New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-08-16
Up RIL[EI OE IINIS.

Somewhat like a bolaicd echo from the " foh-
do.yyahr pcriod came into the debate in the
House on Monday the lood-curding. hair
lifting and tsrror-insI ir,ng BY the Eternal
God with which the very eloquent Mr. Bailey
Of Texas accompanied his statement that
under the law the Government bOndholdcr,
were entitled 10 il2 - grains al silver Tor
each dollar. ard they should have 10 more
The notion prevailed quite generally among
Southern statesmen of an earlier time that aD-
pea S to the Deity. references 10 the DEITY. ana
:, certain common Use OF the name OF the DEITY
which indicated familiarity on the one SIDE
and favor on the other had powerful effect
upon the mind; of men-particulariy OF North
ern men, II was thought that almost any one
coming up TO Washington with hair reaching
10 his shoulders and the plantation dialect
could give his head swing or two. roll ~,
ewes. crate his teeth and say " BY the Eternal
COD, and put - flight large numbers OF per
sons who disagreed with him on the question
whether every man had right ~ sell his own
labor at hi, own price Mr.. Wigfall Of Texas
had that notion. 30 did Mr.. ToOmbs Of
Georgia. and Mr.. Yancey of Alabama, and
MANY Others. Washington was full of them be
fore the war
Now that the terror which these persons in
spired has in Il great degree subslded-most OF
them being dead, God rest their souls-lt seems
10 lis that they were never on such easy terms
with the Deity as the iucncy Of their adlura-
lions imprccat:ons and cxccrations would lead
the casual listener 10 supDCs' Now that we
have them and their lurid olatorI, their
rhetorical fireworks, their dramatic poses and
their avc-nspirng hair somewhat in pc?spcc-
tive. and now that we have discovered that
the peculiar institution which they spent all
their time defending depended entirely upon
that sort OF scarecrow strategy, without any
support in honesty, justice, sound reason or
common sense, we arc beginning To get in Il
frame of mind in which, though we do not
pretend TO deny that the language puts us i'll
something of "A trcmor, We do not flee away III
terror. We stay. It's risky, we know. TO keep
in range of Bailey when he is working the
:" By the Eternal racket, but VIC console our
selves with the thought that he is III this
minatory and imprecatoiy mood only toward
the holders of Government bonds who agreed
to take Az IL grains of silver for dollar;
more than which, he sweals in the impressive
language VIC have quoted they shall not have.
Viewing the situation with such camncss as
we can command during the emission of that
sort of eoaucncc in this sort of weather we
should say then that, considering in the first
Mace that Baey's rage runs only against the
holders of Government bonds, and that he
seems willing to pay even them 80 or 60
cents worth of silver for every dollar the Gov
eminent owes them-which is unusually hand
some for Tcxas-consldcrin moreover, that
Bailey, having been brought M in country
Astounding in coored people and mules. neither
of which can be aroused to action without
profanity, blasphemy or doublc-barrellcd guns.
NAV not be so dreadful rs he sounds and
consd ering, finally, that Bailey is young and
fresh and bumDtious and of not much account
anyhow, we should say that the United States
Congress might go right on with its so-called
deliberations in perfect safety, taking no pre-
caution against Bailey-not even muzzling
The truth is that the march of modern improve
ment has rendered obsolete many weapons of
war which were formerly considered effective
and formidabl Among these may be reck-
oned the use of the human mouth for the dis
charge OF oaths of the largest calibrc the bore
will bear This instrumentaity is not much
depended on nowadays, though we believe