The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-08-08
CoNKLING AND LAMAR.
lngall Description Famous Scene Ia the
Senate.
brunswick Gazette }

brunswick Gazotte)
The versatile, polished aud brill
liant john James | lgalls ex Senator
from the State of Kansas, who is per.
haps more widely known by the APP
! pollatlOn of "the stateman without a
Job" with which ho dubbed himself
after his defeat for tho senate, IN An
article published in the New York
Evening Post describes in an inter
osting way a scene that occurred in
tho Senate of The Uuited States in
the year 1875. in which Roscoe
Conkllng, then Senator from New
York, and l.. q. Lamar, of Miss,
were the actors. AT the time Of
which lagalls writes the hatchet had
been buried, the pipe Of the Senator'S
from the State cf peace had not been
smoked, aud sectional feeling ran
high and was exceedingly bitter. The
Congress of the United States WAS
the chosen arena tor Its display Re
publican Senators and Representa-
tlves rarely lost AN opportunity TO
torture the most innocent act OF at
teraEccs of Southern mombcrs,w whom
he characterized as "COufoderate
Brlgadicrs' into evidence of dlaloy-
tlly 10 the government. aud co
vctt purpose 10 again "get INTO the
saddle II was part OF the Repub-
lican program 10 keep the South un-
der the ban, aud Roscoe Conkllng by
reason Of ms great ability, his com.
mandlng position, his national repu-
iatIon and his unlimited command Of
bitter and polished sarcasm and in
vccuvo was put forward and made
himself conspicuous by the frequency
and bitterness of his attacks upon
the South and his readiness 10 as
pcrse the motives that dictated the
course Of Southern Senators and
Representatives. Y Gliding 10 the
dictates Of policy they tor long
time permitted these 0usaughts TO
pass unrobuked, but At last forbear.
auce ceased to be a virtue. The
time to call halt had arrived and
the proud, imperious and lns0lent
New Yorker provided the occasion,
OF which the brave, brilliant, aud
conservative Lamar was not slow to
take advantage. The Democrats had
been standing IN solid phalaDx, and
voting as unit against Adjournment
which the Republicans desired. Vcx-
ed and chagrlned at the inability Of
his party to carry its plans and pur-
poses into eject Coukllng took occa
sion to call in question the good
faith of those who had voted against
adjournment and thus thwarted the
Republicans in their schemes, and
donout ced the course OF the opposi
ton IN the bltterest terms. Mr.. In
gals description Of the scene that
eusued is as follows:
The speaker was scornful and
COT temptuous, and his denuncistion
was delivered in sonorous tones and
supplementary language"
lt WAS the opportunity for which
Mr.. Lamar had been waiting. Very
quietly but with inclsiye biting words
no said with reference to the
charge of bad faith that the. Senator
from New York has Intimated TO
ards those who have been engaged
in opposing these motions to adjourn,
| have only to say that if am not
superior to such attacks, from such
sourse, have lived 10 vain. It Is
not my habit to indulge in personal
tiles. but | desire to say here to the
Senator, that in intmsting anything
inconsistent, as be has done, with
perfect good faith | pronounce his
statement q falsehood, which repel
with All the unmitigated contempt
that teel for the author ofit.' In
gals then says:
"ln the code of honor, s)-cilled,
10 give the lie is equivalent to blow
10 IS the supreme verbal sffront, and
can be expstisted only by blood. 1t |
is the intolerable stigma. The man
who is branded as liar publicly is |
in cul.re sac. He can 60 no fur
Their. He must wear the epithet or
fight. To bite the thumb, or thrust
ont the tongue and say 'tu-quoque,' |
does not shift the burden of dishon
or in the estimation Of gentlemen.
"For the ffst time in the SIX years
that ! had known Coakling be was fig
urativdy speaking knocked out Ac-
10 obsequi0us adulation
which mad swollen his egreglous
vanity TO the point of the tumefsc
ton, his hsbilusl attitude was that of
disdain.
lie WIS by far the most picturesque
and commanding figure Of an histor-
c epoch
His self nsci3usgcss was inordi-
nate but justified 10y q magnificent
presence, bv the possession of cx-
intellectual gifts, by ma
onal reputation and the devotion of
4 great constituency.
That this Alcibiades or K publ
,ausm should be called lair and
as an object of unmiti.
gated contempt in the forum Of his
most imposing trIumphs, before
galleries, by a Confederate
was an indignity that
seemed incredible. Had dynamite
,omb exploded in the gangway of
he brilliantly lighted chamber the
could hardly have been
more bewilderiDg.
Conkling came back but his wings
we're heavy, his heart was faint, his
ntellections not responsive. His
,ltiful reply was that "if the Senator
rom Mississippi did impute, or in
ended to impute, to me a falsehood,
Iothing except the fact that this is
he Senate would prevent my de
ouncing him as blackguard and a
oward."
The keen mental scimetar Of the
cry able, brilliant, cultured, brave
Outherner flashed in the air and
pom the startled ears Of the Sena-
ors fell in deiberation these words. 4
9 hava onlv IN GOV that tho Sana