New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1878-11-05

/ " TaughterJr and "[Renewed laughterJ' When
ever Mr.. Cox's speeches were reported; ana
| as for Proctor Knott. hs great Duluth speech
! rolled him on the wave of a nations outlaw 10
the fore front of American humorists. But
| that was when they were III minority. III q III
of mental alteration, which, let us hope, Is
only temporary, the people surrounded these
genial iokers with Democratic majority.
Then vast responsibilities lighted on them
heavily, and the solemn brood of care kept
them constant company. Thenceforth for
them there were no more hand-springs in the
air and somersaults in the sawdust, and CHEEKY
"Here we are, my masters ~ Dotted were the
cap and bells, gone the merry Quip and jest;
the genial humorists bad been metamorphosed
into statesmen. They came in like Atlas, with
worlds upon their bent shoulders weighed down
with great afiairs-interests of territory,
cares of state, the support of dignity,
the responsibility of voting appropria-
tons, and the depressing consciousness
that the Muse of History waited on
them ever with her corps of stenographerS
aud plates of brass, while Fame held over
them her constant camera. Lost humorsts!
Fresh statesmen A melancholy sight. And
then Kentucky madly plucked up her merry
journalist and tossed him in between the acts.
Fatal experiment ! Hs turned statesman in
the air and was spouting the highest OF high
tragedy before he struck the sawdust. In the
twinkling of an eye the low comedian had be-
come ravine, gibberinR statesman, clamor-
ing for q hundred thousand men and demand
ing possession of the White House. And
then these three lost humorists set up a wall and
all howled "Fraudr together. There has
been no sadder spectacle III an American Con-
gress. Wattcrson was there only a little
while but he hasn't got over it yet.
Aud now so slow are we at learning these
lessons of experience, that we are sitting
calmly by while John Kelly and Tammany
Hall are cndeavoring to repeat the CHASTITY ex-
pertinent of firing one of our most genial
humorists into Congress whose atmosphere
has already proved fatal to at least three of a
kind. The victim is Larry" jerome. They
have disguised him as Lawrence r." under
which name-sOlemnizing i'll itself-they are
running him for Congress in the With Dis
trict. 1t is hardly necessary to say, III the
light of what has befallen every Democratic
humorist who has been wasted upon Congress,
that Mr. jerome Is placed by this action of John
Kelly in probably the most perilous position of
his life. For the chances are more than ten to
one that il he should be elected, and 20 10
Washington, he would never return to us as u
humOrlst. 1t is an even thing that he would
break out with craftsmanship III the interval
before tho meeting of Congress, ana begin to
be serious and sad and TO take things TO heart
and discuss appropriations and taxes with
warmth and vigor and forget his little joke
and lose the twinkle of his eye, and become
in short. a statesman. Is it not criminal trihnG
with the dearest interests of NewIor society
for Mr. John Kelly To seize Larry" Jerome
from the dinner tables which look to him TO
be kept always in Il roar, from the social life
which he 30 ornaments and adorns, and from
the clubs which his ready wit and cheerful
humor so constantly enliyen, merely to fire
him into Congress and make a statesman of
hint If Mr.. Kelly had made Sachem
or Sycamore, or even Wiskin-
skie of HIM. we could have borne it
with some philosophy. We might have
borne TO see him at the head of tOrch-light
procession, wearing plug" hat and bearing
laboIiously large transparency inscribed
Reform ~ and that would be a spectacle 70
thrill Broadway from the Battery to Twenty
thrtl-st.-fos from such diversions his natural
flow of spirits would furnish hope of recovery.
But to plunge him into Congress and over
whelm him with the dreadful sense of being
in the majority and responsible for legislation,
and see him stiiien into statesman while the
iurces dry up IN hm-this is too, too much. It
must not be.
The duty of the voters in the With Dis
trict is PLAIN. They must rescue Larry "
Jerome from the statesman's doom. Already
he is somewhat under the spell. He begins TO
mediate on the condition of the down-trOd-
den and oppressed he mitigates the miseries
of the unfortunate voter with current funds
he alleviates with the Greenback the distress
Of the repeater, and with beer he aSsuages the
thirst of the dry. He begins to think of him
self as the Poor Mau's Friend from away back,
and to devise plans for the ameliOEti0n of
the race. The fute of Cox, Knott and Wat
tersOn creeps slowly toward him. He must be
saved from il If possible. There are statesmen
enough already. without sacrificing Larry
Jerome. Society needs him here. Congress
can get along without him. See to 1t. voters
of the With District. that % Larry Jerome
IA kept at home, and not wasted on the
XLYIth Congress.
A CONFESSf0N or GUILT.