Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1895-08-07
REMARKS OF HON. ST. G. TUCKER
IN THE SCOTCH-IRISH CONGRESS,

At the recent session of the Scotch
Irish Congress in Lexington, Va, just
before its close, the President of that
body requested Hon. H. st. G.. Tucker
to make some remarks, whereupon he
addressed that body as follows
Mr.. President: l have not been an
inattentive auditor of the proceedings
of this august body, and as the student
of anatomy finds the study of COM
parative anatomy of very great SER
vice in determining truth, SO l have
found as an auditor of your delibera-
tions, much of information and truth
to carry with me from this meeting.-
l notice many grounds of similitude
between this body and a certain other
Congress; but as the hour of 12 ad-
vances on Saturday night. l notice in
the faces of the members of this honor
able body more uneasiness than l have
observed under similar circumstances
in that other body with which l am
acquainted.
There have been some surprises to
me, Mr.. President. as have witnessed
your deliberations: the greatest of
which perhaps was how you have been
able to dispatch business as you have
done so successfully with only one man
speaking at time; and not another
slight surprise is that the speaker on
the floor has been able to proceed in
diligently when the other delegates
were sitting quietly in their seats act
ually listening to him. Another sur
prise that I have noticed--and we
were almost saved from it to-day by
the honorable member from New Jer-
sey-is that any Congress of whatever
denomination or sect could sit any
where in America for four days and
for the unlimited coinage of silver at
we heard anything of the revision of
the tariff, nor has a budget been
brought in yet, and it is almost 10
o'clock; and lastly with great satisfac-
ton to some of US, l found that no
member among you has had the
temerity to rise in his seat and present
a bill to regulate the election in the
South. Uaughter.)
Now, Mr.. Chairman, l confess to a
feeling of loneliness as l came into this
hall a few days ago, for as l looked
around this room and saw the long list
of Scotch Irish names on the walls it
seemed to me as if were an alien to
your deliberations. l do not find my
name written upon these walls, and
have been told by some of my honor
able friends that l was a half-breed;
but, Mr., President, with that self.
graduation which is very common to
us, when a friend whose truthfulness
l cannot doubt told me that a half
breed was man that possessed all of
the virtues of both strains and none of
the vices of either, then it was that
began to feel sorry for the full-fedged
Scotch Irish that sit before me now
daughter and applause.)
Mr.. President, there is one quality of
the Scotch-Irish that have not heard
mentioned in your discussions. have
some slight acquaintance with them
1t isn't courage, though it embraces
courage. It is not steadfastness,
though it embraces it. 1t is the quality
of StickatiUenesS; not that quality
which permits you to make before
breakfast a resolution which you break
before dinner, nor that quality which
leads you to resolves on the first day of
January which you, alas, break before
the first of February, but a quality
that | have discovered in my relations
with the Scotch Irish away down in
the bottom of the heart-to do, to per-
severe and never let up; ''stickative-
ness" Mr.. Chairman, is the word.
l have also listened with some inter
est for paper on another subject. l
heard paper read in this meeting
that spoke of the home-life of the
Scotch Irish. At the next meeting, at
which we will all be, for feel like say
ing, Mr.. Chairman, after attending
your deliberations, as they used to say
during the late unpleasantness eff
you want to have good time join the
cavalry" if you want to have a good
time, join the Scotch-Irish. Applause. }
want to hear a paper read by a
proper histOrian-and you have them
home-life of the Scotch Irish upon
American civilization. applause. y
These grand colleges and schools that
we have through the country do much
for the man, but, Mr.. President, the
character of the citizen is not made in
colleges; the character of the man is
made in the home. (Applause.) May
l add in the Scotch Irish home. A
thousand constitutions will not bind
an anarchist, but one constitution is
more than enough to bind ten thou
sand constituents of the honorable
members of this Congress. l want to
see paper on that which is the foun-
dalton stone Of the life of the govern
ment. Go with me if you can through
the homes of the Scotch-Irish of the
Valley, and there l will show you
where the men that fought the battles
of the country, not only in the field of
letters, but upon those bloody fields of
battle. have learned to bear, to suffer
and to endure.
Mr.. President. perhaps it might be
interesting for you to know what is
thought of this body and the individual
members of it, or as our good friend.
the member from New Jersey, has said
of the visiting team, in college par
lance. May tell an incident of this
morning. As l sat in one of the rear
seats listening to paper, in the midst
of it there arose upon this platform,
one, who like Saul, was head and
shoulders above his brethren, not only
in physical stature, but in moral and
religious influence through the coun-
try, magnificent specimen of the
Scotch Irish minister and patriot. AS
he stood there, boy who sat near me,
greatly interested in athletics, leaned
over and said to me: MIR. Tucker,
who is that?" mentioned his name,
and as quick as a flash he said
Wouldn't he make daisy centerrush
in foot ball team?" (Laughter.) And
1 congratulate the Scotch Irish Con-
gress, for, as understand the position
of center-rush, and I do not claim to
understand it much, it is the place of
honor, it is the place where the strong
man is put to protect the weak line; l
the Scotch, Irish race of
America that it has ever been the
center-rush of our civilization. ZAP
plause.)
Now, Mr.. Speaker, 1 cannot forget
that you impressed it upon me twice to
do it up in a hurry" and it is one of
the times when cannot tell anything |
except the solemn truth. There is in |
closing one sentiment that 1 should |
ike to refer to. The great and good |
from the great city of New
York who addressed us on yester- night |
was kind enough to express the belief
that if this great body of American
citizens could accomplish nothing else
oy their deliberations than bring
about the unity of a once distracted |