Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-03-04
Pitts Bullying of the Commons.


MI. jennings has, or course great deal to
tell us about William Pitt, the elder, that lion
OF the Senate whom we are told the veteran
Walpoie tnsttnct1Vely dreaded the moment he
heard his voice, ana exclaimed, eve must muz-
lie that terrible cornet or horse" We need not
remind the reader that the histTionic cement
was conspicuous in Pitt, and that II Is precisely
his grotesque and essentially vulgar stage tricks
OF speech AID manner which his numerous i'm
1tators from his own time to ours have been
most anxious TO reproduce. Some OF his satiies
said 10 have been effective, are examples of the
close approach made to the ludtcrous by theat-
rlcal slrain1ngs after the sublime 1t is re-
lated that once In the house Of commons ne
began speech With the words. sugar, Mr.
Speaker" and then observing smile to pre-
yaae the audience, he paused, looked Hereby
round ana with a loud voice. rising In its
notes. and swelling into vehement anger he
IS said TO have pronounced again the word
sugar" three times, and having thus Quelled
the house and ext1nguished every semDlaDce
OF leV1ty turned round and disdatnfuily asked
WHO Will laugh at sugar noW?" The only
comment suggested by this anecdote is that
the house OF commons at that epoch must have
been curiously chicken livered and easily
coWed. On another occasion Chatham seems
TO have paralyzed his audience, although, as
IN the case of Bottom the weaver, 1t was done
with nothing but roaring. Who" sang out
Chatham. 'are the evil advisers CT his majesty i?
would say TO them. Is 1t you 3? is 1t you? is it
you - pointing to the ministers until he came
Mogd th There were peers
said, my lords, please to take your seats"
When they had sat down. he pointed to Lord
Mansfield and said: "Is 1t you? Metninks
Felix trembles." At another time Pitt fright
ened an 1noffenSive member out OF his wits by
calling him to order in sepulchral tones, and
desiring that his words might be taken down.
The poor man stammered forth an apology,
saying that he meant nothing, but this did not
hinder Pitt from trampling on him with the
following piece OF bombastlc impertinence: II
have" he said, "a great regard for the honor
able member, and as an instance OF that regard,
l give him this advice: Whenever that men,
Der means nothing, l recommend him to say
nothing" 1t Is refreshing in view OF the ex-
aggerated homage paid In his life time to the
elder Pitt to find that, once at least, his audi
tors had the sense to see that tux of grand
Eloquent languague might disguise perjury of
ideas. Pitt had made, it seems, very long
and vehement speech in the privy council rela-
tive to some naval matters. Every one pres
ent was struck by the force OF his eloquence.
Lord Arson. on the other hand who was then
at the head OF the admiralty, aud differed en-
tirely In opinion from Mr. Pitt, got up and
only said these words: "My lords, Mr.. Score
tary is very eloquent, and has stated his
own opinion very piausibly. l am no orator,
and all shall say Is that he knows nothing at
all OF what he has been talking about" This
short reply, coming fom a man of Anson's
professional skill. had such an effect that
Jney Immediately voted against Pitts propo-
SitiOO,