The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1882-08-05
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's~"ssa avn SONoAh<rfnLNs
The quarters Of the great cities where the
| roughs aud hoodlum elements congregate,
and particularly for political purposes, are
supposed TO be the places where the choic-
est specimens of stump invectiye are to be
heard. The red-hot characters who are de.
pended upon to harrangue and manage this
element are never fastidious in the se!cc-
ton OF language, nor at all cautious as to
the Kind OF epithets they apply to their OPP
ponents. II is on such occasions that the
kings English is supreme, and it
has come to be, or has hereto
lore been, regarded as the occasion
exclusively entitled to such broad and
vulgar language, every refined or intelli-
gent man expecting in all other gatherings
or political assemblies more refined and
courteous speech. Congress, organized
and conducted upon parliamentary rules
and principles, is supposed to be the very
fountain head Of gracious speech, where
no personalities are allowed, no question
able expressions, not even the name of the
member referred to being used. That arch
agi'ator, DENNIS KEARNEY, with his sand.
lot meetings, has made himself, in the
last year or two, equally conspicuous
as the leader of the opposite style OF debate
and hc has met with the most mercilcss
treatment at the hands of the press and
people generally. But time sets all things
right at last, and vulgarly speaking, gives
every dog his day" DENNIS has come, and
he is shrewd enough to take advantage of
it, lie has an opportunity to COM
pare his public utterances with those
of tho congressman of the land and
benefit by the comparison, and he does so.
An exchange quotes him as saying; LET
me call your attention to those con-
gressmen in Washington who pilferod
the sayings OF the sand-lot to slur
each other with-thief, robber. rcrjurer,
liar These are the choice epithets
used by congressman toward one an
other on the floors Of congress. knew it
would come to this, and now that congress.
men have stolen tho phraseology of the
sand-lot to hurl at each other, we must in
vent some more new phrases so as to keep
up the home supply. When the nobility
OF Boston was treated to dose of sand-lot
rhetoric before breakfast the morning after
held forth in Fancuil hall they held their
breaths and wondered what next. The res
idents of Murray Hill, New York, trembled
md turned pale while reading the speech
that ! delivered in Union square 10 $4,000
people. How must they feel now when
reading the proceedings of the house of rep
resentatives every day? Even on one oc.
casion the language used was unfit for
publication. Surely the sand-lot must get
the credit of persuadihg congressman to
call each other by their right Names" The
ugiest feature about the criticism is its
truth, aud 1t does seem that the most hu.
initiating outcome of the present session of
congress is the fact that DENNIS KEARNEy
can call it to account for its indecent Ian
suage, want of dignity and failure of duty
in not Furnishing single member for sin.
gle utterance, even though some of them
were unfit for publication. 1t is disgrace
full commentary on the times, and partcu.
larry the politics OF the country
that it is possible to see congress any day
wrangling in manner and indulging in II
style OF debate which the trequenters of
the sand.lots declare, lay their operations
Sin the shade" The parliamentarian who
have successfully evolved from experience
the varousrules for the guidance, ofdclibera-
tive assemblies well knew that intelligent
and comprehensive discussions were entire
ly incompatible with prejudice and person.
aities and that little business could be
done where men, losing all sense of the
place or of their own dignity, gave
themselves over each to some per-
sonal job or total indflercn ce to every
thing around them. And yet such is the
usual spectacle presented by our various
state and national legislative bodies, and
the results are such as might be expected.
But the hardest knock the present congress
has yet received is this criticism from the
moeul of the sand-lots, who declares that a
new supply of dirty phrases aud epithets
must be invented, else both the congress
ional and sand-lot cloQuencc will suffer.
The people ought to see to it that the next
congress is filled with men who appreciate
their position and will DISCHARGE their du.
ties promptly.