The Black Hills union. [volume] (Rapid City, Pennington County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1889-1904, 1897-07-02
CONGRESSIONAL CHAT
A SPEECH THAT WAS NOT
DELIVERED.

IA ne puDllC8n MenDeF 1IOSc6 his SuluSAOAo
Speech on The State of Things in the
House''-The Hawaiian Treaty and
Other Timely Topics.
WASHINGTON, D. c., June 2l.
Special Correspondence.
The following little speech was, un'
fortunately never delivered in the
house, consequently it must be the
private opinion of some good republi-
can. who w=ote his thoughts out with
the intention, evidently, of making
Rome howl. he was SO unlucky as to
lose it, and getting into II hands we
considered it too good to keep.
Mr.. Speaker, l rise to a question of
privilege. Before entering on my re.
marks, however, l wish to state that
those who are not provided with fans
would contribute to their comfort
were they to provide themselves with
wind producers, for can promise you
my remarks are likely to be somewhat
more heated than those which have
heretofore been delivered on the floor
of this house since the beginning of
The extra session.
Patience, Mr.. Speaker, is one of the
cardinal virtues; but when the affairs
OF a nation so great as ours demand
attention, and are unable to receive it
because of the t%hralldom in which the
republican side of the house is held
by the man who says the congressional
sun shall stand until a tariff bill shall
have been passed, patience ceases to
be a virtue, and l may be pardoned if
[ take it upon myself, in the interests
Of humanity and common justice, and
= respectful regard for the wishes OF
my constituents, to utter a protest
against the policy of inaction pur-
sued by this body, and the contempt
displayed for the voice of the people.
And l cannot refrain, Mr.. Speaker,
from calling to the attention of my
colleagues to the disastrous effect this
will have upon the party when next
the people get a chance to speak their
mind.
l appreciate the situation in which I
place myself, Mr.. Speaker. l compre-
bend fully the fact that in speaking as
do l submit myself to the displeasure
of an %autocrat more czarlike than n
~potentate that ever lived, but 1 would
rather welcome that d~ispleasure, no
matter in what terrible form it finds
vent, than have to face the reproach-
full looks of a constituency hat chose
me to come here to perform my duty
to my country and to them.
l have sat in my sea and noted the
trend of events rs they have occurred
IN this house. l nave noted them with
sorrow and with increasing anger.
1 have witnessed a lethargy little
short of criminal on the part of this
house toward the suffering patriots of
Cuba, whose noble struggle for free
dom from the CALLING yoke of tyranny
and oppression ought to excite the COM
passion of every man within whose
breast the fire of liberty kindled in rs
has not entirely died out. l have sat
here and heard read reports of the ter
rible sutferings, not only of the unfort-
unate non-cOmbatantS-the Door ''pa-
c;ficos''-but citizens of our own fair
land who are in no wise to blame for
the war on that unhappy island. I
have sat here and heard read reports
to the effect hat our consuls were in
danger of assassination for having
dared to tell their government of the
true condition of affairs there. All
this have I noted, and the most shame
full part of the whole matter is the
fact that there are among us mon too
cowardly to show their colors, and
SO afraid of the ponderous individual
in the speakers chair they stifle their
manhood, their sense of justice, all
human instincts within them, for the
sake of pelf.
1t may be serving our county to thus
idle away the time that must be paid
for by the sweat which rolls from a
heavily burdened people; it may be pa.
triotism to clog legislation in this man.
ner, and it may be that for which re-
publicanism stands. I can't see it that
way.
Twill no longer sit idle and uppro-
testing. Neither the threat of being
sighted in make up of committees. MOI
the fact THAT I will receive scant court.
esy from the speaker can turn me from
my purpose to serve my country and
my constituents in a manner satisfac-
tory to them and myself. Iyield to nc
man a greater respect for the republi.
can party than l myself possess. But
when l see a man, upheld by a set OF
favor-seeking and power-loving con.
gress,uen, override and thwart the will
Of the people, I am ashamed to know
that my party tolerates it. l give no
tic~, Mr.. Speaker, that l neither seek
nor covet your favor, nor can your
hypnotic eye render me into a state o.
passiveness to my constituents inter
ests, nor your p%onderous presence
cause me to tremble and squirm as il