Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-31
BLACK FRIDAY.


; A Republican sends us the follow
ing:
To the Editor of Dispatch:
Last Friday was BLACK Friday
,, for Mr.. Boutelle, the Maine congress
men, and no man in recent years ha
suffered such signal discontinue on tn
floor Of the House as did he at TIT
hands of George d. Wise, of Virginia
on that day. Mr.. Boutelle, supported
by Republican members, had intro
duced a resolution Of inquiry
as to the truth or falsity o
reports in effect that inscriptions
commemorative Of Union victories
had been obliterated from captured
Confederate cannon at the Norfolk
navy-yard; that a tablet on the dry
dock bearing the inscription De-
stroyed by the Rebels in 1862; rebuilt
by the United States Government in
1868" had been removed, and thai
Union veterans had been displaced by
Confederates. This resolution, reported
back by the Naval Committee, was the
text Of the sermon to be delivered by
Mr.. Boutelle and his friends, and the
other side proposed to circumvent the
airing Of the sanguinary undergarment.
After three hours Of parliamentary en-
cheering, the previous question was
ordered, and, under the rules of the
House, each side was to have fifteen
minutes for discussion.
Mr.. Boutelle entered the lists first,
and rashly assuming that the inquiries
his resolutions had called for had been
answered in the affirmative, he threw
himself with frenzied fury into the
fight, and called on all the gods TO wit
ness the shame that had been put upon
the brave and noble defenders Of their
country. He sustained all the alleged
charges, reiterating them, and dwelling
with emphatic continuance on the I'M
patriotic and cruel action Of the Demo-
cratic party.
His entire effort was mass Of bum
combe to catch the soldier-vote and the
applause Of the Republican side Of the
House, and while the latter was being
given him, as he sat down, Mr.. Herbert,
chairman Of the committee, arose and
Welded the floor to Mr.. Wise, Of Vir-
ginia.
BY this time the unusual activity in
the House had been noised abroad, and
the seats in the galleries were filled
with people eager to see and hear.
Congressman who have heard all the
famous speakers for years, and whom
ordinary events have no effect upon,
were closely attentive; members on
both sides bent forward to catch every
word, and even the coldly-critical
newspaper-men, on their perches above
the Speakers desk, pushed each other
forward, intent upon the scene. AS
soon as Mr.. Herbert had yielded the
floor Mr.. Wise arose and nervously
stepped into the aisle. His face was
flushed, the silver in his hair glistened
with the repressed excitement, his eyes
shone with the knowledge that was to
bring him victory, and in voice broken
by the iron grasp Of master will he
faced his opponent and began with ter
rible terseness
"In the brief time allotted to me |
have opportunity to make only state
ments Of facts. had hoped the sub
iect of this resolution would not have
been discussed in this House until we
had been informed by the Secretary of
the Navy. The gentleman from
Maine and he shook his long fore
finger at him slow as Divine wrath" on
more than one occasion has sought to
revive the passions of the war. Let us
see how much Of truth there is in the
statement of his resolutions"
Then like whirlwind he caught up
the statements Of the resolutions and
dashed them one by one to the ground.
He denied in toto every statement,
showing in the midst Of interruptions
by Mr.. Boutelle and Mr.. Brady that
no docks had ever been destroyed at
Norfolk, that no captured cannon, as
described, were ever there; that the
man said to have been a Union soldier
had never been within a thousand miles
of the whiz Of a belligerent bullet; that
the whole report was tissue Of false
hoods and scheme to secure political
capital. For a time he would stand his
ground like a gladiator, repelling every
assault and waving back his opponents
with singing words and long-armed,
sweeping gestures again he would
pace up and down the aisle, hurling his
denunciation Of such miserable political
trickstering at those who introduced it;
and, as his hoarse voice and impassioned
utterances filled the chamber and
swept the galleries, an enthusiasm
grew for the eloquent and terrible Nir-
ginian which overthrow all political feel
ing and burst forth in tumultuous ex-
pressions Of admiration.
On he rushed impetuously and ire
sistibly through his argument, until, in
reply to an interruption from the Re
pubiicans, he touched upon his own
vote for pensions to Union soldiers,
and referred to them as "your SOL
diers." To this, Mr.. Boutelle called
out questioningly, "Our soldiers? "
Quick as a flash the speaker saw the
point, and, letting moments silence
intervene, he bent far forward over the
desk, and replied sour soldiers -
ave. our soldiers, The defenders Of
our country! We are in the house Of
our fathers, and we have come to
stay" AS he spoke he raped the
desk excitedly with the back Of his
hand. driving every word home, and
bringing storm Of applause for his
adroit counter on the interruption from
the other side.
But no applause could stop the tor
rent Of his logic, the overwhelming out
pouring Of his scathing invective, and as
the Malone cohorts arrayed themselves
before his mental vision, he waved his
arms aloft, his eyes ablaze, and hosrse
with outraged feeling, he closed with
these accusing words: But l protest
that these honorably- discharged Union
soldiers shall never again be subjected
to the treatment to which they were
subjected under the last Administration,
when men who had fought bravely for