty. They are the men who occupy the
front seats in Conventions and weep profusely
over "outrages." "These men," continued the
poet, care now in Official places, as rightful
compensation for their self-martyrdOm at the
"time." Well, yes, mostly. In fact that's the
kind of self-martyrdOm they went for. The
heavenly smiles that sit upon the cOuntenances
of these martyrs as the faggots of official
"places' are piled up around them, are some
thing altogether wonderful. There ought to
be some frst-rate poetry written about them,
and then they ought to be painted with aure-
oles and wings and hung up somewhere
the pictures--Or the martyrs-or bOth-tO
be contemplated by coming generations as the
men who confronted boa.
We have to thank Col. Duganne for this con-
tribution to political literature. 1t is the sort
of thing that, with a very little effort, could
be put up in blank verse and set to music.
And an uncommonly good thing, too, for
schoolreaders. No first-class schoOl-reader
should go to press without it. The COnven-
ton did MT amount to much. But the speech
was an uncommon one.