The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1876-04-27
auasssuu gatellissneer.
A GEORGIA CONGRESSMAN.
Nitrate of Silver VS.. A Low-Country
Comprehensive IL TIT
Don Piatt in the Washington Capita


Don Piatt ig the Washington Capital.
We came in possession the other day
of rather good story anent a new men,
Der of the House, that will bear publi-
cation. He is q modest-no, not modest
exactly, but shy sort of a gentleman.
It is astonishing how many perky men,
bers elect at home sink into this uncom.
Portable state after being swornin. From
being the first man of the village he sinks
into the last at Rome, and from one e1-
treme ne naturally swings over to the
other. He finds himself lost in crowd,
and the eve of the Speaker-that blessed
dispensation that lifts one from obscurity
lis monopolized by dozen men no bet
ter than himself. He feels keenly his
enforced obscurity, but accepts the situa.
ton, in shy, awkward sort of way that
is quite amusing to everybody. Well
our shy Solon attended the session and
worked in his committee. He answered
twenty letters day, and ran through
the departments as agent for his constlt-
uents, until he succumbed to the bad
ventilation the pain-and-putty architect,
Clarke, supplied the hall. Not only was
his Congressional throat swollen and
sore, but strange irritating eruption
broke out over his law-making person.
He sent for Doctor Garnett, and Garnett
not only put potions in him, but lotion
on him, in his (Garnett's) usual heroic
manner. And the Solon gradually con-
yalesced. One morning he determined
to attend a sitting of the honorable body
of which he was a member. He had not
consulted his looking glass-too modest
for that. Had he done SO he would have
seen, to his wonder and, distress, that the
lotion given him by Doctor Garnett had
turned his face to dusty, copper color.
He was other than what he had been, but
all unaware Of his transmorgrifcation,
he approached the entrance to the hall
of the House. The door-keeper hesita.
ted. But the honorable member moved
forward so decidedly that the man, half
opening the door, asked: Member, sir%
"Of course" was the response, in some
wonder, for the guardian of the portal
knew our friend well enough; that is, he
knew him before he was dyed. "Mem-
berr' quOth the door-keeper, as the Scion
entered. "Humph! member from Atri-
ca" Our friend took his seat and was
sorting over his mail, when gentleman
of African descent approaced, and, bend
ing over, said confdentially, in an under
tone: dPinchback's defeated, sure" y
"You don't say So" eyes does; de
crisis is on us dis time, an we mus stan.
shoulder to shoulder or de cause is lost"
"I am much obliged to you, my friend,
for this information; but what have to
do with the cause is more than / can
make out" "You-you! why, You is de
man all eyes turn on; you is bein' talked
of all ober de town. tell ye dere's
goin' to be serenade dis night, so you
be prepared, sab; yes, sah." And before
the bewildered member could recover
from his astonishment the man was gone.
What could the fool mean by Pinchback
and the cause, and he Democrat from
the South? The fellow must be crazy.
Il was the wont of our friend to rise from
his seat every morning with fifty Others
and shout, "Mr. Speaker! !! Mir. Speaker p
at the full pitch of his lungs. Why ne
or they did this no man could tel, for
the Speaker never sees any of them.
Perhaps it is considered healthy exercise,
or perhaps that is the way to be Con
gressmen. What the reason may or may
not be, our friend started up on this occa-
sion, and to his astonishment the Speaker
recognized him. He had the eye of the
Speaker. Strange sensation and strang.-
er, the moment this occurred dead
silence fell upon the House, and every
face turned to the amazed gentleman.
He was equal to the emergency. and then
aud there introduced his little measure
and made his little speech that he had
been rehearsing from the first day of the
session. Members gathered around and
listened attentively, and as he resumed
his seat he enjoyed a further surprise in
hearing Democrat remark quite audi.
bly,: "He speaks right pert for nigger."
Feeling far from well after his late at
tack. he soon wended his way back to his
rooms, and on Pennsylvania avenue,
meeting lady of his acquaintance with
her escort, he politely lifted his hat. The
two stared at him in queer way, and
the gentleman escorting the fair dame
hurried into hat store, and overtahng
our colored M. G. said, angrily: Chow
dare you insult that lady, You skunk~
The M. G. had been i'll; he was yet fee
BILE, and although unaware of the fact,
deeply colored; but his wrath was strong
as ever, and so he collided his right law
making fist on the nose of the questioner.
A lively set-to followed, and although
the Solon used due diligence in getting
round and in on his adversary, he would
have been badly damaged part of Con-
gress but for the interference Of the po-
lice. As it was, he found himself under
arrest, and would have been walked Oft
to auod had he not fished up a card and
two or three envelopes addressed to the
M. C. The police of Washington know
enough to be aware of the fact that a
member cannot be arrested when on his
way to and from the Capitol, and so our
friend was released.