The Madisonian. (Virginia City, Mont.) 1873-1915, 1895-11-30
MADE IN CONGRESS.
CATCHY PHRASES THAT HAVE COME
INTO COMMON USE.

Many of the best known and most
quoted phrases with which the Amer
lean people are familiar originate in
congress.
There is no reason why, if a good
thing is said upon the floor Of the senate
or house, the country should not know
st 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. a man who says a good
thing in congress one afternoon may
wake up the next morning and find his
kaying in everybody's mouth. There is
something in the atmosphere Of con-
press. too. that develops the latent wit
and inspires to repartee. If a senator or
q representative has anything III him al
all. it is bound to come ont 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 Ct al
Corners. 1t does not always follow, how
ever. that e statesman who is good III
debate will achieve fame by utterlng a
phrase that becomes popular.
M mn bcn1- 70 fhn haCy1nn1nO nf n0n.
gressional history is to discover many
phrases uttered in congress which are
still current. 1t was as far back as 1880.
for instance, that Felix Walker, "a mem
Der of the North Carolina district which
included Buncombe county. apolOglzed
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 q byword. Liberty and union. n
and inseparable, now and forever, was
uttered by Webster III his famous reply
to Hayne. Lincoln's with malice to-
ward none and charity toward all" was
first heard III the halls Of congress when
his second inaugural address was read
to the assembled representatives. In
later years Senator ingalls, contributed a
number Of ~epigrammatic 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 is "washing his
hands With invisible soap in impercept'
IDLE water. - Another remark by In
gals was much quoted at the tune. Re
was discussing the oleomargarine bill!
and said regarding certain dairy pcOd'
ucts that he stood in " at their
strength and reverence for their antlq,
uitv." In Proctor Knott widely copied
Duluth speech occurs that phrase, the
zenith city of the unsalted seas, a title
which Duluth has always proudly kept.
Blaine and Conkling, With all their
greatness, left no single phrase as a 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 il congress. The famous debate
between the two men, which estranget
their whole lives, occurred in April
1866, over a very trivial matter-th'
continuance Of tie bureau Of the proves
marshal general. 1t gave Blaine, how
ever, a chance to ~satiriZe CoDkling in
single sentence. An article written b,
Theodore Ti]ton had appeared in which
Conkling had been likened to White
Davis. The resemblance is great, Cs
claimed Blaine, with pungent satire
''It is striking! Hyperion to a satyr
Thersites to Hercules, mud to marble,
dunghil to a diamond, q sinSed cat t
q Bengal tiger, a whining puppy to
roaring lion"
Another debate il which Conkline
then in the senate, was 81 conspicuou
figure, resulted il a sentence which ha
not been forgotten. Senator Lamar c
Mississippi had resented as a falsehoo
a charge Of broken faith made by MI
Conkling, and the latter retorted tina
Lamar was n coward. a blackguard an
q liar. The Mississippi senator, who ha
never been accused of cowardice, locke
over to lis opponent and sarcasticall
a~pologized for his first remark, lit W;
one" he said, "such as 10 good ma
WONlu deserve Glu 10 bTdNS lllill WOUI
wear. - Then he waited for ConklinS
reply, but the New York senator was s
lent.
Many Of the sharp things said in CO
gress are left ont Of The Record. Cobb
"Where was l att" does not appear
official print, and Senator Wolcott
quotation of the Spanish proverb
Senator Carey. at is a waste of lath
to shave al ass has also been cut on