The Prince George's enquirer and southern Maryland advertiser. (Upper Marlborough, Md.) 1882-1925, 1893-02-10
Select Misfrllanp
WlTIIERING SARCASM

Probably the most scathihg specimen
OF sarcasm ever heard in the halls OF
Congress WIS Mr. Blalne's famous reply
to Roscoe Conklin in adebate on April
.th, 1866. There WIS no love lost be.
, tween the two men, for both aspire.l tt
the Republican nomlna ion for the pres
idency and both wished to be the leader
of the party. Wha'eyer may have been
their respective chances under other
circumstances, it is historical fact
tha. the result in Mr. Conklin's s district
in 1884, was sufficient to lose New
York to Mr.. Blaire, and so defeated
him
The incident, as reported in the
"Congessional Globe" Is as follows
Mr.. Blalne-Mr Speaker
Mr.. Speaker-Does the gentleman
from New York eild to the gentleman
from Maine:
Mr.. Conklin-No sir. | do not wish
to have anything to do with the men,
Der flom Maine, not even so much as
20 Yield him the floor. !: * One thing
further: lift the member from Maine had
the least idea how profoundly lndiffer-
ent | am to his opinion upon the sub
ject wh; ;ch he has been discussing, or
upon any other subject personal to me,
| think he would hardly take the trou-
bic to rise here and express his opinion.
And as it is a matter of entire indiff-
erence to me what that opinion may be
l certainly will not detain the Honse
by discussing the question, whether it
is well or i'll founded, Or by noticing
what he says.
When Blaine secured the floor by
his own right he remarked in reply to
the gentlemen from New York.
"As to the gentleman's cruel sar-
casm, 4 hope he will not be too severe.
The contempt Of that larse minded
man il so willing; his naughty dis
dain, his grandlloquent swell, his ma
iestic, supereminent, overpowering,
turkey-gobb!er strut has been so
crushing to myself and all the men,
bers of the House, that | know it was
an act of the greatest tenlerity for me
to venture upon controversy with
him. But, sir, | know who is respon-
sible fer all this. | know that within
the last five weeks, as members of the
House will recollect, an extra strut has
charad dteriZed the gentleman's bearing.
1t is not his fault. It IS the fault of
another.
9Th lat gifted and satirical writer,
Theodore Tilton, Of the New York
"Independent,' spent some weeks re-
cently.in this city. His letters pub
lished in that paper embraced, with
many statements, little jocose satire,
mart Of which was the statement that
,,.r .....n { e She late Winter Davis
ad iaIicn upon the member from New
York. The gentlemen took it serious
ly, and it has given his strut additional
pomposi'y. Hyperion to satyr,
Thersites to Hercules, mud to marble,
dung-hill to diamond, a singed cat to
a Bengal tiger, whining puppy to a
roaring lion. Shade Of the mighty
Davis, forgive the almost proclamation
of that jocose SATIRE.
The effect of this broadside upon
Mr.. Conkllng can be we'll imagined
by any one personally acquainted with
him. His we'll known good opinion
Of himself, producing as it did pecu-
liar impressiveness of carriage, was
pungently characterized as his "ma-
jestic, supereminent, overpowering,
turkey gobbler strut" and the ludi-
crous comparison provoked ill-con-
cealed smiles in all parts Of the house
Iti is unnecessary to say that the slight
was never pardoned during Mr.. Conk-
ling's lifetime, and the words in which
it was uttered yet stand among the
records of Congress rs the most finish
ed specimen of scathing satire in ex-
istence. and at the same time the great
est trbu'e to the Domostheness of
Maryland cloqncnce-Henry Winter
Davis.