Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-08-31
MADE IN CONGRESS.
CATCHY PHRASES THAT HAVE COME
INTO COMMON USE.

The First Buncombe Speech Was Delivered
In 1seO-Elainc AID Conkling In Debate.
Famous Sentences Pronounced by States.
men When Not In Congress.
Many of tho best known and most
quoted phrases with which the Amer
lean people are familiar originate in
congress.
There is no reason why, if good
thing is said upon the floor of the senate
or house, the country should not know
it in "a hours. With 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. q man who says good
thing in congress one afternoon may
wake up the next morning and find his
saying in cverybody's mouth. There is
something in the atmosphere of con-
gross, too, that develops the latent wit
and inspires to repartee. If a senator OF
representative has anything in him at
all, it is bound to come out III a rough
and tumble debate with d political op-
ponent. Many Of the congressman have
already had their genius i'll this direc-
ton tested upon tho stump and know
how to hold their own i'll the face Of all
Corners. 1t does not always follow, how
ever, that u statesman who is good il
debate will achieve fame by utterinS a
phrase that becomes popular.
To go back to the beginning Of con-
gressional history is to discover many
phrases uttered in congress which aTe
still current. 1t was rs far back rs 1879,
for instance, that Felix Walker, d mem
Der of the North Carolina district which
included BlncOmbe county, apologized
for the emptiness OF his remarks by
stating that he had to make Il speech
"just for Bunconbe." This is saying
which has como down through the years
as byword. Liberty and union, one
and inseparsble, now and forever" was
uttered by Webster III his famous reply
to Hlylic. Lincoln's with malice to-
ward mono end charity toward all'' was
first heard i'll the halls of congress when
his second inaugural address was read
to the assembled representatives. IL
later years Senator Ingalls, contributed q
number of cpigrammGtic sentences, the
best known OF which perhaps was utter
ed i'll 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 as washing his
hards with invisible soap in impercept-
ible water" Another remark by In
gals was much quoted at the time. lie
was discussing the oleomargarine bill
and said regarding certain dairy prod
uct' that 10 stood "iIl awe at THEN
strength and reverence for their antiq-
uity." In Proctor Knots 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 g leg
acy OF their participation i'll congress
sional debates. "Burn these letters
was often quoted after the Mulligan af-
| fair, bUt this sentence was not first ut
, tered i'll congress. The famous debate
between tho two men, which estranged
their whole lives, occurred in April,
1866, over Il very trivial matter-tie
continuance Of the bureau of the provost
marshal general. 1t gave Blaine, how
| evc-', q chance to satirize CoIkling in a
In A., I'LL l.,
Theodore Tilton had appeared in which
ConklinS had been Gkened to Winter
Davis. Tho resemblance is great ex-
! claimed Blaine, with pungent satire.
1T IS striking! Hyperion to satyr,
ThersiteS to Hercules, mud to marble, a
dunghill TO diamond, q s;nged cat to
Bengal tiger, a whining puppy to a
| roaring lion
Another debate in which Conkling,
| then IN tho senate, vas o conspicuous
| figure, resulted i'll Il sentence which has
| not been forgotten. Senator Lamar of
| Mississippi had resented as falsehood
a charge OF broken faith made by Mr.
| Conkling, and the latter retorted that
! Lamar was q coward, blackguard an!
liar. Tho Mississippi senator, who had
never been accused Of cowardice, looked
over % his opponent and sarcastically
apoiogized for his first remark 1T waa
one, he said, ''sucll as no good man
would deserve and no brave man would
| Wear" Then lie waited for Conkling to
reply, but tho New York senator was ST.
| lent.
| Many CT the sharp things said in con-
gross arc left out CT 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, 1T is q waste of lather
to shave an ass, has also been cut out.
| A few famous sentences came very near
] having their origin in congress. Dayy
| Crockett, tho author of BE sure you re
| right. then go ahead" was a member Of
the house of representatives for two
years, but it docs ret 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 tie capitol, but not in