The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1896-11-25
A FIGHT IN CONGRESS-.
SOME "REMINISCENCES OFE EARlYLEG-
lSLATlVE DAYS.

Times-A Regular Pitched Rattle on the
Floor of the House-The Elount Episode
The first disgraceful public ercoun'
ter on the floor of an American Con
gress, and the first public trial for the
Impeachment of United States Sena
tor. were both compressed within the
period of the Fifth Congress, says the
Philadelphia Times.
Each Of these stirring events is init
mately related to the other. Indeed,
the one grew out of the other, with
the impeachment proceedings coming
first in orcer Of time.
The principal in the impeachment
proceedings was William Blount, a
Senator from the State of Tennessee.
William Blount first appears on the
,.ese. :.s.. of history as the territorial gov
ernor of that region, carved out OF the
wilderness in 1890, known as the
Territory South of the Ohio" the
greater part of which is at present CO
incident with the State Of Tennessee.
Five years later the Territory was ad
mitted to the Union as State.
Nor was William Blount. the old
Territorial Governor, forgotten under
the new dispensation. He was prompt
ly chosen to the United States Senate.
Senate. His troubles began with the
first day on which he occupied the
new chair.
At the time in question William
Blount found himself heavily in the
wild catspeculations in Western lands
so common ct that early day. 1t was
the same rock upon which that sturdy
patriot of the revolutionary epoch,
Norris of Pennsylvania, had gone to
his desth. The Senator from Tennes
see found that he must realize cash
value upon his lands at once or lose
his fortune, and be forced 10 retire, E
broken man. He. therefore, conceiv
ed the scheme of closing out these
lands, lying in the South and West,
TO British speculators, and IL order
more readily to enlist the sympathies
of these people he had written letter
to one Caren, an Indian agent of his
acquaintance, in which he intimated
that, could the Indians and the back
woodsmen of his native State be stir
red into an appreciation Of the Span
ish situation. New Orleans and the
neighboring districts might become
the permanent possessions of the Brit
ISL. In order to give color to this wild
intrigue, BlouuL na6 also approached
Liston, the new British minister, and
had sounded him as TO the possibility
of help from England.
Itshould be understood that at the
period in question Spain had posses:
sion of that vast stretch OF territory
lying along the Gulf stream, where
the Blount lands lay, and had made
several ileffectual attempts to realize
upon the same. 4 point in Blount's
favor was the fact that the Spanish
authorities had opposed the survey OF
the then Southern boundary Of the
United States, and that they were hes.
.ltating over the surrender Of which
had been stipulated for in recent
treaty.
But William Blount was not des.
tined to succeed in his wild dream.
That same genius of empire that has
confronted the traitor of all time sud
denly rose against the plotter and
struck his plans to the ground. Aaron
Burr, with his chimera of great
Southwestern empire, was confronted
by his Wilkinson, Arnold had his
Andre, the British, Paul Revere, while
The duplicity of Talleyrand, in the
stirring days of 1898, was exposed by
8 humble American sailor. Much In
the same spirit of patriotism, Carey,
the Cherokee interpreter, gave up the
reasonable letters of William Blouut,
and the Senator from Tennessee went
down IN disgrace.
It was during the Blount impeach-
ment that the disgraceful public en-
counter above alluded to took place on
the floor OF Congress. The House had
been balloting for managers. The
members had left their seats and were
strolling about engaged in general
conversation. Among those present
was member from one OF the back
woods districts OF Vermont, Matthew
Lyon by name, politics Republican or
uItra-Democratic.
Matthew Lyon was one whose early
life had been cast in strange lines, and
who, now that prosperity had visited
him, had made the very human mis-.
take Of going to extremes. He showed
his self-conceit and his impetuosity on
the least provacation. As a mere lad
Lyon had come over from Ireland to
the land of freedom, and, being poor,
had bound himself to his benefsctor
in payment for his passage. He was
taken to Vermont, where he was soon
hard at work on new farm in the
wilderness. In time he grew to man
hood. He became citizen. He en-
tered the militia. In 1876 Lyon, as
of a military company, was
ordered to abandon an advanced post
on Lake Champlain On reporting of
,6cially at headquarters he was treated
With great disdain, was declared a
coward, and was placed under guard.
Rumor adds that in addition 10 this
indignity he was obliged to submit the
humiliation of wearing a wooden
sword. Whatever there may have
been IN this story, certain it is that
Lyon himself, always insisted he had
been firm for holding the outpost, but
that being a subordinate he had been
obliged to give way before the will Of
his superior officer.
Years afterward the affair OF the
wooden sword returned on Matthew
Lyons head, and, in one serse at
least, was instrumental in causing his
ruip-a and disgrace.
Thew being ended and independ-
ence gained, Lyon at once applied
himself to the arts OF peace. He was a
progressive and determined man. He
established extensive iron works at the
foot of Lake Champlain He waxed
rich. He married a Governors daugh-
ter. He entered politics. His view was
10 >e