Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1882-01-07

lefeu dfudIueIlt, Iltt WAS 5fime
Minister. The great advocate was
in the zenith of his fame, and the
ministry dreaded the influence of
his eloquence.
One night Erskine was to speak.
~ will answer the great orator.
said Pitt, and he seated himself at a
table, prepared TO take notes.
Erskine addressed the House as if
he were speaking to a jury. He
was declamatory and eloquent, but
the facts and arguments, which are
the spinal column of a successful
legislative speech, were wanting.
Pitt listened attentively for few
minutes, then, throwing down his
pen with an expression Of contempt,
left the table. Erskine saw the act.
1t so confused him that he broke
down. His vanity was SO wounded
as to kill his oratory.
AS an offset to this, we give an oe-
casion in which Erskine demollsfed
Balfour. "Style," says Lord mes
terfeld, lis the dress of thoughts.
Some thoughts, like some people, are
thin, lean, lank, yet they are arrayed
as gorgeonsly as a belle in full dress.v
Coming into court one day, En-
skinei perceived that the ankle of
Mr.. Balfonr (who generally express
ed himself in a circumlocutory man
ner), was tied up in a silk handker-
chief. TN s.,
"Why, what's the mattersn said
Erskine.
81 was taking romantic ramble
| in my brothers grounds, when COM
ing to a gate, / had to climb over it,
! by which came in contact with the
| first bar,and grazed the epidermis of
my leg, which has caused a slight
extravasation of blood.n
Y ou may thank your lucky stars
replied Erskine, " that your brothers
gate was not as lofty as Your style.
You would have broken your neck.n
The longest speech on record is
believed to have been made by MI.
De Cosmos in the Legislature Of
British Columbia, when a measure
was pending the passage Of which
would have taken from q great many
settlers their lands. De Cosmos was
i'll a hopeless minority. This job
had been held back until the eve Of
the close Of the session. Unless leg
islation was taken before noon of a
given day, the act of confscation
would fail. The day before the ex-
piration of the limitation, De Cos
mos got the floor about 10 a. M, and
began speech against the bill.
Its friends cared little, for they sup
posed that by / or 9 o'clock he would
be through, and the bill could be put
on its passage.
One o'clock came and De Cosmos
was speaking still; he hadn't more
than entered upon his subject. At
two o'clock he was saying: Gin the
second place." At three o'clock he
produced a fearful bundle of evil
Idence and insisted on reading it.
The majority began to have a sus-
picion Of the truth; he was going to
speak, until the next noon and kill
the bill. For. awhile they made
merry over it, but as,-it came ON to
dusk they began to get alarmed.
They. tried Interruptions, but soon
abandoned them because each in
terruption afforded him chance to
digress and gain time. l8
They tried to shout him down, but
that gave him breathing space, and
finally they settled down to watch
the combat between strength of will
and weakness of body. They gave
him no mercy, to adjournment for
dinner; no chance to more than wet
his lips with water; no wandering
from the subject; no sitting down.
Twilight darkened; the gas was lit,
members slipped out to dinner in re-
lays and returned to sleep in squads;
but De Cosmos went ON with his
speech. The speaker, to whom he
was addressing himself, was alter
nately doing, snoring and trying to
look wide awake.
Day dawned, and the majority
slipped out in squads to breakfast.
and the speaker still held on. 1t can
not be said that it was very logical,
eloquent, or sustained speech. There
were digressions, repetitions also;
but still the speaker kept on. AT last
noon came to baffied majority,
livid with rage and impotence, and
to a single man who was triumphant,
though his voice had sunk to a husky
whisper, his eyes were almost shut,
and bleared and blood shot: his legs
tottered under him, and lis, baked
lips were cracked and smeared with
blood. De Cosmos had spoken twenty
six hours, and had saved the settlers !
their lands.