Eureka daily sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1871-1887, 1884-02-20
eureka Dailp 5rntinfl.
THE CLOWN OF THE HOUSE.

compare the bedizzened ass who comforts
himself when the ringmaster cracks his
whip. to the keen wits that centuries ago
passed under the name OF ~harleQnIns.
With reference TO them it was well said
hat only a wise man could be a fool.
Between these and the merely funny
man whose humor is broad and coarse and
pleasing only to the majority miserable
vulgas) like himself, there are grades in
Vulnerable OF distracting spirits who IN
season and out Of season break IN with
their merriment to dispel monotony or
relieve the mind for q moment IRON serl-
Gus thought or heavy care. Such lei
lows, more or less numerous pop, mp Ii
every assernblage Of whatever sort. 4
social phenomenon, OF which this tact Is
an incident, that has been time and again
observed and commented upon, is that
in any considerable gathering OF men
you are apt to find something like q
specimen expression Of almost every pos
tive phase Of human character. Tins
could be proved satisfactorily no doubt
in regard to the House Of Representa-
tives at Washington, which Is large
enough to furnish all the conditions Tor
the analysis. In this body there IS one
man, Belford Of Colorado, who has
startled the country with his original
speeches, and who, while evidently al
clown in the main, m1st be a valuable
man in the Lower House OF Congress.
He is Just bright enough and bold enough
to speak ont and start a fresh breeze
when perhaps there is q disposition among
his ssto tear the passion to
t~atters, or, maybe, to fall to sleep over
the dreary ms and outs Of the tariff
question. When the grave members
were all by the ears discussing an i'm
mense appropriation for the improvement
of the Mississippi river, it must have
been refreshing to the sq~uanderers to have
him step far beyond them, and a relief
also to the collectors, " such as Holman
is, to hear him exclaim in the midst Of
the argument:
"What is the duty Of this House! 1t
is to unlock the doors Of the National
treasury"
On the Sth inst. Mr.. Belford intro
duced a resolution to allow each member
of the House unless he be Chairman Of q
Committee, . clerk TO do his correspond
ence with his constituency, at s. per
day. He referred to this arrangement
made for themselves by the Senators.
Then telling how he was weighed down
with work, went on to say:
Look over to the Senate. Look at the
IS members Of that body; the magni6-
alladins who reign in Supreme
power at the other end OF the Capitol.
LLaughter.l | say 80 Of them are mil
lionaires, capable Of hiring their own
clerks. There are &c poor devils in that
body [Laughterl who got into the Senate
their own merits.
I want to call the attention Of the
House to one fact, and then / will sur
render the floor. At the beginning of
the last Congress / went to Speaker
Keller and asked him to appoint Mr..
Randall to the Craftsmanship of an i'm
portant committee, TO the end that he
might have a clerk. And ! asked him
further to give him a large room in which
he could receive and accommodate his
friends.
Now, why did I do that / knew that
Mr.. Randall was a gentleman Of national
reputation. / knew that he had been
honest through his whole political career,
and that he was as poor as / am poor.
[Great laughter.l That is > fact; and
Brother Randall knows it. Renewed
laughter.l
/ recognize the decencies, the courte-
sizes. and the proprieties Of public life. 1.
said that the public had no right to
deluge Mr.. Randall with a food Of let
tiers, compel him to answer them with
his own hand, and to himself pay the
postage on them. And / thank God that
the e~x-Speaker of this House had the
courage to make him Chairman of an
important public committee, so as to give
him a clerk.
Now, what l implored the ex-Speaker
to do / ask you gentlemen to have the
courage to do. / am not afraid of my
constituents, because they are great.
big, broad hearted, generous fellows.
laughter
Here the hammer FELL
The s.Rread WsuuexS