The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1894-05-11
WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING.
Another "Incidcnt" Closed.
New York Tribune.

On Monday. April 80, Senator Harris of Ten
nessee, in whose charge at present are the in
dustries of the country and the sources of its
future revenue. moved that the Senate take
mp the revenue BILL In the course of the dis
cussion which followed Senator Aldrich OF
Rhode Island, said he had been informed. and
he believed, that at "A conference between the
Secretary of the Treasury and the finance
committee some 500 amendments TO the pend
Ing bill had been agreed TO. Senator Voor-
hees of Indiana, chairman of the finance
committee, replied that this was not true.
While he did not say the Senator from
Rhode Island uttered an untruth in
the sense of personal offence" he said
he meant to convey 10 the
Senate and TO the country the fact that he
was talking on false information" Senator
voorhees, was very positive on this point,
without being offensive or pass
ing the bounds of courtesy. To
this Senator Aldrich answered that. ac-
cording To his information, about 500 amend
ments which had been practically agreed
upon were already in print, aud he believed
his information to be correct.
At n later stage of the discussion another
Senator from Indiana staggered to his feet.
and with thick utterance- and husky speech,
in language better suited to the
slums than TO the Senate, began
the most vulgar, violent and clownsh
TRADE of abuse OF the Rhode Island
Senator that ever disgraced deliberatve
body. The measure of drunken black guard
ism and bullying insoence in which he in
dulged in the presence of the ''most august
deliberative assembly known to men," and OF
the presiding officer who had so characterized
it, may be estimated by the single quotation
in which he spoke of the statements made by
the Rhode Island Senator Three lies
gross, palpable; three lies basely born; three
lies of inconceivable mendacity."
Then, in a vein of maudlin irony, he spoke
of the Senator's predecessor" meanng Sem
ator Aldrich himself, as a man who had an
enormous development of cheek: of cheek
which reached from the chin and ear on both
sides down to the feet"
THE most august deliberative assembly
known to men" listened in silence, but no
doubt with shame and modification, TO this
torrent of vituperation and personal abuse.
He was not interrupted. Why not. Only the
United States Senate, which is the guardian
offts own dignity, knows Then that body
had the satisfaction of hearing a self-respect-
ing gcntlemans answer to the foul abuse of
drunken blackguard. Senator Aldrich
simply said:
Mr.. President, it would certainly be unworthy
the senate to undertake TO reply TO the speech
which has just been made by the honorable Senator
from Indiana certainly do not suppose that in the
position which he now takes he represents anybody
but himself. and have no doubt under other cir
cumstaeces and under other conditions he would
not have made the speech he has Just made.
That was all. Ii was the answer of a
patient and self-posssssed gentleman. who
never for q moment dreamed that his "honor'
required him to descend To the level Of his
assailant, and who had no thought OF
demanding any further satisfaction"
than that of expressing his pity. and con-
cealing his contempt. The incident" itself
may be considered to have clio sed on Monday.
when the announcement was made that the
finance COMMITTEES, about whose action the
question of veracity had arisen, had agreed
upon n compromise revenue bill, which con-
tained more than 400 amendments instead of
the 300 which Senator Aldrich -aid he believed
had been agreed upon, Notwithstanding the
denial of Senator VOORHEES,. The Rhode
Island Senator's Information was correct.
Senator Voorhees, was quibbling when he dis
puted IL. and his colleague had no excuse for
beadlong into the discussion of
question he knew nothing about, except that
he was in that condition of fighting drunken
ness in which IL was necessary for him TO call
somebody liar who was reasonably certain
not TO resent IL.