The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1894-08-12

Washington, Aug. u--[Special livery
rev people realize how near your state
hood bill came to being opposed strongly
by the Republicans and a hot fight pre-
cipitated in the House, said a Republic
can Congressman to The Herald repre-
sentative today. when the bill came up.
after strong fight to keep it back on
the part of the Republican leaders, it
was the intention of Reed and DingIey
to lead an onslaught on the bill that
would have made it uncomfortable for
the ones who were pressing it.
Under the circumstances it was a very
fortunate thing for the people of Utah
that old man Morse of Massachusetts,
was the first Republican to attempt the
assault. If the leaders on the Republican
side had been as polite as they might
have been, DIngley, who was preparing
speech against the bill, would have led
or and let a great many other strong
speakers follow him.
"Grind the Old Fool to Piecesw
'But Morse obtained the floor He grew
so rabid and so insanely ridiculous in his
statements that he did not make a very
great impression. When Rawlins got the
floor 1 heard a stage whisper from the
Democratic side addressed to your dele
gate telling him:
IF you don't grind that old fool to
pieces I'll vote against your BILL
But Rawlins did not start in with any
intention of doing this. He began to
make a dispassionate review of the rea-
sons why Utah should be given state
hood, telling of the character of the peo-
pie and what they had done, when Morse
SUDDENLY interjected himself into the de-
bate with a question and was soon silen-
ced, when he went over to his seat, while
his colleagues clustered around Rawlins
and began to poster him with questions.
The House, which was pretty well
InI r% ET1a& kWW -
time becoming very much interested in
the colloquy that was going on and the
members were crowding around anxious
to catch every word, while in the CALLER
the same laudable attention.
Morse had retired after receiving a
few short and sharp replies, but when
Rawlins began to warm up on Massa-
chusetts again he thrust himself forward
and as your delegate was talking about
Puritanism he came right up. Rawllns
was going along like this: I tell the gen.
tleman now that the moral sentiment
which led to its adoption in Utah, which
led to that feature which is obnoxious,
and, IN my opinion, ought never to pre-
vail, was the outgrowth of that puritan
ical sentiment which in some Of it's ex-
crescences in the older days burnt witch
es, prosecuted Quakers, drove out from
the community Roger Williams
cat this point he caught sight of Morse,
who red as a turkey cock and br1stling
all over with indignation at this fancied
defamation of his idols, planted himself
right in front, ready to interrupt at any
favorable opportunity. Quick as a flash
Rawllns ended his sentence:
And later produced the gentleman
from Massachusetts.
Wildly Hilarious.
at took about two seconds for the
members and the galleries to realize the
point the act was so startling and the
words and sarcasm so strong, but When
they did, there went up one OF the loud
,-L,0 81 Io1re hary ayrdF hoard
in the House. Hats and papers were
thrown into the air and members rolled
in their seats until they could laugh no
more, while the member from Massachu-
sets went away and communed with him
self awhile before coming back and re-
newfng the attempt to confuse Rawl1nS.
after that it was with the greatest
difficulty that the House was quleted
down to sober discussion of the subject,
as the members were in the humor 10
chaff and were not loath to have a good
finally ouieted things down and made the
rest of his speech.
E'But only the Republicans knew Of the
full effect of that speech. After the
chafsine that Morse received, unmerciful-
" but deservedly, there was hardly Re-
publican who cared to try a tilt because
of the ridicule that would inevitably fall
to his lot. Old Dingley, the RepuDHcan
leader from Maine, suddenly LETT on pre-
pairing his speech, while several otners
who were preparing to come out in his
support followed his example.
Their Strength Vanished.
1.-THE leaders that had been working up
opposition suddenly found their strength
had melted away after that mastery
plea; and then besides those on the IN
side knew that some kind Of INSTRUCTIONS
came from Sherman and other Wall
street leaders in the Senate that caused
the Republicans to haul off and thus the
bill went through.
afBut I tell you what, if Rawlins hadn't
roasted Morse and then turned him over
and roasted him again, and. in fact,
hadn't made a mastery argument, there
is no telling whether the Utah bill would
have sailed through the House so easily
as it did, as the Republicans would nave
T,roxyan M moan foes -