Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1881-03-05
Pitts Bullying of the Commons.


Mr. Jennings has, OF course. great deal to
tell us about William Pitt, the elder, that lion
OF the Senate whom we are told the veteran
Walpoe tnsttnct1Vely dreaded the moment he
heard his voice, anu exclaimed, 1--WE must muz-
le that terrible cOrnet OF horse" We need not
remind the reader that the hiStTion1c cement
was conspicuous in Pitt, and that IT is precisely
his grotesque and essentially vulgar stage tricks
OF speech and manner which his numerous in
ltatoTs from his own time to ours have been
most ANXIOUS TO reproduce. Some OF his SaiiitS,
SAID 10 nave been effective, are examples OF the
close approach made to the ludEcr0uS by theit-
rical standings after the sublime. 1t is re-
lated that once In the house Of commons ne
began a speech With the words. sugar, Mr,
Speaker" and then observing g. smile to pre-
7aae the audience, he paused, looked fercely
round, and with 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 extinguished every sem0laDce
or leVlty, turned round and diSdainfuiy asked
"Nho 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 iiveIed 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
Chatham. 'are the evil advisers CT his majesty?
would say TO them. Is 1t you is 1t you? is it
you?J pointing to the ministers until he came
near Lord Mansfield. There were several peers
standing around the latter, and Lord Chatham
said, ''My lords, please to take your seats"
When they had sat down, he pointed to Lord
Mansfield Man and said: rs it you? Metninks
Felix trernbles." 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 trampllng on him with the
following piece OF bombastic 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, | recommend him to say
nothing" 1t Is refreshing In view of the ex-
aggerated homage paid in his lifetime to the
elder Pitt to find that. once at least, his audi
tors had the sense to see that fiuX 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.. secre-
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
they Immediately voted against Pitts propo-
SitiCn