Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1892-04-19
Wilson'S Brilliant oratory.

1.-THE best speeches on the Demo-
cratic side of the question were un-
doubtedly, delivered by Mr.. Wilson
of West Virginia, and William c. P.
Breckenridge of Kentucky" and
closes his three column article as fol-
lows:
The Hall of Representatives is filled
with life and light. A large per-
centage of the members are present.
The same Speaker occupies the chair,
and there are more ladies than usual
in the galleries. The blind chaplain
prays, and half dozen Executive
communications are referred. Then
the committees are CLEANED for re-
ports. Very few are received.
The grain has hardly been garnered
before a gentleman, short and
thin, with q light moustache and
light hair tinged with gray, rises at
the desk so long occupied by Sunset
Cox. His eyes are flashing gray, his
face is white and thoughtful. His
nose is defined as sharply as the nose
of the late Roscoe Conkling. He
wears a cutaway coat, buttoned at
the top, and a large piccadiIly collar,
graced with a purple four-inhand
tie. There are gold eyeglasses dang
ling below his buttoned coat. He is
William L. Wilson of West Virginia,
the man who is to close the tariff de-
bate. There is rush for the near
est seats. Speaker Crisp swings his
chair to the right, rests his chin upon
his hand, and prepares to listen, silver
haired Breckenridge sits down in front
of Mr.. Wilson. Benton McMilIin is
two seats away. Thomas Dunn En-
glish. the author of "Ben Bolt of the
Salt Sea Gale" TANKS the Speaker on
the left.
In soft tone of voice Mr.. Wilson
begins to address the house. Those in
the galleries lean forward and listen.
Gradually his tones become as clear
as the notes of bugle. Every soul in
the house can now sit at his ease and
hear each word uttered. 1t is a his
toric scene. Twenty feet west of the
Speaker sits William Henry Hatch of
Missouri listening intently, with arms
spread over an adjoining desk. Lewis
| Sperry of Hartford is within the
sweep of thu orators gesticuIation,
with eyes riYeted upon his face. And
there ten feet away, sits William H.
Fl. Cowles of North Carolina His
bald head is SCARED with the terrible
wound received in the Confederate
service during the heroic assault
upon Fort He'll. 1t makes him a con-
spicuous figure upon the floor. Next
to Hatch sits tall William D. Bynum
decorated by Thomas B. Reed in the
fifty-first Congress. Above the arras
at the rear of the hall appear the
broad shoulders and intellectual face
of Ben Shively, as pluckY as Bynum,
if not the pluckiest of all the pluclIy
Democrats from Hoosierdom. And
near by is the grand old face of Gen.
William II. Forney of Alabama. His
eye has wandered from the red eagle
in the crystal ceiling above him to
the face of the caglc-eyed statesman
from West Virginia. Near him sits
saturnine Dan Lockwood of Buffalo,
with an arm hanging laziIy from the
|
file and one Of rapt attention.
Look to the Speakers left. There
you see the rugged cou ntenance of
John G.. Warwick of MassiIIon, the
man who downed William Mckinley.
His arms are folded, and his Irish
face has q battle-worn look that re-
calls the Warwick of old. Back of
the Speaker you see the boyish face
of Cable of the Rock Island district
in Illinois. And near him are three
young Democrats from Massachu-
sets, whose war cries are always
heard when the bugle of tariff reform
is sounded. They are Sherman Hoar,
John G.. Crosby, and John +. An
drew. Joe O'Neil, the successor of
Gen. Pat Collins, sits thirty feet
away, with his thumb in the armhole
of his waiscoat, drinking in the wis
dom of the West Virginian.
Look at the lobby door, west of the
orator. There stands the Watchdog
of Aurora, with eyeglasses between
his fingers, staring at the West Vir-
ginian as though he was paraIyzed.
Back near Ben Cable sits De Almond
of Missouri, n new orator in the
House, whose words have magnetic
charm. Away off to the right you
see William A. McKeigham, self-edu-
Gated and fresh from his dugout in
Red Cloud. drinking the eloqnence
of the scholar from Charles Town.
Near him is the grave face Of Gov.
McCreary of Kentucky. He sits with
folded arms, listening as if spell
bound. Look down in front. There
are James B. Reilly of Pottsville and
Col. Sam Fowler of Newton, notion
less as statues. Here is Joe WASH
ington of Tennessee, elbow upon his
desk, and chin in his hand, lost in
admiration. There sits Gen. Tom
Catchings of Vicksburg with bunch
of violcts in the lapel of his coat. He
is so charmed that he has forgotten
to stroke his long auburn beard.
Across the aisle appear Judge Tur-
ner of Georgia and rugged-faced Jo-
sialI Patterson of Memphis, both pow
erful men in Argument, and both as
motienless as though staring at the
head of Medusa. West of them is
Jerry Simpson, with his gold eye
glasses, and the shining dome of Otis
of Kans9s, two heroes of the Farmers
Alliance, absorbing the spirit of true