Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1882-07-20
SFCOR robson UNMASKED.
MIR. BRAN s. Hewitt Exposes Him
In His True CharaeGer-A Lively
scene I'm the ROuse-HOw Robe"
sons ReVIaed speech Differed from
the speech He Delivered - Mr..
HeWItI's Charges.

WASHINGTON Cor. Nep York Sun, ,JaIy H..
Little by little Secor Robson is throwing
off the mask with which he has concealed
his true character from his associates in the
House. When he first came to Congress the
Democrats controlled the House. His first
business was to capture the friendship of
leading members of that perty. This he I'M
dertook to do by ELUSIVE exhibition OF good
fellowship. He studied his part carefully.
There was a suspicion that he was parad-
ing his good fellowship and dining
and wining Democrats for the pur
pose of conciliating them. He did
so far succeed, however, that during the
Forty sixth Congress but little reference
was made to his career as Secretary OF the
Navy When the Republican House met
last December, and after Robson had put
his tool in the Speakers chair, a change was
noticed In his manner. He became more OF
a bully He threw off the mask little and
has continued to do so. To-day Mr.. Hewitt
exposed him not only as q calumniator,
but as a sneaking calumniator. During the
debate on the naval bill Robson made
some remarks that were intended
to be q reply to the attack which Mr..
Hewitt had made on the management Of
the Navy Department under Robson. Mr..
Hewitt's speech was such a complete and
remorseless exposure of RobesOn's manage
ment of that department, and was so widely
copied and commented upon to Robeson's
disadvantage, that Robeson'g malignlty to-
ward Hewitt became almosr as bitter and
outspoken as his hatred Of Whitthorne was.
But he did not dare say on the Fl DOR what be
reported himself as saying In the Record
He withheld his speech for revision, and
when the speech finally appeared In the
Record 1t contained many passages which he
sages that he did. In short, the speech as
It appeared in the Record was not the speech
he delivered,
Ia the printed report OF the speech there
occurred a passage VIII ch Mr.. Hewitt to-
day sent to the Clerks desk after raising
the question Of privilege. The passage was
to the effect that the presentation Of the
subject in regard to the navy by the gentle
man (Hewitt( was extravagant, although 1t
assumed to be careful, and was false,
although It claimed to be frank. Although
it had evidently been founded ON ipforma-
ton gathered FROM the maleyolence and
misrepresentation OF others, that gentle
man tHewitt) had given 1t the stamp of his
approval with all that reckless confidence
which seemed to be his nature when called
upon to indorse anything that impugDed the
conduct or misrepresented the motives Of
others.
After the passage had been read, Mr.
Hewitt said that he had listened very closely
to R7beson's speech, and knew therefore
that Robson had not used any such
language on the floor as the passage which
had just been read. Mr.. Hewitt added that
the attack. as 1t now stood, was a personal
one. as Robson had clearly charged him
with falsehooi. He intimated that Robe
son did not dare to make such a charge or
the fl Dor, face to face, and when there was
an opportunity to reply, and all that he
(Hewitt) could now do, therefore, was to
ask that the passage be stricken from TIE
reco d.
While Mr.. HeYItl was speaking, r Obeson,
with his hands thrust in bis pockets, stood
amoug a group Of friends. laughing and
otherwise making light of Mr.. Hewitt's re.
marks, and when Mr.. Hewitt finished, Robe
son, in the clustering manner characteristic
OF him, said that ne would repeat the words
to which Mr.. Hewitt objected. Just here
Miller, of Pennsylvania, with a maniacal
shrek, asked II Mr.. Hewitt was not TIE man
who had testified to the Morey letter. There
was some confusion, but Mr. Hewitt had
the fl Dor, and he very calmly said that Robe
son had made attacks upon him outsi lie
which he would NOS dare make upon the
moor OF the House.
Mr.. Hewitt added. "When a man has
bcen charged on the floor of the House by
memBeF responsible Tor W0hb ne says VIVID
being thief, q liar, and a periureT, and
when he takes no action to have that struck
from the record. aud does not seek to hold
the author OF that language to any account,
then # seems to me that anything which he
may say after that in the face of gentlemen,
and in the face of this country, is sim
ply the obi ct of utter and base con-
empt. Applsuse from the Democratic
benches and eontemptuous EXPLANATIONS
]
stand the gen leman now to assume the re
possibility for the acts Of his subordinates,
and as he does so, then | say that every
word which l uttered as to these contracts
being conceived Ia iniSuity and born In sin,
and that they were corrupt, may be applied
to the gentleman, and taken as the charges
which | make against him. 1 leave the
gentleman to get out of the disagreeable
predicament which he has made for him
SELF"
Robson stood with a grin, or an at
tempted grin, on his face, as Mr. Hewitt
thus scored him, and when Mr.. Hewitt fin
ished, Robson revealed bit OF meanness
that surprised those who thought they knew
him well. He said that Mr.. Hewitt owed all
he was to Peter Cooper and that he had tho
lngratitude to say publicly that he hoped
the time would come when he would not
be known as Peter C)Cper's sor-ln-law,
but rather that it should be said
that Peter Cooper was his father in-law.
The contanp bile meanness of this arises
from the fact that Mr.. II switt once told this
story loosely as an snecdote, and st the
time 1t was so understood by every member
of the II luse. Robson was dishonest
enough to assert that Mr.. Hewitt had made
the statement IL earnest and II & spirit to
dispsrage Mr.. qooRer.
At this point General Brown rose 10 a
point Of order, which was sustained, and
the House took up other bu mess, the
Speaker having declined to order the s.
an from the Record