The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-08-24
MADE IN CONGRESS.
CATCHY PHRASES THAT HAVE COME
INTO COMMON USE.
The First Buncombe Speech Was Delivered
In 182O-Blaine and Conkling In Debate.
Famous Sentences Pronounced by States
men When Not In Congress-.


Famous Sentences Pronounced by States
men When Not In Congress-.
Many of the best known and most
quoted phrases with which tho Amer
lean people are familiar originate in
congress.
There is no reason why, if u good
thing is said upon the floor CT the II
or house. the country should not know
it in "a hours. With a press gallery
thronged with correspondents who are
always ready and eager to pick up the
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. Il man who says q good
thing in congress II afternoon may
wake up the next morning and find his
something III the atmosphere of con
gress, too, that develops the latent wit
and inspires to repartee. If a senator or
II 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-
ton tested upon the stump and know
how to hold their own in the face of all
corners. 1t does not always follow, how
ever. that q statesman who is good in
debate will achieve fame by uttering a
phrase that becomes popular.
To go back to the beginning Of on
'gressiOnal history is to discover many
phrases uttered i'll congress which are
still current; 1t was as far back as 1920,
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
lust for Buncombe." This is a saying
which has come down through the years
as a byword. Liberty and union, one
and inseparable, now and forever" was
uttered by Webster in his famous reply
to Hayre. Lincoln's with malice to-
ward non and charity toward ALL 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 a
number of e~pigrammatic sentences, the
best known of which perhaps was utter
ed in his wordy duel with Senator
Brown of Georgia The latter had a
habit Of rubbing his hands together as
he talked, and ingalls,, with bitter en-
phasis, described him Us washing his
hands with invisible soap in impercept-
ible water" Another remark by In
gals vas much quoted at the time. He
was discussing the oleomargarine bill
and said regarding certain dairy prod
ucts that he stood Sin W at their
strength and reverence for their antiq-
uity." In Proctor Knott's widely copied
Duluth speech occurs that phrase, ''the
zenith city Of the unsalted seas. " q title
which Duluth has always proudly kept.
Blaine and Conkling. with all their
greatness, left no single phrase as q leg
acy Of their participation in congress
sional debates. Burn these letters
was often quoted after the Mulligan at
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,
1865, ver a very, trivial matter-the
continuance Of the bureau Of the provost
marshal general. 1t gave Blaine, how
ever, a chance to s~atirize Conkling in a
single sentence. An article written by
Theodore Tilton had appeared in which
Conkling had been likened to Winter
Davis. 1.-THE resemblance is great" ex-
claimed Blaine, with pungent satire.
1T is striking! Hyperion to a satyr,
Thersites to Hercules, mud to marble, a
dunghill to a diamond, a singed cat to
a Bengal tiger, u whining puppy to a
roaring lion"
Another debate in which Conkling,
then in the senate, was q conspicuous
figure, resulted in a sentence which has
not been forgotten. Senator Lamar of
Mississippi had resented as a falsehood
charge Of broken faith made by Mr..
Conkling, and the latter retorted that
Lamar was a coward, a blackguard and
liar. The Mississippi senator, who had
never been accused Of cowardice, looked
over to his opponent and sarcastically
apologized for his first remark. ut 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 81
lent =
Many Of the sharp things said in con.
gress are left out Of The Record. Cobb's
Where was / att" does not appear in
official print, and Senator Wolcott's
quotation of the Spanish proverb to
Senator Carey, 'It is a waste of lathel
to shave an ass" has also been cut out.
A few famous sentences came very neal
having their origin in congress. Davy
Crockett. the author of "Be sure you're
right. then go ahead, was a member Of
the house Of representatives for two
years, but it does not appear that Thu
oft quoted advice was originated will
him there. Henry Clay's ~ would rath
or be right than president" was said t,
some friends at the capitol, but not i,