St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1878-01-04
Edmunds of Vermont.

The central figure in the senate cham
Der the past week during the republic
can struggle against fate, has been
George F. Edmunds of Vermont. His
personal appearance is rather striking.
Not very tall when upon his legs, he
has that great length of spine which is
regarded in insurance offices as a prom
Use, if not a guarantee, of longevity.
For all l know to the contrary, Ed
munds may be one hundred years old
already. The tough ruddiness of his
skin and the uncertain grayness of his
hair and beard are of the kind that de-
fly conjecture as to age. With his long,
furrowed forehead running up to point
above, his long gray beard running
down to point below, his ghostly at
titudes and gestures, and his archi-
episcopal habits of attire, Edmunds
looks like we'll preserved specimen of
the ancient Christian fathers.
A dozen years ago this long headed
lawyer came into the United States
Senate from region chiefly famed for
its verdure and its maple sugar sap.
But there was nothing verdant and
nothing sugary about the new senator
from Vermont-an accidental senator,
by the way, for he emerged from OBJ
security to fill chair vacated by death.
He first made himself respected on the
floor by his singularly accurate memory
and his close knowledge of technical
law. He came to be considered by the
majority as a dry but Indispensable
work of reference. He was appealed to
on points that men of affairs are too
busy to hunt up and men of genius do
not care to burden their brains with.
Gradually he built up the little pomp
of a law library on and around his desk.
This imposing adjunct and the venera-
BILE appearance of his beard inspired
certain awe in the galleries. The awe
was lost in yawns whenever Edmunds
arose to speak.
AS the evolution of Edmunds ad-
vanced, he began to manifest new abil-
titles. His memory gave him a great
advantage, his power of application a
greater. For ten years he has been
digging away at the rules of the senate
and the principles of parliamentary law.
The result of his industry was apparent
in the Electoral bill debate of one year
ago, when he stepped to the front as
the very best parliamentarian in Con-
gress, not excepting Blaine of Maine.
Edmunds' mastery of the quirks, prece-
dents, lodges, tricks and surprises of
legislative strategy is wonderful. He
never founders in any question of pro-
cedure be is never off his feet.
Now, to these qualities in a debater
add the still more valuable one of per-
feet self control. Edmunds angry, Ed
munds discomposed, Edmunds discour-
aged, Edmunds taken aback. is a
spectacle reserved, l fear, for the day
of judgment. If a keg of nitro ycerine
should explode under the senate cham
bel and hurl into space every honorable
gentleman except himself and the chair,
Edmunds would wriggle up out of his
seat and move a call of the roll, to as
certain whether quorum was present,
as calmly and dispassionately as if he
was moving the previous question on
$4,000 appropriation bill. No unex-
pected motion, argument or vote ever
him or cut him off from his
resources. No accusation or insinua-
ton ever exasperated him. Attacking
him with sarcasms or innuendoes is like
throwing India crackers at an iceberg.
His perfect GOODNESS in debate resem bles
Ben Buffers, only Buffers is a sheer
of will. The General is nat
urally an irascible man, and has nerves
does not know how to be
and makes a poor botch of it
when 1T serves his purpose to appear so.
The Vermont senator has improved
greatly both in the matter and in the
manner of his oratory. Formerly he
had the reputation of being the dullest
speaker in the senate. His speeches
were phrased like Il legal brief, and his
rhetoric was that of a mortgage deed. |
His delivery was like the music of a
rheumatic wooden pump. Practice and
self discipline have infused
some life into his parchment sentences,
and he now says what he has to say
without clearing the galleries.
Cold, clear headed, logical and merci-
less, shrewd and ready in retort, intel
Iectually INSCRIPTIONS, caring nothing
about consistency or inconsistency, ex-
cept as weapon to use against others,
partisan to the end of every hair in his
grizzled beard, capable of lending his
great powers to ignoble purposes, Ed
munds is dangerous man on the wrong
side of question of right or wrong.
Nobody in the senate can toss about
moral principles with a more careless
air of lofty patriotism. Nobody can
wear the mask of sincerity more grace
fully. 1t takes some acquaintance with
Mr.. Edmunds to see the grin that is al
ways behind the mask, but once de-
tected it can never be lost to sight
N. Y. Sun.