The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1890-10-12
CONGRESSMEN'S MORALS.
THE PRIVATE CHARACTERS OF
OUR LAWMAKERS.

of DrCnkards and Gamblers Said u
Have Passed away Forever.
A senator said in my presence one even
ing last week: 1.-THE House is composed Of
the hardest lot of fellows have ever seer
together. Such an ass Iult as Kennedy
was never made before in the history OF
our government" says correspondent Of
the Philadelphia Press.
The remark set me thinking. l wondered
if it was true, and while so wondering l re
solved to find out He was wrong.
find that there has been considerably
more than one personal encounter on the
floor during every congress on an average.
In l79S the first occurred, and greatly dis
gusted Washington, in retirement on hi.
Mount Vernon farm. Roger Griswold OF
Connecticut had a violent contention witt
Matthew Lyon OF Vermont, which ended il
a quarrel
| Lyon abused the Connecticut mem bers
for their position on a certain bill, and said
~ have mind to come back there and
teach you good manners"
IF you come, Lyon" cried Girls void
| don't forget to bring your wooden sword p
alluding to the fact that the Vermolter was
| drummed out of the army during the revo-
| luton. Lyon, without a word, but in a
frenzy of rage, crossed the room and delib-
erately spat in GriSwold'S face. There was
a motion TO expel him, and during its pend
ency the offender made a speech in self
defense which was so obscene that the ne VS.
papers of even that free-and-easy time
| could not indicate its purport. The motion
to excl was defeated, whereupon Griswold
ran over to Lyons seat, jerked him out of
it, threw hun down and beat him on the
| floor of the House. Lyon escaped to the
fireplace and defended himself with the
tOngs, but was beaten again. Friends Of
the parties rushed into the melee and the
| battle came to an end only after considera-
Bile damage had been done.
After that scene splitting in the face be-
came a fashionable method of beginning a
fracas between members in Washington,
like shaking hands at the commencement of
a duel. Two or three cases were reported
under Jefferson's administration and sew
eral in succeeding years. At least one Pres
ident suffered the indignity.
When jackson came TO Washington he
brought with him a quarrelsome reputa-
ton. He had wounded two men in duels
and killed one and had received two wounds
In street fracaSes, oae of which. from the
hand of Thomas ii. Benton, he bore conspic-
uously all his life. 1t was said that ''Old
Hickory" had been in dozen duels and 100
personal fights when he entered the white
house.
Duels between congressman were COM
mon, but they were not often deadly Men
believed that if they were called liars" or
towards" only blood-a greater or smaller
quantity, as the case might be-would wipe
out the stain of the dishonor. And it seemed
to make no difference whether it was con-
tributed from the arteries of the offender or
the person whom he had injured. Any
body's blood would do
This spirit has well nigh passed away.
do not believe there will ever be another
duel between congressman. Even gentle
mel from the gulf states regard it as a pre-
posterous and imbecile method of settling
disputes. In reply to my question Congress-
m IN Breckenridge of Arkansas said 81
shall never fight if it is avoidable
Ii attacked suppose l should try to get
away or defend myself as best l could, but
had good deal rataer be thrashed than
draw revolver on man, and l had
rather be kicked down Pennsylvania ave-
nue. than to shoot a man." And this is the
congressman whose rival was assasslnated
! during the campaign to forestall his cleo
| ton.
| introduced this topic in Gen. Banks
presence the other day. "Ah" sighed the
venerable man, this congress lacks the
| selt-poise and the self reSpe ting dignity OF
the congress from 1855 TO 1860" The old
ge tleman's kindly memory mislelds him.
| Was 1t not in these two congresses that
| Grow knocked Keitt down under the re-
porters' table, that Washburn scalped
Barksdale. that Wilson defied Builder
that Burlingame and Brooks arranged tC
Kill one another with rifles, and that Potter
and Pryor selected O locked-up room for
their duel with bowie knives?
Never since Washington saluted the frs
congress have there been so many tota
abstainers and so few drunkards in tina
body as there are now. For the first time
it Is highly respectable and rather fashion
able to say, II do not drink" Probably
majority of both houses do take a drinl
occasionally, at least of beer, but only TIVE
or three members or the Senate and half
dozen members of the House are conspicu
GUS as hard drinkers
Half a century ago all the member
drank, and half of them were OCCASIONAL,
dunk. Maudlin scenes were common OF
the floor. Now they are very rare, thougl
Senator Riddleberger got in some amusin,
demi-semi quavers last year.
Henry A. Wise records maudlin seen
here at public dinner in 1888 where DAME
Webster hiccoughed a speech in favor O
union forever, and a Kentucky menbe
jumped on the table. yelled Liberty o
death" and frautically flung a champaign
bottle at tue head of the great expounda
of the constitution. No such thing coul
happen now. Occasionally still a senator O
representative loses his elf-control in pub
lie, but he keeps out of sight as much q
possible. and the correspondents agree nc
to say anything about it with the tacit uu
Outstanding that the exhibition is not to b
repeated.
The scene is enough to excite our increC
ulous wonder which took place in presenc
of the committee of wings who called o
Henry Clay in 1910 to announce that Ger
Harrison had beea nominated for Presi
dent instead of himself. They were tn
best, bravest and most distinguishe
friends calling to express their sympath
and regret. The great Kentuckiau, say
an eye witness, ragged and tore, raved an
swore, denounced them as feeble an
pusillanimous, declared that all his friend
were towards or traitors to him, stampe
on the floor and reinforced his mad in
vective with vulgar and profane impreca
tlons, and conducted himself generally lik
q spoiled child gone insane. There has bee
no suca tempest since on such an occasion.
is tolerant to assume that it was case c
! too much wine, for it is impossible t
imagine Blaine or Cleveland conductin
himself in that way.
1t is In regard to gambling that there ha
been the greatest revolution among con
gressmen within the memory of such veto
rams as Banks, Morrill,, Buckaew and Ed
munds Forty years ago, and even les
than that, there were gam blioa saloons o