The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1881-03-28
A Woman's Description of Ma
hone,

Mrs. Clemmer in her letter to the Indepen-
dent, giving an account of the recent exciting
episode in the Senate, thus describes the plucky
little member from Virginia:
There he sat, {. very bantam of a man, with
a minute person and the exhaustive beard
minute men are likely to present, as a baton
of masculinity that NAL les length of limb un-
necessary. Nevertheless, very little man
with very long beard, very often looks ridic-
ulous where he intends to look tremendous
William Malone, a Washington journal de-
clares, weighs ninety-two pounds" thus
what there is of him is chiefly nerves, bones,
brains and beard Three fine features set the
man above the mass-a fine aquiline nose, fine,
sparkling blue eyes and fine head. His long,
iron-gray hair hides the upper part OF his face;
his eyes glitter from under fperfect promonto-
tories of perception: his long, iron-gray NOUS
tache hides the expression of his mouth; and
his beard makes him look like a Bluebeard
Liliputian.
1t does not demand a very lively imagina-
tion to see just what fiery little fighter he
was when he was rampaging about Virginia
in war time, Confederate general; Just the
sort that used to go shrieking and shooting in
Mosby's train, when to kill a"Yankee" and
tear Union flag was the chief joy of exis-
tence.
But one must trace in the glance OF these
eyes, and the lines of this face the almost lin
itless ambition of which the man is capable
to understand just how, at last, this fire-eating
warrior was willing to be elected by ''nigger."
and "white trash," despite all the Bourbon
Democrats of the Old Dominion. civilian
Malone" is a name that tells it's own story; a
name never borns by a scion of the "blue
blood of Virginia"
No; his ancestors, more or less remote were
''poor trash" themselves. OF the people, out
of the people, elected by the people, wishing to
be elected by them again-all this being true,
it was impossible that he should do otherwise
than he did yesterday. Ex-rebel Democrat
though he is, with his ambition, he could do
nothing but face Ben Hill and tell him and all
the other Democrats of the South that he
| would do precisely as he saw fit, and at pres
| ent, at least, vote with the Republicans.
| 1t meant vastly more than mere Republi-
can majority when Malone, in reply to Ben
Hills question, cried, 81 am Readjuster.'
l. 1t meant that the prestige and the power of
tie "solid South" as Democratic force was
punctured, and that "white trash'' already
commanding intelligence, money and power
had pushed to the front and meant to stay
there.
In the history of American legislation it is
significant that, at last, the finest final bal
ance of power in the Senate of the United
States is held by Southerner an ex-rebel,
originally a poor white, who, called a Demo-
crat, is simply Southern Radical, who defies
the Democratic caucus and who fronts and
| heads new order of things.
Ben Hill OF Georgia, with furtive face and
the great mental cunning of which he is mas
real position. He did not name Mahon e. but
| by adroit innuendo accused him of treachery
and perfdy, while he assumed that he, the
Georgian, was simply seeking knowledge.
~ The speech was exasperating as it was sly.
He drew an imaginary picture of the political
| dishonor which would fall upon the Senator
| who should abandon the party that elected
1 him. to serve another. Again and again, with
taunting tone, he rang the cry of ''if" on the
| solitary Democrat who might give his vote to
| the Republicans to reorganize the Senate.
The vast throng listened and looked down,
| stretching its neck to see the little unnamed
culprit,. who sat apparently unmindful on
of the Senate Chamber. But as the plung-
| ing and roaring of the Georgian began to
| subside, and the indications were certain
that his speech was nearing its end, the little,
nervous man left the sofa and went and seated
! himself by Don Cameron. By the time Hills
| savage arraignment ended, Malone stood far
| from his own seat and in the front row directly
| before the desk, calling, "Mr. President" As
| he was recognized absolute silence reigned and
thousand eyes were fixed upon the Virginian.
He had not uttered two sentences before he
| had passed the front row of seats and stood in
| the half-circle before the Vice Presidents
desk. The scene was perfectly dramatic. The
| subject was mightier than the man, and he
| had the immense advantage of passing beyond
himself out into it. The rule Of the Senate
| confined him to his desk; but here he was, far
| from 1T, the central figure tranfgured by men,
| tai force and fervOr, illuminated by nervous
excitement into being larger, more living,
more glowing than his ordinary SELF AS he
| went on, great waves of applause broke from
the galleries and rolled across the floor of the
| Senate Chamber.
The tides of applause were quite beyond the
| staying of the new Vice President. Amid the
| stamping and clapping of hands the new Sena-
| tor from Virginia sat down, when a rush was
| Immediately made upon him from the Repub-
| lican side of the Senate. One of his first con-
| gratulators was Conkling, whose appreciation
| of the speech through its entire delivery he had
made more than usually apparent. Hill came
back to the fight; but it was useless. His flick
ering lance had lost its point. The indirect
stab had been paIried and driven back by
straight, honest speech. In due time Mr.. Hoar
took the floor, making the finest speech of the
day, speech worthy of the man and of Massa.
| chusetts