Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1895-12-31

ICON INuNio WN A"uANNf OtiHiuutt II
congress
There is no roason why. II q good
thing IS ssaid upon the floor Of tho senate
or house. the country should not l1,ow
it ga "a hours With press gallery
tltrongod with correspondents who arc
always roady and eager 20 pick up tho
novel phrasoor thonpt description. with
the great press associations distributing
iho debates from ono end of The country
70 tho other, and with newspapers only
too anxious e. give currency 20 the lat
oat expression. man who says q good
thing in congress one afternoon may
wake up tho noxt morning and find his
saying in everybody e mouth. There is
something in tho ntmosphor0 Of con.
gress. too. that develops ths latent wis
and Inspires TO ropartoo II a oenptor or
q representative has anything in him at
all, it e bound to come ont in a rough
and tumble debate with q political Op-
pon6nt. Many Of the congressman have
already had their genius 10 this dirco-
tion tested upon tho stump and know
how 90 hold their own IN the face Of all
comers. It does not always follow, how
ever. that a statesman who is good ia
debate win achieve fame ~ utterin8 o
phrase that becomes popular
To 60 back 20 the beginning of con-
Rressional history Is 90 discover many
phrases uttered in congress which are
still current. It was as far bnck as 1890,
for instance. that Felix Walker, a mem-
Der Of the North Carolina district which
included Buncombo county, npoiogized
for tho emptiness Of his remarks by
stating thas he had to make a speech
'iust for Bunoombe." This is a saying
which has come down through the years
ns q byword Liberty and union, one
and inseparable. now and forever, was
uttered by Webster IN his famous reply
to Hayno. Lincoln's with malice to-
ward none and charity toward all' w0s
first heard IN the halls Of congress when
his second inaugural address was read
70 tho assembled representatives. In
later years senator Ingalls, contributed a
number Of epigrammatio sentences, tho
best known Of which perhaps was utter
Brown Of Georgia. The latter had q
habit Of rubbing his hands together as
no talked, and Ingalls,, with bitter en-
phasis, described him as washing his
hands with invisible soap in impercept-
ible water. I" Another remark by In
gals was much quoted at the time He
was discussing the Oleomargarine bill
and said regarding certain dairy prod
nets that no stood in awe nt 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, = 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 af-
fair, but this sentence wds not FIRST ut
tered ia congress. The fam9us 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 Il gave Blaine, how
ever, q chance 20 Batirize Conkling in a
single sentence An article written BY
Theodore Tilton had appeared ia which
Conkling had been likened TO Winter
Davis. 1.-THE resemblance Is great, ox-
claimed Blaine, with pungent satire
"It is Etrilingl Hyperion 10 q eatyr,
Thersites 20 hercules, mud to marble, a
dunghill to a diamond, a hinged cat to
Bengal tiger, o whining puppy 70 q
roaring lion"
Another debate IN which Conkling,
then Ia tho senate, was D conspicuous
figure, resulted ia d sentence which has
not been forgotten. Senator Lamar Of
Mississippi had resented as a falsehood
q charge Of broken faith made by Mr..
-ConklinR, and the latter retorted that
Lamar was q coward. blackguard and
liar. The Mississippi senator, who had
never been accused Of cowardica, looked
over 20 his opponent and sarcastically
apologized for his first remark. 1T was
one.' no said, "suoh as no good man
would deserve and no brave man would
wear. " Then howaited for Conkling q
reply. but tho New York senator was 81.
lent
Many Of theahaEp things said in con.
Rross arc left out Of The Record. Cobb's
where was at3' does not appear ia
official print. and Senator Woloott'l
quotation Of the Spanish proYerb to
Senator Carey, 'It is o waste Of lathel
20 shave an ass, has also been cut out.
"A few famous sentences came very neal
having their origin ia congress. Davy
Crockett, the author Of Be sure you'El
right, then 90 aheal. ," was q member d
tho house ol Representatives FOR tWg
years. but Il does nos appear that thi'
oft quoted advice was originated witt
him there Henry Clay's II would rath
er 30 right than president" was said b
some friends ot the capitol, but not n
public debate. Senator sherman, too, q
the suthor Of the ''monding fences
phrase, although ho waited until ho WA
ht bis home ia Mansfield before DO ut
tered e. While Hayes was stiil prosi
dent and hif. Sherman was lccretary q
tho treasury ho entertained hopes ol !
presidential nomination. Just before th'
Republican national convention met ia
went to Mansfield. and while there wa
called upon for q spoqoh "a tho ooura
81 hi8 remarks 1Ir. Sherman denied hay
ing travelled 70 Ohio opromoio bis pras
idoniial aspirations II have simrl,
como ho eaid. 70 mend my fences
which are greatly Ga need Of repair. ~
WaaIingtc1 Post