The Portland daily press., 1890-07-05
A WEEK OF GREAT EXCITEMENT.
The Debata on the Election Bill In
the House.
Sketches of the Leaders on Both
Sides of the Struggle.
Southern oratory And Northern EIo-
quence In the Discussion.
Especial to the Press.1

sent these ScnOOlS. upon Jue one sue nave
been those in this country who believe that
the federal government should be allowed to
assume all the powers which the constitution
gives to it, Upon the other side have been
those who have always contended in behalf
of the several states for all the powers and
privileges within the constitution, or if not
within, without it. Upon the one side it has
been contended that a representative in the
lower branch of Congress is plainly, under
the letter and spirit of the constitution, a re-
preventative of lthe people of the United
States in their capacities as citizens of the
United States, not as citizens of particular
states; upon the other side 1t has been as
sumed, tacitly or blatantly, that a member OF
the lower house, like a Senator, is repre-
sentative of his state in its sovereign capac-
ity. Upon the one side IL has been con-
tended that every man entitled under the
constitution to vote should. SO far as the
federal government has the power, be pro-
tected in that right; upon the other side 1t
has been contended, though the relevancy
of the contention is not wholly plain, that
"we are our fathers sons" and will rule the
South or leave it, and "we swear we will not
leave it." Upon the one side it has been con-
tended that the negro vote has been sup
pressed; upon the other it has been con-
tended that voting is free and fair in the
South but that the election law should not
pass since it might result in putting the
negro over the whites.
The men who have made these various
contentious have done so with more or less
passion, and with more or less expenditure
of lung power.
This does not apply to the two young lead
ers in the fray. Both Lodge and Hemphill
have borne themselves with courtesy, candor
and moderation, both in temper and voice.
Many others have followed their example,
but others have filled the great gray hall of
the House, the furthest recesses of the gal
leries, and even the corridors of the halls be-
yond with their stentorian eloquence
The men who have made the set speeches
have already had the advantages of wide
fame through the daily dispatches. But
there are many others wnG nave red maze aea
should not be denied the comforts of fame.
There is. for example, the rotund and always
happy Roswell P. Flower of New York.
He has constituted himself the. de-
fender of the state sovereignty Of the
city Of New York. Mr.. Flowers career is not
set forth.at great length in the Congressional
Dieectory; but it has gradually leaked out
that he has dollar or two put aside for
rainy day. On tariff questions he is for pro-
lection on such things as his constituents
may be interested in, and a glorious free
trader on everything else. But on federal
elections his short stubby figure has rolled
along continuously to the defense of New
York against all charges of 0ver-reaching
ways in matters of politics; and his expan-
sive smile has illuminated the Democratic
side wherever any Of New York'S political
history has been pronounced SANDER by
some fiery colleague like Spinola.
The opposite of Flower in disposition; but
his twin In stature and equal in amplitude of
waistcoat is Republican, Mason of Illinois.
Flower is gallant in defense; Mason is ter
Tbe attack E%.b He says to e the vOs Tn
intimidate voters, you are thieves and ras-
calls and bulldozers, and am going to prove
it," And straightway Mr.. Mason produces
the documents while the Democrats grow
red in the face and try to shout him down.
was sure to be music in the House.
Very different from Mason has been
Cowles, of North Carolina. who has on the
side of his shiny bald head the long crease
made by a Union bullet at Petersburg. No
Democrat is more fiery than he, but, as the
fiery Cenfederates quiet for sake of the effect
in the North, Cowles's only resource has
been to pace back and forth with his hands
in his pockets and the peculiar stride of a
man who is boiling over with fiery eloquence.
Could Cowles have expressed his mind he
what those ancient Ohio war horses, Grosve-
nor and Williams, have been on the Repub-
lican side. General Grosvenor looks like
Santa Claus, and he no doubt has many Of
the genial qualities of that delightful person
age. But he does not display them when a
n &c In eli hn bad i'm
self at poor Foraker with half the energy
with which he went at the Democrats the
other day, when one of them insinuated that
there were ballot box suffers in Ohio, it is
little wonder that Sherman's whllome rival
is now in sackcloth and ashes. General
Grosvenor has heroic blood in his veins.
His grandfather was Col. Thomas Grosve-
nor, of the Second Connecticut Regiment in
the Revolution, and his father was Major
Peter Grosvenor OF the Tenth Connecticut
Regiment in the war of 1912. Himself Cen
eral Grosvenor is veteran Of the civil war.
This year he is varying the monotony of
life by big political fight in his own dis
trict, where one convention of his party has
adjourned after frnitless efforts to nominate
him or any of his rivals for the next Con-
gress.
Williams of Ohio, Grosvenor's fighting
mate, is very different in appearance, being
smooth-faced and wearing an appearance of
acerbity not at all like the benevolence
which seems to rest upon the Sountenance of
nls When boh OF t5e are ssrad
at the same time, as they were the other day,
people in distant corridors of the House aie
made aware that debate is going on some
where.
Very different from the two sturdy cham
pions of Ohio is John Allen, of Mississippi.
Allen is never earnest. Heis always in fun,
and will even get up on the floor of the
House and recite poetry or sing song in
order to make the House laugh. One day in
discussing pension case Allen made a
funny remark about the desirability Of pen.
Sioning lot of good fellows in his district
who had been MANNED while engaged in the
patriotic work of firing cannon on the night
before election In order to let the negroes
know that there was to be a fair election
This remark went into the record; and Sc
to throw it at Allen that he has felt con
strained to keep silent during the debate.
AS glum as Allen but not so bub.
bling over with humor is General
w. II. F. Lee of Virginia, one of J. E. B
Stuarts cavalry generals, and son Of Robert
p; Lee. Young Lee was good soldier, very
likely, and is good farmer now, having
been president of the Virginia State Agri
cultural College. In time like this it might
be expected that the son of Robert E. Lee
would flash in the fore front of the fray. But
Lee is no orator. He knows that he ought
10 uO SUDt6lulues Duk uiu uUb ouCCcSu III uOllie
ANYTHING more forcible than to lift his eye
brows industriously and ominously while
pacing back and forth on the Democratic
side.
One of the men listened to most attentively
was Finley, an old Kentucky Unionist, who
has come into the Republican party by the
high right of such loyalty. He pronounce'
"can't" "kaint," and Kentucky" "Kain
lucky" and has fund of sound sense that
did not little to oyerturn some Democratic
sophistries about the freedom of the ballot
in the South.
Featherstone of Arkansas, the Farmers
Alliance member, who left the Democratic
party of his state on account of its wicked
election methods, as he said in the debate
Monday evening, is another Southern sup
porter of the election bill who has added
materially to the strength of the Republican
side in the previous debate. Featherstone i;
fighter, and has taken his life in his hand;
to fight the Democratic machine of Arkan
sas. In Congress he is classed as an Inde
pendent lie voted with the Democrats or
the tariff. and he goes with the Republicans
on federal elections.
Waddill of Virginia, who was seated ir
the place of Wise, DEM, after trial before
the committee on elections after which ever
the Democratic members agreed that Wise
was not entitled to the seat, turned Hemp
| hills phrase against its author. 1--WE, too
are our fathers sons" said Waddill. speak
ing for the white Republicans of Virginia
and we mean to have Justice"
The old gentleman VauX, RandalPS eccen