The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1891-12-09
SMALL CHANCE TO SCREAM.

There are disadvantages connected with
ton through committees. but there is one
real compensation: it prevents the diurnal
saturation Of the public with a flood of
what is called screaming and spread eagle
eloquence. The present congress includes
an unusual number of professional polit-
ical fakirs and ELUSIVE cranks, who have
been accustomed to foam ami froth ION
the stump. "and in the local caucus and con-
vention. These creatures have been borne
OH the billow of their own expectora-
tons into congress; they have been wont
to split the sky with their shoutings; to
tiaunt the red rags of fustian rhetoric in
the fascinated eyes of lot of ignorant
gawks that think melodramatic mounting
is eloquence. These fellows, who have
spouted blood and water, like dying
whale, to get into congress, would,
if permitted, continue to purple the cur
rent of congressional speech with a red
sea of magniloquence. They would like
to paw the ground and below as furiously
in congress as they did during their can
vass when they addressed a turbulent
crowd that could not test the strength of
chain of an argument; verify tower
ering assertion; or tell the difference be-
tween eloquence that has the easy, natural,
graceful flight Of a carrier pigeon, and the
flash and artificial fight of bombs eiacu-
lated from burning Roman candle.
These screaming, spread-eagle orators
have been trained in school of political
debate where flame counts for more than
heat, sound for more than sense, impudence
for more than intellect, and impassioned
assertions, emotional nonsense and the
peony flowers of tawdry rhetoric for more
than sound learning, keen logic and I'M
ruflied simplicity of statement; they have
been the harlequins of the local political
circus with its neighing steeds, its bray
ing trumpets and its open air band wagon;
they have been bred IN region where the
popular ideal of a statesman is man that
can 'holler" like loon before a gathering
storm; can smile like cat, who has eaten
a canary, at every constituent at least
until after election.
The old days were halcyon when the
business methods of congress permitted
the screaming and spread-eagle member
to ''holler" on the floor, but, alas for the
ambitious orator from the rural districts,
the present method OF doing the business
of congress chiefly by discussion or de-
liberation IN committee and little or no
general debate on the floor, has wrung
the neck of the screaming eagle. He
can, to be sure, generally get leave 10
print his thunder and blood" but
he can seldom oratoricalIy utter sput-
ter and scatter it. The old-time Scream
ing eagle" is silent on his perch; he
can only crow in committee, and I'M
fortunately the screaming eagle is not
apt TO be cock of the walk in committee.
The new method is better than the old.
for it diminishes the opportunity for
speech to the average cheap congress
man, who is generally shameless
political skin" gambler and vociferous
humbug. who never loses a chance to
pose as an economist by trying TO reduce
eyerybody's salary but his own.
The congressman who is always bowling
to pare down an army officers pay; to cut
down the pittance of q poor department
clerk while he leaves his own salary I'M
touched, is the kind of congressman that,
like Holman, of Indiana, used TO be wor-
SHIPPED at home as 1.-The watchdog of the
treasury" The present methods of con-
gress do not give this cheap demagogue
congressman, who never loses an oppor-
tunity to pose as the strident-voiced evan
gelist of candle end economy. so easy and
ample an opportunity TO make reputa-
ton for home consumption without the
possession of apprecjable brains or knowl-
edge, rs did the old "go-as-you-please''
debate, and the present methods there
fore deserve to be perpetuated.