Great Falls tribune., 1886-08-07
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From our Regular Correspondent

From our regular rIOFTeSpoHueHt.l
WASHINGTON, July oath, 'S6.
What is the matter with our legls-
lators? Is it the hot weather? Last
week there were blows and bloodshed
between two discordant members OF
the lower house, and vicious battle
of words between two presidential can
didates in the senate. The present
week opened with violent scene OF
passion in the upper house, such as
has not been witnessed in that august,
dignifed body for years, and had the
dispute occurred outside the senate
chamber, there probably would have
been repetition Of the Cobb-Laird
incident.
And it was all about oleomargarine
and butter, or as senator Vance would
say, all about grease" He charac-
terized the oleormargarine bill as pro-
lection gone to seed. Any business
that came to congress and invoked
the arm Of law to keep it alive at the
expense of other business was unfit
to live. He charged that the sup
porters of the bill were influenced by
political considerations; that butter.
like conscience made cow-herds Of
them all. The necessity Of grease"
to carry the state Of New York two
wears hence was what affected them.
But will return to the subject Of
senatorial courtesies. While senator
Ingalls, was making a speech in op-
position to oleomargarlne, he found
in his desk material for satirlcal
little speech which he directed against
Mr.. Edmunds He pulled forth from
some mysterious recess small vial
containing coloring matter -manu1ac-
tured at Burlington. Vt, the residence
of Mr.. Edmunds-Which was warrant
ed to add five cents to the value of
every pound Of butter with which it
was used. The Kansas senator then
sarcastically referred to the innocent,
bucolic farmer who jumped upon
oleomargarine as a fraud that should
be stamped out. while he doctored up
his own pale faced butter with ex-
tracts that looked like iodine. until
it put on rich. creamy hue, and add
ed nickle a pound to its market
price
Somehow senator Warner Miller,
of New York, who lives on a farm
when at home, felt attacked by this
sallay, His face grew red and white
with anger during the talk, and when
he arose to speak his voice fairly quiv-
cred with passion. It took two or
thre minuets for him to repress the
temptation to pounce upon the sena
tor from Kansas. He charges me
with being directly interested in this
measure" shouted Mr.. Miller. 1T is
true I live on farm and keep a few
COWS and horses, and at some periods
Of the year I make butter and cheese.
But for every dollar that | have re-
ceiyed from my cattle [ have paid out
ten, and in no sense am I directly in
terested in the pending legislation"
Bursting into frenzied rage be de
fed Mr.. Ingalls,, shook his fist IN his
face stigmatized the charge against
himself as malicious and untrue, call
ed him a coward for protecting him
self behing the parliamentary usages
Of the senate, and more than intinat-
ed that he would never have dared to
say what he had outside the senate
chamber. He also described ingalls,
as a circus peddler, and told him if he
failed as United States senator he
could probably make a living by man
ipulating bogus jewelry.
The senator from Kansas, who was
now thoroughly angry himself, dis
claimed having lad any reference to
Mr. Miller il his remarks, but retort-
ed that he was now going to be per-
sonal some himself He has limit
less vindictive vocabulary, and he
drew literally upon his resources,
He proceeded to say that it was a
national indecency and improp,iety