Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-11-05
Is HOUK FIT TO REPRESENT THIS
DISTRICT

It has ofteL been said that the
character attaching to town or city
was defined by its newspapers. The
estimate in which any people are
held by those who have never seen
their homes or shared their hospl-
talities is fixed, to a certain extent,
by the press of the place. The
taste, intelligence, virtue, morals,
and especially the cleanliness and
mechanical excellence of the news
papers, impel the exterior world to
admire or avoid city or town from
which such papers emanate.
If this be true of the history of
the local press, how infinitely more of
representative menI We are about
to send up to Washington from
Knoxville representative not only
of the leading district of East Tens
nessee, but one of the leading and
most important districts of the whole
South. He occupies his seat 10 Con-
gross as an exponent of the morals,
tastes, habits, intelligence and virtue
of the Knoxville district. Shall L.
G. Houk represent us? Shall man.
kinds estimate of our virtues, tastes
and modes of action and of thinking
be defined by those of a person who
can, by no possibility, really repre-
sent us in anything. A wretched,
helpless, incurable sot, we may and
do pity, but can never make him our
representative abroad or at home.
Meredith P. Gentry, S. S. Prentiss,
Jere Clemens, Matt. Carpenter
and even the great Webster
were now and then intoxicated. But
none of these were ever found in fell
on's cells, and none of these incapac-
itated themselves for the discharge
of any official task. None of these
were ever thrust from proper hotel,
sought to be converted into bagnio.
Not one of these was ever seen with
eyes afame and mouth frothing, reel
ing out of L. w. Shocks den on
Pennsylvania avenue, in Washington
even on the Lords day Not one
of these was ever seen drunk for a
week in Billy McGuire's den, on the
corner of 7th and p. streets, at
Washington; surrounded by the most
degraded loafers in Washington,
and boasting to them that he
was Congressman. Oh, it
was pitiful! And the multi
tude along tie great thorough-
fare pointed him out as he went stag
gerlng by, ''There gees the Repre-
sentative of the Knoxville district
in the Congress of the United
States !" In maudlin madness be
himself proclaimed his honors and
did he not in the same words, pro-
claim the folly of the God fearing
patriotic, intelligent people?
Great vices are often condoned by
great virtues! Webster, Haskell
Gentry, Matt. Carpenter, Prentiss
McDougal, and others confessed anG
deplored, as accidental, the occasion
al mastery of Bacchus. But here
we have a voluble, noisy, persistent
officeeseeker, who, having wo1
place ases it to perpetuate hi:
power. Nobody denies his I'M
fitness for the position ht
occupies, and yet because of the
force attaching to partisan forms, ht
must continue to represent us. II
instances cited mems vices were
counterbalanced by their matchless
capacity to serve their country
Boston-Pu Puritan Boston-and the
majestic Old Bay State honored ant
loved Webster for his integrity an(
unequalled capacity, Notwithstanding
he was not faultless in his appetites
He was the unequalled orator, tn,
profound jurist, the ''Great expound
er of the Constitution" But poo
Houk! when sober he is barely res
pectable, and when drunken, pitia
BILE ass.
We are sorry to say that his nor
NAL condition is wholly asinine
When sober, he is a vulgar, nois
demagogue, of no character for de
cency, integrity or veracity. Whel
soberest, he converts hotels int,
+, brothels. When drunken, he ex
changes his seat in Congress for
felons cell, and the great thorough
fare of the country's capital become
"grand plaza" for the exhibition
even on Sunday, of the virtue G
Shocks whisky. His committe
room is the depository for the con
tents of his befouled body, while
q venerable Virginia dame, helples
Y and hungry and very old, and seel
D ing the pittance the governmer
q promised, stood amazed over til
fallen, filthy representative of tt
- second district of Tennessee
"a We have read of East Tennesst