The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1895-09-26
MADE in CONGRESS.
CATCHY PHRASES THAT HAVE COME
INTO COMMON USE.

men When Not In Congress.
Many Of the best known and most
quoted phrases with which the Amer
lean people are familiar originate in
congress.
There 10 no reason why, il good
thing is said upon the floor Of the senate
or house, the country should not know
1t in - hours With press gallery
thronged with correspondents who are
always ready and eager to pick up tho
novel phrase or the apt description. with
the great press associations distributing
the debates from one end Of the country
to the other, and with newspapers only
too anxious to give currency to the lat
est expression, man who says good
thing In congress one afternoon may
wake up the next morning and find his
saying In everybody s mouth. There is
something in the atmosphere of con-
gress, too, that develops the latent wit
and inspires to repartee. If a senator or
a representative has anything in him at
all, it Is bound to come out in a rough
and tumble debate with a political OPP
ponent Many Of the congressman have
already had their genius in this direc-
tion tested upon the stump and know
how to hold their own in the face Of all
Corners. It does not always follow, how
ever, that statesman who is good in
debate will achieve fame by uttertng
phrase that becomes popular.
To go back to the beginning of con-
gressional history is to discover many
phrases uttered in congress which are
still current It was as far back as 1890,
for instance, that Felix Walker, a mem
Der of the North Carolina district which
included Buncombe county, apologized
for the emptiness of his remarks by
stating that he had to make a speech
'just for Buncombe - This is a saying
which has come down through the years
as byword Liberty and union, one
and inseparable, now and forever" was
uttered by Webster in his famous reply
to Hayne. Lincoln's with malice to-
ward none and charity toward ALP was
first heard in the halls of congress when
his second inaugural address was read
to the assembled representatives. In
later years Senator ingalls, contributed
number of epiTammatic sentences, the
best known of which perhaps was utter
ed in his wordy duel with Senator
Brown Of Georgia The latter had q
habit Of rubbing his hands together as
he talked, and Ingalls,, with bitter en-
phasis, described him as washing his
hands with invisible soap in impercept-
ible water" Another remark by In
gals was much quoted at the time. He
was discussing the oleomargarine bill
and said regarding certain dairy prod
ucts that he stood Sin awe ut their
strength and reverence for their antiq-
uity." In Proctor Knott 3 widely copied
Duluth speech occurs that phrase, 1.-THE
zenith city Of the unsalted seas, title
which Duluth has always proudly kept.
Blaine and Cmkling, with all their
greatness, left no single phrase a. leg
acy Of their participation in congress
sioual debates. Burn these letters"
was often quoted after the Mulligan af-
fair, but this sentence was not first ut
tered in congress. The famous debate
between the two men, which estranged
their whole lives, occurred in April
1866. over . very trivial matter-the
continuance Of the bureau Of the provost
marshal general It gave Blaine, how
ever, . chance TO satirize Conkling in .
single sentence. An article written by
Theodore Tilton had appeared in which
Cmkling had been Nkened to Winter
Davis "The resemblance IL great, "ex-
claimed Blaine, with pungent satire.
"It is striking! Hyperion to . satyr,
Thersites to Hercules, mud to marble, q
dunghill to diamond, q singed cat 70
a Bengal tiger, whining puppy to q
roaring lion"
Another debate in which Conk1in9.
then In the senate, was q conspicuous
figure, resulted in a sentence which has
not been forgotten. Senator Lamar Of
Mississippi had resented As falsehood
. charge Of broken faith made BY Mr..
Conkling, and the latter retorted that
Lamar was q coward, a BLACKBOARD and
. liar. The Mississippi senator, who had
never been accused Of cowardice. looked
over to his opponent and sarcastically
apologized for his first remark "It was
one," he said, ''such as no good man
would deserve and no brave man would
wear" Then he waited for Conkling to
reply, but the New York senator was ST.
lent
Many Of the sharp things said in con-
gress are left out of The Record Cobb's
Where was at?" does not appear in
official print, and Senator Wolcott's
quotation of the Spanish proverb to
Senator Carey, ''It is waste of lather
to shave an ass" has also been cut out.
A few famous sentences came very near
having their origin in c0i.gress. Davy
Crockett, the author of BE sure you re
right, then go ahead, = wa- member Of
the house of reprlse1Uttives for two
years, but it does Tot appear that this
oft quoted advice was originated with
him there. Henry Clay's Il would rath-
er be right than president" was said to
some friends at the capitol, but not in
public debate Senator Sherman, too, is
the author Of the "mending fences
phrase, although he waited until he was
at h5s homo il Mansf377 seeo-a he at
ter IS still y. e,si-
- secretary "a
Aopes o. =