New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-03-11
THIRTY EOR 4 (INT

Had Macaulay's New-Icalander or any other
casual tourist sat in the House gallery on FIJI
day he would doubtless have broken out al one
stage OF the proceedings with the eager IN
Quiry: what is that? and what is HE matter
with ~" And the intelligent guide would nave
informed him that II was Constantine" buckley
Kilgore n statesman Of the period representing
In "A largchcarcd. emotional ANA somewhat
sloshin' manner district OF Texas; ANA mat me
matter with him was that he was just th"h
UNDERGOING the experience so common among
higl-class statesmen Of the South AMI South
west OF being overwhelmed with shame and
Indignation" These "whclms' have been cpl
donnie In the Southwest for several years. Some
times they Ovcrtake a whole community nj once,
and the community rise up and burn mig
ger" over a slow fire. This seems 10 be- the
only thing that furnishes relief. They feel bet
fer after IL. When shame and Indignation over
take a statesman, singly and alone, and away
from home. without so much as n niger at
hand to set fire TO, they usually begin over
wbelming him by catching him In the neck.
The maxillary muscles and the cpgottis are
Immediately affected and the mouth flies open.
What follows Is sometimes appalling to the
spectator, but is entirely harmless and affords
great relief TO the victim
Constantine had one Of these whclms on Fri
day. It came suddenly. so to speak, Ike light
ming out Of a clear sky, or hccoughs to man
who has not been drinking. The District OF
Columbia Appropriations bill was under dis
cussIon The impression prevails among the
taxpayers Of Washington that as some OF the
municipal expenditures are for the benefit or
the country at large, the Federal Government
should contribute to defray them. Take sewers,
for instance; the money expended to perfect the
system and keep them in order Is FOR the bene-
fit OF the whole Nation; 1t keeps Constantine
and the rest Of them from getting filed up with
sewer gas, which they would proceed to blow
into 1.-THE Congressional Record" TO be subse-
uuently exhaled over the whole land. But Con-
stantne and his fellow-economsts object TO
fooling away the money Of the Nation on Wash
ington sewers, or in fact upon anything else
intended to make the Capital beautiful or
wholesome. 1t was while addressing himself
to this subject that SHANE and Indignation
caught Constantine In the neck. Il am over
whelmed with shame and Indignation" said
Constantine when think how the people OF
nv district must be blcd to contribute to the
magniHcence Of Washington" To stranger
In the gallery the spectacle Of Constantine
Buckley Kilgore standing up in the United
States Congress, quivering all over on account
of the shame and Indignation which over
whelmed him Mt the thought that he and his
constituents must be blcd to contribute to the
magnificence Of Washington, must have seemed
at once interesting and pathetic.
The stranger must have been still more struck
by II when he learned that the extent 10 which
Constantines constituents-the whole $4,000
of tbem-must be bled II they contributed their
lust proportion to the entire appropriation for
the District Of Columbia would be precisely
SAG CT. For when You come to consider 1t seri-
ously, SAC 81, even IL assessed upon one man,
seems hardly sufficient to Overwhelm anybody
with shame and indignation. Passengers on
railroads in Texas have frequently been as
sessed by quite irresponsible persons with guns
for sums as high as $50, and Instead Of being
overwhelmed with shame and Indignation have
thought themselves lucky in getting of so cheap
ly. But Constantine himself would only have
to bleed to the extent OF onethirtieth Of a cent
| In the general adjustment to contribute TO the
magnificence OF Washington" Some persons
would pay that amount cheerfuly, and take
great satisfaction afterwnrd when exhibiting
the town TO strangers In saying: II myself
contributed something like thirtleth of cent
to oil this magnihcence." Constantine 10 not