The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-02-16
McCREERy's FAREWELL.
The senator from Kentucky Delivers n
Farewell Address to n crowded House.
TNaw York Tribune


WASHINGTON. Feb. I0.4-The most striking
face and figure Ia the United States are those
possessed by Senator MeCrsery. of Kentucky
His head, from the square. heavy brow over
the top and down almost TO the back Of the
neck, Ia as bald as an onion, while on each
side, entirely covering hlH ears and extending
around below the bald spot behind, hangs y
thick curtain of the BLACKLIST stfHightest and
sttIest hair ever grown Oh any other than ail
Indian scalp 1t contains not tile slightest
seventy years Of the Senator. and II never
will Tho face would be Webstarian. and
even more So except for the infantils smile
which constantly fingers around the corners
Of the mouth, and tippleE over the lower part
Of the nose whenever the Senator is addressed
by his associates.
Strangers are at loss whether to rate him
az a man uf towering Intellect. even among
the giants by whom he Ia surrounded, or ms u
sort Of wilkins Micawber. who owes his po-
sition to the accident Of his impressive ap-
pearance. His figure and dress rather carry
out the latter theory. Slightly podgy In the
body. with lower extremitias somewhat sxag
gerated In the other direction, he covers his
person with the regulation black claw ham
mer style Of garment, IN vogue twenty years
ago. Tho comic element In his makeup
rather preGominates, aud a. the old gentle-
man always smiles when he Ia addressed, SO
his appear rance ia always attended by light
Ing up of the faces Of those who approach him.
Senator MeGreery n mt once the most indo-
lent aud tho most eloquent man I'm Congress
Ills biography In the Congressional Diree-
tory Ia only three and une-half lines In
length. and Ia the only one from which the
date Of birth is omitted. It is reported that
he could not be persuaded to write any more.
lie rarely masters more than one subject at q
session, and usually. IA was the case to-day,
waits until that ono In o dead one before he
speaks upon It. Yet the announcement that
Senator MoUreery In To speak iH always sutfi-
cient to cram every seat In the Senate CALLER
les, for such trent can DO had on no other
occasion.
Last year he sold his audience very cheapiy.
He Ind selected the repeal nf tho income tax
statutes upon which TO make his one annual
effort, and had given notice, AS usual. week
In advance. An audience of the highest aud
brightest had crowded In to hear him, and
awaited his hour with some impatenee.
When Mt last II arrived tho Senator afose and
his subject In o manner entirely
hs own, clothing the dry title In terms most
exuuisitely smooth and poetic. He then said
that other Senators had doubtless given tho
subject AZ much attention as no himself had.
and would vote according to their convictions
Of right. He then beamed upon the galleries
for moment and subsidized for another year.
Probably the trite old arguments In favor
of the transfer of tho Indian Bureau to tho
War Department cannot lie put into English
which IA more worthy to be- ranked with tho
modern classics than that In which they were
clothed to-day, From beginning to end tho
Senator was followed by every Senator and
every spectator present rs closely as II his
words were pearls Yet 1t was simply M
and even nv such was married
by nj least ono feature OF questionable taste.
Throughout the greater part Of his Grafton
there was perceptibIe covert snear at
those things which the greater portion
pf his audience hold sacred. and not even
tho poetic beauty Of his sentences could take
away their sting. In closing no drew u
most pathetic picture OF the suirernga ~
Chief Joseph and his hand Mt tho hand Of tho
white man. and made an appehl for justice
for the Nez Percss which would have touched
a heart Of atune. Since, however Chief Joseph
left Washington n week. ago. perfectly CON
tent with the provisions which had been made
for him by the Interior Department. tho ap
peal IL wasted 40 far u.s. any practical result
Ia concerned The House also killed tho
transfer matter beyond the remotest chance
Of resurrection Inst week.
Senator McGreery has been In the Senate
nine years, and has had enough Of IT.. Ills
term expires on the fourth Of next month,
and. consequently, this IL probably tho last
appearances Of this remarkable character In
public life.