Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-09-14

speeches have ever been delivered II
that historic hall During its progress
Bryan sent to the clerks desk to b,
read the stock quotation from Shylocl
about the pound of flesh. As soon a
the reading concluded Walker sang out
in his most rasping voice, "Who wrote
thatf' The question was 50 ridiculous
that the house roared for FIVE minutes
Two or three times Bryan tried to start
on, but he couldn't be heard for the
laughter. At last when the members
had exhausted themselves in cachinna-
ton he proceeded to give the admins
tration a lambasting which sent a shiv-
er up and down the spinal column Of
every goldbug in the land
Hon. George d. Wise Of Virginia
was the most irascible of men, but he
was a splendid gentleman, with a heart
as tender as a little child's. He was one
Of my best friends. he had in charge
the famous revenue cutter hill One
| day l had to kill time for "a minutes to
keep it from being voted on. l had the
right to talk about anything / pleased,
and / talked about several Among 9TH
er things, l pounded that monumental
fraud, civil service reform, a few mo-
ments. / gave samples of the idiotie
questions which they had in their K
aminations Inter ALA, l said the com
mission asked a class Of applicants for
positions in the railway mail service
how far IL is from the earth to the sun,
and that one man answered. II don't
know, but it's not far enough to keep
me from drawing my salary If I get
the job I'm after" Wise saw his op-
portunity and broke in with, II would
like TO ask the gentleman from Mis-
souri, how far he has got from the sub
feet under discussion 2" II struck the
house all Of a heap. and the house
roared for two or three minutes, but as
/ was trying to kill time they served
the purpose very well, though there are
more comfortable positions than that
Of standing up on the floor with about
800 fellows laughing ct your expense
Not a Happy Family.
There is a popular delnsion to the
effect that all the bitter, rough and
cutting remarks made in congress are
made In a ''Pickwickian sense for
the benefit OF the galleries and the
country. Nothing could be wider Of the
mark They are generally spoken in
dead earnest, often with murderoua in
tent.
Those who think that all the mem
bers are cheek by jowl with each other
and live happily together as sucking
doves are wofuIly mistaken. Rivalry
breeds dislike. success creates jealousy,
competition engenders friction, opposi-
ton fosters bitterness, ambition-that
sin by which the angels fell and which
wrecks so many -hyes-excites detrac-
tion and sets all the mills Of SANDER to
grinding out their disgusting grist
Things are said there 'swillfully, de.
Hberately, premeditatedly, on purpose
and Of malice aforethought," as the
indictments run, whose sole purpose il
to produce political death. Even polif-
ical assassination is not unknown and
Impractical in Washington. Poison foz
the mind If not poison for the body, il
res0rted 10 among some aspiring states
men who in public preserve all the con
ventional forms of ceremonial etiquette
toward each other. The tomahawk and
the scalping knife have long since beer
barred az weapons of assault among
civilized people in all sorts Of warfare
except political
Once l heard George W. Fithian Of
Illinois in q debate give the lie direci
without any circumlocution whatever
to Hon. Elijah Adams Morse Of Massa.
chusetts, who was BY the ungodly nick
named "Rising Sun Stove Polish
Morse" Fithian, like Marc Antony
claimed 70 be, is a plain, blunt mar
who had a way Of speaking out in
meeting.
Sometimes a pertinent inquiry or &
profound suggestion is answered II
words Hippant, il not profane.
John Allen Of Mississippi says that
during the acrimonious and long drawn
out debate on the Fitz John Porter case
Representative Andrew O.. Curtin, thu
great war governor Of Pennsylvania,
was billed 10 speak at 2 O'Clock and, t.
use Johns precise lingo" had ~liquored
up for the occasion The time Of tns
orator who Immediately preceded thu
governor was extended indefinitely, and
the great Pennsylvania kept on 'liq
uoring up" Finally he took the foo
and began his speech. In reply to one
of his statements concerning the posi-
ton Of the troops at the second battle
Of Manassas some member said, ''Goy'
ernor. the maps show precisely the con
trary."
"Then ! say d-n the mapsi" shout
ed the venerable statesman from the
Keystone State, which, though not q
very logical, was an entirely effective
ret0rt
Once In the Fifty-third congress one
Wilson Of Ohio made some invidioui
remarks about Texas mutton. TO which
Hutcheson Of Texas. one Of the finest
gentlemen who ever represented a dis
trict in congress. replied in this wise:
f'The gentleman from Ohio said that
the sheep Of Ohio were better than the
sheep Of Texas. and he presumed thai
ii was because they were better civil
lied Nj. Chairman, ! thank the gen
tleman for the compliment which fol
lowed It. He then said that the delega-
ton from Texas--I appropriate none d
1t to m~yself-was one Of the best in thii
body. II explains, Mr.. Chairman, the
difference between Ohio and Texas.
While Ohio has cultivated the civiliza.
ton Of her sheep Texas has cultivated
the manhood and the civilization Of hel
citizens under free institutions"
Hutcheson could always be depended
on 10 sound the praises Of the great
southwest BE was the ~pleasaniest Of
men, bat brave as a lion He added
largely to his fame by proposing on one
occasion to perform gratis a surgical
operation ON Colonel Dick Bright's jug
ular with . bowie knife
M HI