The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-06-28
CAMPBELL, }


The country has been taught, through
the Republican papers, to regard Senator
Conkling as an able man, with peculiar and
phenomenal powers of cool satire and calm
derIsion. His sneer has been held up as
the very dread of a Democrat; his breath
the siroco of whitening scorn. His pose is
senatorial, sensationally considered, and no
one can deny that be makes good cartoon.
His mouthy drawI and general affectaLion
are highly histrionic, while the boquet on
lis desk is often significant of tue appreci-
alton he holds most dear. But what a
spectacle did this cool, gardonic, barber
nursed Senator present on last Wednesday
night, when, set up to lead his party, he
made an onslaught on lamar? The charge
of want of faith was one of those baseless
statements hypothetical for partisan capt.
tai at the North, aud supposed to be true
alone by those to whom sectional hate is
proof like holy writ.
Mr. Lamars answer as single sentence,
representative of the difference between the
tive men:
81 repel the fasehood with all the con-
tempt Ideel for its author"
The death>like hush which followed this
reply was as dramatic as the STACY Senator
from New York could have desired, only he
was not up in his part, missed his cue; and
took what actors call ''stage fright" so
badly that the chair had to remind him, in
answer to his excited calls, that he had been
twice recognized
If the cnrtain hal fallen upon the situa-
ton thousand flashes Of Radical lightning
would have put the country upon the sharp
end of expectation to hear roll of ora
torical thunder introducing another act of
melo-dramatic Southern outrages, histrioni-
cally represented by the New York Senator
by way of repartee.
But not having the opportunity for prepa>
ration and rehearsal, Senator Conklinq had
to improvise. He stammered, and put n
nervous finger to thoughtful forehead,
mumbled something about not hearing
what the Senator said, aud at last having
turned aside a moment, doubtless to get a
prompt from his friend Jack Logan, noted
for moustache and grammar, he rallied,
sfalked forward and, resuming somewhat
his grand pose, he uttered what would have
appeared to one of Jim Blaines former
schoolboys stunning rejoinder Quoth
Roscoe, TREMENDOUSLY, but with determine
ton, "You're another.n
Touchstone, another dramatic character
points out how bully may crawfish on the
hypothetical ''if" and Roscoe doubtless
has made practical use of that prescrip-
tion.
Whatever explanations may have been
made between the parties, and despite any
Misrepresentation, all people at all familiar
with the characters of the political leaders
of the country will know that L. @. G.
Lamar Is man and Roscoe Conkling a
snob, and at once perceive the contrast be-
tween the two Senators as displayed in the
scene of Wednesday night The one
wears the senatorial toga with the dignity
of Christian gentleman, pure in private
life, exalted Intellectually and morally as a
broad minded, philosophical statesman,
above all party and section; the other is
would-be aristocrat, alternately the cham~
pion and minion of New York money in its
vilest uses, WIN, with all his affected grams
deur, would smoke the stump of General
Grants imperial cigar
For Conkling to attempt to match Lamar
IN debate or otherwise is to tilt at a Steel
clad man-at-arms with a pair of curling
iongs.
Mr.. Conkling stands weakly tO>day as
Inc prototype of degeneracy in many
phases OF once strong character, and his |
DRY Will write the peroration of his bully |
ng career in these words: Gle carried |
what no good man would deserve aud no |
'rave man would wear