Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1886-02-16
ALEXANDRIA, Va.
TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY IL.


WITH REFERENCE to what appears 10 pe
q studied and palpable attempt OF nuh'"e'
CT republican Senators, aided consp'cuops''
by General Malone, to freeze ou' 'A'
,a.ter,s colleague, the much derded KiGHe
berger, by pouring daily on him stream
Of cold contempt, it may be truly remarked
tbat;t was not always thus that the Older
and more yenemous of these precious twins
wa, wont to treat his younger readlus'er
! and radical brother. 1t has been but lew
wears since that Malone and all the rest
of them stood boldly up, and by bargain
aud intrigue sought TO place their now oe'
spised brother in the most important Office
of their body-that Of Scsscaat-at-ArmS'
A full month of time was spent In that lsho-
BILE undertaking, with the public business
blocked, the entire Senate by the ears, inc
press in angry discussion, and the country
in a tumult over the desperat" cliort OF the
republicans to force the "i'at:iot" Riddle
berger into that Office. Il IS useless no" 70
regret the failure which deprived ;ae>e
Senators of their choice. That kduleber'
ger, with the vast patronage and powers o.
the Sergeant-at Arms Of the Senate, would
have made things especially lively Tor tue
grave and reverend Sherman ,Edmunt'*,an1
others of their order, goes, 1t may well De
said without saying. TO have sean Elm, .@r
instance, experimenting the arrangements
ofa funeral. How solemn tho thought .
What genlieness, tenderness, decclum would
have craced these sad occasions . Eo"
noiseiess the tread OF the senatorial mourn
er marching, with mufiled step toward the
grave of departed greatness, led BY their
sanity Sergeant ! But aside from the seEll'
ment natural ana proper to such scene as
is here referred to, who ike Eiadleberser
would have so happily cclnbned the re
freshmenis of the C0MmiSsdridt with tue
s,dder duties OF the irtcImeni? To be more
seriou2. il is indeed tut scant justice 10 The
''hero'' Of the great senatorial imbroglio OF
The extraordinary session OF 1881, Whlch
was called by Hayes, presided over By Ar
taur, and directed BY the casting vote CT
Malone, to say that had Gorhani and Rid
deberger succeeded in displacipg the then
worthy incumberts Of the two controlling
Offices of the Senate "all hall would have
stirred; ere this in moro ways than one.
Excluding for tho moment every other con-
sheraton, it may surely be assumed that
ON no occasion, either fuaeral or conviria!,
with such a delectabie Sergeant in charge,
would O single one OF the grave Senator
ever gone dry or their parchcd lips been re-
fnsed q generous moistening from the oldest
or Lliu u,uun.aiu davvs, or the rarcst OF the
nec.ars from abroad. In all soba!ness the
Senate will never know what it missed in
the defeat of the Mahcre-Riddltberge Cor
ham onslaught Of that time, sanctioned as
it was by the vcritabie mali snants WHO are
now affecting their contempt of Riddicber-
ger. They wanted him amongst them !;
thew pleaded for him they didn't get him
as servant they got him as = peer and,
bad as he is, he is better TO day than many
of the malignants and South-haters who
now turn from him in disgust. lie at least
has some generous impulses which now and
then manifest themselves both politically
and .otherwise They have none. Neither
is he the tel! to dog and wagged by Ma,
hone at Mahone's mere will aud pleasures
some ignorant writer in a Washington news
paper has assumed. He has been wageirg
his own tail for some tins past, and that
too, very much to the annoyance CT tie
whole republican crew, as we'll as to tic
amusement OF his democratic colleagues.