Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-08-22

gresham, and is on record to speak
for itself. I have seen this receipt,
and I know the signature to be in
Houk's handwriting. Should my
statement be denied by Houk or his
friends. I will furnish a certified
copy of the record. A few days
thereafter. the Critic newspaper of
this city. published, without giving
the name, that Congressman had
been locked up in the station-house.
But it soon became known all over
Washington who the bacchanalian
Congressman was to whom the paper
referred. Indeed so utterly out
rageous and disgraceful had Houk's
conduct become that the members of
the committee of which he is chair
man discussed among themselves the
necessity OF doing a most unusual
thing, that is of demanding of the
Speaker of the House of Representa-
tives that he be removed from the
Craftsmanship of the committee on
war claims. There has never been,
in the ninety four years of our Cons
gressional history, single man turn
ed out of the craftsmanship of COM
mittee because Of his personal habits.
Sometimes men have been removed
from chairmanships because they
changed their politics or fought the
administration IN power, but never
has man been removed for drunken
ness, nor do I believe it has ever
even been proposed, except in the
case of Houk. Just about this time
he went home, stopping on the way
at Lynchburg, Va, for day because
he was too drunk to go fartherJ and
has been here only short time
since, during which time the fears of
removal from his chairmanship and
the fear that you, the people, would
turn him out next November, have
encouraged Temporary spree Of So
briefly. But if he is reelected, he
will take it as a declaration by you
that you are indifferent as to what
extent he neglects his duties,
or makes you a sub
lect OF ridlcuie and re-
proach- Already he has SO dis
graced himself that several members
of Congress have told me that
Houks advocacy Of any measure
threw suspicion and discredit upon
It's merits and tended to prevent its
passage. Thus it will be seen that
he has lost IN Congress whatever in
tuence he had when Congress met
eight months ago. Hereafter he can
do nothing toward having the claims
OF his constituents paid or otherwise
advancing their material III
terests To re-elect him you SIM
ply agree to be utterly de
prived OF all influence In the
legislation OF the country for the
next two years, and to confirm the
opinion already freely expressed IN
/ Washington, by those who do not
know you, that the majority Oh the
| people of the Second District of
tennessee are an Ignorant, de-
| graded lot OF men VINO are 10
better than the corrupt gutter
drunkard calling himself the Con
| gresham from the Second District
OF Tennessee. Even when not
drunk, ne is usually not IN his seat
/ when measures OF vital Importance to
/ you and the people OF Tennessee
1 are beng voted on IN Congress.
The River and Harbor bill lust
/ passed, is the Jnly measure of the
kind which has passed Congress IN
thirty years IN which Tennessee and
| the South and West got an equal
share with the Eastern States. Ten
nessee was largely interested in this
bill, and, while Houk said he was for
It, he was not here to vote for it, and
it became law by only one vote
/ IN the House. If one other friend
Of the measure had been drunk OF
/ had gone home from the necessity OF
trying to lie out of the charge Of
being drunk, the bill would have
been defeated. To all these
/ charges, which are borne out by the
official record, Houk replies with a
/ sheer that If every man who takes q
drink will vote for him, he can get
elected without the votes of men who
do not, or he seeks to excuse his
conduct by saying that other mem
bers of Congress get drunk. 1t is
tue that, OF the 293, few members
OF either party drink to excess, but
l.. Z. Houk is the only man In Con-
/ gress whose drunkenness is so ex>
cessive as to prevent the discharge OF
his official duties. Houk is the only Con.
! gresham who gets drunk AID stays
drunk He is the only one who
/ grIns IN a maudlin manner behind
the bars of prison He is the only
one who wallows like hog in his
own filth and on the carpeted floors OF
the national capitol, bringing blush
to the cheeks and doing violence TO
the olfactory organs of even the
/ bronze female who decorates the
dome OF the capitol.
These +, cls III his disgraceful rec>
ord 1 have told to you in detail
because I love East Iennes-
see and her people. I
| disclose them more IN sor>
row than in anger. Would to God
I could tell the truth in telling a
different story, for [ voted, with the
majority of you, for the man it is my
duty to now oppose. / am so strong
a Republican that l voted for him
doubling that he could be trusted,
but [ never would have done so had
I supposed be would act as he has
done. I trusted to his pledges that
he would not, and hoping for the