The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-05-24

So under the hammer, but the most of them
sold all the way down to 80 cents.
LIVELY HOUSE.
It is long time since the House of Repre-
sGGtt;e:ttires has had as lively week as the one
which closed the general debate the Mills
bill. Each side put forward its best foot daily.
There were some belated speakers of lesser cal
iber who were allowed to FIJI the early morn
ing hours, or 10 talk to the drowsy audience at
night sessions, but they have not counted on
either side. The House met at 10 in the morn
ing and sat till 1890 in the evening, to satisfy
the yearnings of these gentlemen to get into
the Record Nothing more, AT noon, or there
ab0uts usually, the giants came into the arena,
and the galleries sweltered and cheered as the
contest waxed hot.
In this daily passage-at arms the opponents
of the bill have invariably had the best of it.
The friends of the measure had no one to pit
against Mckinley, Reed and Randall on equal
terms. Sam Cox the genial diplomat, fresh
from Turkey, was expected to make the funny
speech of the session, and TO illuminate the
dreary waste of his side the discussion. He was
fairly funny, using about two thirds of his time
for defense OF the Golden Club, British free
trade organization that manifests great interest
in our elections Here, too, the friends of the
bill met surprise. a young and almost I'M
known man, who is serving his first term, was
next on the list He was Mason, of Illinois.
Never before was so much wit, ridicule and
eOquence compressed into 80 minutes as count
ed off by the big clock. Cox was in an instant de-
throned forever as the wit of the House. Be-
side Mason his brightest sayings were clumsy,
his Tetorts stupid, and his sallies dull to a de-
gree. In a moment he was forgotten, and the
audience bowed in commissions Of laughter be-
fore the new star, whose brilliancy was none the
less oVershadOwing because unheralded. The
prince of Tepartee, peerless for 20 years. saw his
Il = l.
brow and rretrieyably lost. The champion had
met his conqueror at last The Southerners
were disposed to unhOrse him by unex peCted
questions, but each in turn retT-
cd in confusion. Little" Breckenridge,
as the statesman from Arkansas is called to
distinguished him from his namesake of Ken
lucky, tried it. His face is as expressionIess as
a potato, and pair of glasses do not lend ad-
ditiOnal yiyacity to his cOuntenance His voice
is feeble, and when he advanced into the mid
die aisle and mumbled something, meant for
an interrogatory, it sounded like gentle aud
distant murmur. The full appreciation of the
burlesque situation was brought outlike a flash
when Mason, rising on tip-tOe with his hand to
his ear, asked, What Are The Wild Waves Say
ing2"
In the midst of roar of laughter Breckin-
ridge melted away into the crowd on his side
Ofthe Chamber.
Mr. Randall was listened to with the profound
attention which be is always accorded by both
sides. lie dealt in heavy hits. There was no
fnessing III his style of fight. He read to the
friends of the bill the teachings of Madi-
son and Jefferson and Monroe to show them
/ how they had wandered off from the faith of
the fathers. He told them plainly that they
were cliugng 10 an idea that owed its birth to
slavery and went down in the mighty conyul-
sion of 1861.
The Brigadiers WINGED a little at this be-
cause, while they expect such unpleasant re-
mudeTs occasionally from Republicans, they
do not like to hear it from Northern Democrats
from whom they expect simple obedience.
The great speech of that day friday, how
ever, was Maj. McKinley's. He was thor
oughly master of his topic. He was as merci-
less as an official execuUiOuer. He tore Mr.
Millss pet limb from limb. He parted it into
bits, and held it up piecemeaI to ridicule, while
his audience seethed and dubbed and roaTed
with enthusiastic delight at the Texans dis
cOmfture. All the shams Of the bill were I'M
covered, and then in its nudity was dissected
by his pitiless logic.
Once Mr.. Morse, a Democrat from Massa-
chusetts, thought he would make an Interrupt
/ ton when the question Of woolens was reached.
! lie was sorry he did SO.
Mckinley reached under his chair and drew
/ out bundle, from which he tore the wrapping
1 paper aud disclosed full suit of store
/ Clothes" exclaiming, The gentleman from
/ Massachusetts, will know his own goods"
Then be went on to recite the argument to
the effect that poor man suit Of clothes which
/ ought to be bought for $40, now cost $50 on ac-
count Of the 100 per cent. duty added TO the cost
Knowing the honesty OF Mr.. Morse, a friend
/ had gone to his store IN Boston and bought this
! suit. lie read the receipted bill, showing that
/ one Williams had bought Of Leopold Morse 81
/ Co. one full suit Of all-wool clothes, $40. The
/ House roared at this object lesson. Mr.. Morse,
+ who is goOd-natured and plump little He
! brew, also laughed, but he did not seem to en-
/ joy it so much as the rest. His round face
/ looked like the setting sun of Indian Sum
mer afternoon. The broad expanse of
/ his crown, where the sandy hair is
now thin, glowed with a deep pink hue that
bespoke an absence of calmness. He retired
4 without further questions, and Bill Scott,
the millionaire Member from Erie, took his
! turn and his medicine.
So the battle went on for two hours, and Nc
kinney stopped when the enemy had nothing
{ more TO say.
Breckenridge, Of Kentucky, made the for
/ NAL speech for the bill that day. He is the
professional beauty of the House. In his
younger days he was one Of John MOrgan's
| banditti but now he mongers mealy phrases
and IabOrs with his accent. He pOishes his
periods without regard to the substance Of what
he is expected to say. He floats off into the
I OratOrical void. lie introduces the artificial
( quaVef Of voice and fullness Of throat when he
attempts to pass off a counterfeit pathOs. The
result is all art and no bottom. When he fin
ished he had said nothing except to maIign
the 18th District Of Illinois, and woke up that
old war-horse Jchu Baker
Saturday morning, au honr before the time
/ arrived for opening the session, the galleries
were iammed TO suHocation. Every square
inch within earshot OF the floor was filled with
expectant humanity except the pew reserved
for the Presidents family, which was not
graeed by the presence of any of the White
House people.
Before the opening Of the great debate Mr.
Baker rose TO a question of personal privilege
lie i5a picturesque figure. He stands on the floor
like chip which has Coated up from food OF
the last century. Erect as an oak, sturdy and
Incorporating in his utterances, unique in
manner, quaint in the yigor Of his speech, hC
chained the attention of all. He handled the
Kentucky Mephisto without gloves, and in dig
nifed yet scathing terms rcbuked the slander
of his people in a way he will long remember
In order, as he intimated, not to pass the bounds
OF parliamentary language, he kept closely TO
his notes. Breckenridge made a laundering
attempt to reply but his effort fell fat, ant
helped his adVersary's case.
1t is safe TO say that the BrigadieTs will give
Old Jebu wide berth hereafter. They have
found out that he is loaded.
Reed, Of Maine, full and round, and towering
like one Of his native pines, made the closinj
argument against the bill. He is an orato