The Somerset reporter. [volume] (Skowhegan, Me.) 1868-1909, 1886-02-03

| Will voice very gentle ana DhclA luOll-
! lated, aud an address very plable and
courteous, the great seces-i9ni-t cOu Il
/ rattle forth chat ike bullets from Il Cat
/ ling gun, and every epigram from his thin
/ lips Was fatal to the reputation Of Il life
time. Never was the rapier Of polished
vii more dazzling OF more mortal in its
exercise
Gen Gordon, when senator from
Georgia, had one day an .unplcaslut-
ness with Roscoe Con ling. then soma
tor from New York. Gen Gordon had
felt somewhat sore because he had failed
in bringing the entire Democratic vote Of
the Senate To the aid Of President liaycein
the confirmation of the New York nDmi-
nations, and he regarded Mr. Cohkling A.
the man who defeated this scheme. The
senator from New York, on the other
hand, could not brook the Interference of
the senator from Georgia III what hc re
garded a. Il family quarrel The two had
not regarded each other for soInc days
with looks of love. When the Senate
Was in executive session one Friday after
noon, Mr.. Anthony occupying the chair,
there Wits a warm discussion over the
nomination of Ward Il Georgia internal
revenue collector, in which >olnc allu>lOn~
were made to the New York case, When
this had been disposed of Gen. Gordon
! rose to move that Mr.. Spencer of Ala
bana report the case OF Smith, nominal
ed for collector of Mobile, in which cast
there had been an adverse report. While
| Gordon was in the act Of making this mo-
ton, Conkling called out loudly: eco on
with calendar. Gordon Immediately
said MIR. President. the senator from
New York is not in the chair. but hc
orders the chair to 20 on with the calcn-
dar.' Several names had been called for
| action when Gordon made this remark.
Conkling was reading II newspaper and
did not hear it, but his attention WAS
call to it by Il senator who sat near him.
Springing to his feet, Conkling asked
what the senator from Georgia had said
concerning him. Gordon Immediately
repeated the language. Conklin@ then
said;
Ill the senator from Georgia say, that
ordered the chair to 90 on with the al
cndar, he states what is not true
Gordon replied; Very we'll. we will
settle that hereafter
Conkling rctortcd: I'VE will settle it
here, and repeated what he said before.
Mr. Gordon then again said We will
not settle ii here, but elsewhere"
Judge Thurman, speaking of this unfort-
innate occurrence, said that he hoped it
could be settled without further difficulty.
He had no doubt tnat the harsh words
used by both senators came from misap-
prehensiun of each others purpose. lie
did not suppose there was any Intention
al aliront, and hoped that each would
make explanations, and that nothing
more would be heard of it. Mr.. llamIin
spoke in the same pacific direction, but
ne .ther Gen. Gordon nor Mr.. Conkling
said anything, and both remained in their
seats. What the two senators had aCtu-
ally said to each other was not more de-
monstrative language than is often heard
in the free and easy talks of executive
session, but the manner was supcrcilliOuS-
~ defiant, and the Southcrncr> at once
began to talk about the code" and the
proper satisfaction" which should he ac
corded. Some of the older senators saw
this belligereut aspect of affairs with re-
gret, and began to discuss the proper
way pacically to harmonic the dtCulty.
In the course of their Investigations they
searched out the little matter between
Forsyth of Georgia and PointdeXter of
Mississippi in 1888. when Henry Clay
found the solution to the problem by dis
covering that if everything We're rctract-
ed in the order said. nobody could feel
hurt, and the eScutcheon of the Senate
would remain unstaincd. Similarly diff
ficulty between Jefferson Davis and Judah
p. Benjamin had been adjusted by the la
bors of senators johnson and Gwin.
1t WAS finally agreed that Senators
lIamlin and Howe, rs friends of Mr.
Conklin, and Senators Hanson and Me