The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1880-04-21
A onc-sided Debate in Congress

Washington Special TO the New York World. !
The most thorough and hum iiiating de-
feat yet experienced by the Radicals was
brought upon them in the House of Repre-
sentatives by preconcerted movement to
keep still. ii one may so speak, on the part
of the Democratic members. Under the
desperate attempt of Messrs Hawley
Robson, Keller and Frye to neg and irli-
tate the hot headed Kentuckians into a sec
ond chapter of extra session folly, Mr.. Hew-
ley led off with speech full..of fire and fury
dong all in his power to exesperate the
Democrats and goad them into some express
sion which might be perverted into a Rspub-
licsn war-cry durDg the canvass 1t was q
grotesQue failure. All the ringing periods
of the illustrious Joseph were received
with rosrs of laughter on the Dsm-
ocratic side. When Grants ex Secretary
of the Navy followed Joseph he fairly sawed
the air and grew red in the face until the
ompassioDate Democrats grow apprehensive
CT q fit of apoplexy. But they could not be
moved even by pity into giving the least
echo to his cheap thunder. At the expira-
ton of his hour heartless Democrat even
moved thet bis time be indefinitely ex-
tended. Mr.. X jbeson was shrewd enough to
decline this tempting offer, ana sat down
with the air Of man who had got more than
he bargained for. Mr. Keifer wss then put
up with bottle OF vitriol in one hand and 9
bloody shirt in the other, but met with the
same deadly and good-natured contempt
and soon sat down in state of ludicrously
evident chegriD, giving place to Mr. Frye. of
Maine, who beloved like little bull, but
equally to little purpose, in fact to less pur-
pose, for when ne sank exhausted into his
place, Mr.. Cox. CT New York, who had been
standing for some Time against desk OBJ
serving his heroic efforts with quizzical good
nature, and to whom Frye, imagining himeelf
at last to have landed whale, msgnifcantly
conceded the rest of the hour, produced
book, which he asked leave TO send 10 the
clerks desk that an extract from 1t might be
read to the House, as emoo6ying the full re
ply of the Democracy to the tornado OF elO-
quence which had just swept over the
House. Profound silence ensued, smid
which the clerk read on. aloud a most thrill
ing description from LOngstre-t's Georgia
Scenes" a well known historical work in The
vein of "Hudibras." of grand snam fight
waged in that State many years ago, in
which the victor and the vaBquishsd, the
bottlebolders and the bysiaDders were all
represented by a country youth who, solitary
and alone. personated ali the characters in
an old field fistIcuff fight, and who, when
interrupted in his diversion, declared he
was ''only seem how he could have fout."
The conclusion of this extract was crested
with uproarous laughter and applause 90
the Democratic side and in the galleries,
the ladies present screaming with delight
and waving their han kerchiefs, while the
discomfitted Republicans sat in gloomy
silence biting their lips ard casting looks
like daegers at their antagonists. Mr. Frye's
face became more than ususliy corrugated;
RobeBon's roses grew damasx. Conger
wriggled on his seat beyond the eel whose
name he has made famous in American his
tory. and Keifer's eyes swelled with unshed
tears. People looked ali sides for Joseph
Hawley, but he bad vanished. The astute
Garfield, like the brave Captain, had taken
tim > by the forelock and fallen back before
the action began. II ever a proveib was
justified the story of " erday shows that if
speech be sometimes silver, silence my be
golden. It's simple lesson was, the Rspub-
licsI received complete notice to pull up
their stakes on the old encampment and
look out for new issues If they mean to show
fight In earnest on the political field in 1880.