Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1879-03-26
PARLIAMENTARY CURSES.

The Republicans die hard. Ia transferring
the United States senate to the Democratic
party they show a characteristic want of good
taste and philosophy. Tney submit to the
inevitable with a bad grace. They reserved
their wrath until Monday, when it was pro-
posed to elect secretary of the senate.
When they saw the old secretary OF the sem
ate packing up his traps to give place to
Democrat, they seemed to realize for the first
time that the scepter had departed from Ju-
dea, and they gave vent to their grief In
abuse and excavations. Conkllng, who has
been styled peacock, but who may be prop
erly called a serpent, for he crawls and
strikes without even the pIemonltion Of
rattle, was much disgruatled. Affect
ing great dignity, he never fails
to lower himself to feeble invective and
personal abuse, and while protesting high
regard for honor, ne resorts to the meanest
devices of treachery. he is regarded as a
habitual calumniator. On Monday last, when
it was proposed to elect John G. Burch, the
Democratic nominee for secretary OF the SEN
ate, MIR. CoDkling arose, and, Judging from
the classic curl of his ambrosial locks and
the faultless fit of his manly shrt-bosom, it
was supposed that gentleman was about to
address the senate. But ConkliDg, by his
loose talk false and scandaous insinuations,
showed that he was nothing but contempt
IDLE blackguard base enough to asperse the
character of q gentleman who is his
superior in ability and all the social
relations of life. In whining over the retiracy
of George c. Gorham, the New York peacock
was too cowardly too make a direct charge
against John c. Burch, the Democratic nom
inee for secretary of the senate, but he insin-
uated several slapders, which were as false
as their author Is infamous. Colonel Burch
has been a citizen of Tennessee from child
hood. He has been elected to the Tennessee
legislature, was made speaker of the house
of representatives and made model presid-
ing officer. He was comptroller of the State
for several yeare, and rotirod With
untarnished. Smelling committees have
ransa cked his record, spent thousands of dol
lars with the hope Of nosing out some morsel
of petty scandal with which to defame the
reputation of John G. Burch. Bat they have
not been able to put their finger upon q sin
gle act in his life calculated to detract from
| his high character as a citizen and a gentle
man. Just before the Democratic caucus was
held IN Washington, the telegraph wires
were made to creak under the burden of re-
| ports from the Nashville smelling committee,
sent to Washington for the purpose of de-
! featlng the nomination Of Burch; but his ex-
! posure and vlndication was SO Triumphant
| that the effort to defeat him recoied upon his
enc Lies. When the senate proposed to
elect Burch to the position to which
he had been nominated, Conkllng was too
! cowardly to repeat the exploded calumnies
against him; but was base enough to
play the part of the assassin and to insinuate
4 falsehoods. Such man is a disgrace to the
senate of the United States. His conduct
shows that he is an enemy more to be des-
pissed than feared. His conduct toward
Hayes has been IN keeping with his treach-
erous characteristics. He has put forward
other men to work out his spite. He occu-
pies his seat from day to day, pairing his
inger-nails and adjusting his Hyperion
| curls; but when he sees an old official friend
in the senate about to give place to Demo-
crat, the fiery soul of the lion is moved, and
he roars. The reputation of John c. Burch
cannot be damaged by the insinuated false
| hoods of the malignant blatherskite of New
| York