The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-04-29
AIo.s no WEI yIRGINIA.
,.o,, powncy Went west and Grow Up
WIN thO Country.

with thO CountEys
The Hon. Stephen w. Downey, whose
fame Is now ringing throughout the land,
arst saw the light Of day in what was then
Hampshire (now Mineral) county, West
Virginia II we mistake not, he Is the
,on Of O. W. Downey, who in part repre-.
,epted Hampshire county in "the 18th Of
June Convention at Wheeling in 1851,
and who was the keeper fan inn ct Pied
mont. Stephen, like so many OF our great
men, left the State at an early age and
went West. Just when and how he land.
ed in Wyoming territory does not appear.
We have searched the Congressional an
mails in vain for light on this point. How
ever, he got there, and from there he got
into Congress as delegate, and there he
IL, orator, statesman and poet, to-day.
We have received copy Of Downey's
poem. 1t occupies fifteen double column
pages in the Congressional Record. 1t Is
perhaps the trashiest stuff that ever ap-
peared in that publication, and this Is say
ing a very great deal. Still we rejoice
that 1t has been printed in the Record. II
will show to Congress (perhaps) the folly
and the sin Of allowing members to print
speeches never delivered. This thing Of
giving each other ''leave to print" unde;
liysred speeches is fraud OF huge pro-
portions on the American people. 1t is
nothing moi Q nor less than public robbery.
powney's poem appears as 8 speech,
and Is introduced by formal head lines de-
claring /. to be an Argument Of Hon. Ste.
phen W, Downey, OF Wyoming Territory,
in the House OF Representatives, Tuesday,
April Is, 1885," and begins as do legiti-
mate speeches with-"Mr. Downey said:
Mr.. speaker'-&c. Then follows the bill,
whose whereas" is the. apostles creed,
and the resolve an order TO appropriate
100000 to paint Bible pictures on the
walls Of the capitol. Then follows the
argument" (poem) entitled "The 1mmor-
tails" formally dedicated to the Congress
Of the United States" The action OF the
the production Is carried on by "Phsntas-
maporia, Chorus" the nine muses., and
seven spirits" and concludes with a
nyalediclory.n The hymn book is drawn
on tor
Rock Of ages, cleft for me.
Masonry may he supposed to have en-
tered the poets mind when he evolved
these lines:
Within 40 ancient court whose avenue
Led 10 tho Temp Of JeruAaivm, :
saw q gleamns lint whose adiant shafts
hose luminous around the letter
G.
On the mosaic Pavement Of that court
Who's yer walked bore on his face the light
Of knONlsdg1 uLreyea.ed save 10 what beams
OF light thai ms alto - msOl 10 enshrtned.
A suspicion that Downey thought to
rival Gilmore is aroused by the opening
OF the valedictory:
Phantl'm 'guria, daughter Of the west,
Thou VII, 40 child Of iair Columbia! lurtd
ny holy p'ts on for the Aplrit VI good
That woV'd thee: etc.
And II Downey meant his argument
for national anthem he has the adyan-
tage of Gilmore in having it printed in
the Congressional Record, and copyrighted.
As an illustration OF the stuff put into
print in the Record, at public expense, the
poem is great success; and in relevancy
to public business it may even be said to
compare well with much that has gone
before it through the same channel. Hit
shall teach Congress TO forbid the printing
in the Record Of undeliyered speeches IT
will serve good purpose.