National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-02-06
A Great Day in the House.

II was field day in the House oil Repre-.
'cntatives. Judge IIupsidam bill appropriate
ing 10000, 600 acres Of the public domain for the
establishment Of Sanscrit professorshipS in In.
diGn schools had been debated for nineteen
consecutive legislative days. The country
was beginning 10 appreciate the trunscendcnt
importance of the measure. Resolutions from
lunatlc asylums and juvenile dramatic assOca-
tions, urging the immediate passage of the bill
ana indOising llcpsidam for the presidency.
were pouring In on the representatives ofthc
people and the states in their respective
branches of the national legislature The
press had screamed and the pulpit had thuu-
dcrcd against the proposition, but their In
iluenCc Could.make no heGdway when every
mail train brought carloads oi petitions and
memorials bearing names by the hundred
thousand neatlyEcOpied from obsolete city d.
rGctoTics and rural graveyard records.
Yes, it was a great d4y-a day that viii live
"our best society people" Every inch Of fsplce
on the floor of the House was occupied. There
was the deep hush OF intense expectancy .as
Judge Iepsldaln rose to close the debate on the
affirmative side. Ills hour Of triumph seemed
to have come His bosom heavcd with pride
and his benignant countenance shone with the
light that emnnatcs only from great white
soul.
The leader OF the opposition. Judge Sheol-
vile, Of the third Delaware district, states
man of gigantic intellect fertile in resources,
and unriyRlCd in strategy, saw that the mo-
mCnt had come for decisive movement. The
effect of lIGpsidam'S elOquGnCe must be nru.
traiiZed or the bill would pNss-tho 100000
acres would 80 TO Indian schools to support
SanSCrit proiCSsOrships, and Sheolvile's sub.
stitutc, appropriGtlng the same i00O0,00) acres
to defray the cost of printing almanacs of 1870
for circulation among the Apaches, would be
doomed.
But great as was the occasion, the Delaware
statesman was equal to II, nor did II find him
lacking In any detail OF elaborate preparation
for it. Before the first sentence of Hcpsdam's
gTandly beautiful and beautifully grand exor
dium had thrilled his splendid audience a
dozen pages were seen gliding about the hall,
handing card to each member and visitor
AS each recipient looked at the card he smiled
arose, and passed out of the hall. In fifteen
minutes only the speaker, the clerk, Iepsldam,
and the pages were left on the floor. Hepsi.
dam recognized defeat. His courage and his
strength failed, His eloqucnce died down into
a doleful drizZle. Before he had spoken fifteen
minutes he closed abruptly, with q lame
apology, and took Scent car for his hotel
The NATIONAL REPUBLICAN has been shown
one of the cards which caused the downfall of
lIepsidam II bears this inscription: "Mcet
me in the House restaurant Immediately; sixty
cases of Morizet Sec have Just arrived" II was
the irresistible logic of "Nlorizet Sec" that de-
feated Hepsidams bill.
The managers and roadmasters of the south.
eTn roads are in session at Atlanta, Ga, to ur.
range for Il change OF gauge In July. II. q.
lIalnes, of the savannah, Florida and Western
road, is chairman.