The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1900-03-06

Washington, Feb 2S -Repre'entative
Otey today delivered one Of the best
and most humorous speeches on the
Porto Rlcsn tariff bill that has ever
beea heard in the halls Of Congress.
Mr.. Otey held tho close attention OF the
House and during the course Of his
speech was literally applauded by both
Democrats and Republicans. His speech
follows:
Mr.. Chairman. i have not bothered
the House much with my legal and
constitutional lore, aud, therefore, l
ask that | be given ten minutes by
unanimous consent
| wish you would note the time. Mr.
Chairman, exactly twenty minutes past
l2 Laughter. Mr.. Chairman the
Republican party in this House reminds
me of a friend Of mine who had very
swift greyhound That greyhound ran
without smell, but by sight. One day
he was going with such swiftness that
he struck a perpendicular wire fence
with his nose and it split him right IN
two The owner Of the dog, having
studied anatomy and knowing some
thing about that principle, osmosis
thought if he should pat him together
right away, he would grow and live
So he stuck him together, and a few
days afterwards friend met him and
asked him how the dog was getting on.
He said He is the best dog ever
saw. How is that?' He said
when l put him together l put the
head down next to the half with the
tail, and be grew t5gether, and now
he is the finest dog you ever saw
because he can run both ways, and III
can bark at both ends. " (Grea
laughter
Iwant it distinctly understood, Mr.
Chairman, that this applause doesn
come out Of my time. When the Re
publican party had passed a case O
protracted labor with great, but
serene Payne Qaughter), and when th'
baby showed no signs whatever o.
Dipgley paternity. it was charged tina
Payne was its papa, and he deserted
and sent it TO the orphanage, and sub
stituted a deformed grandchild Of tht
Dinpley persuasion. daughter and sp
plause. He admitted that he was 1t
adopted father, but said that Its par
entaRe was unknown to him, and tha
he was responsible for not fiber OF 1t
frame nor a bone in its body, but tha
he had taken it under its wing to rails
it on a bottle of Dingley soothing syrup
AS the poet says
How bitterly he must have wept, hoV
little he must have felt
Being obliged to adopt an illeRitimat
waif, and let his own offspring die
1t may be, my friends, that it ma,
be for his good 1t reminds me Of
white man in my district that ono
voted the Republican ticket He wen
'possum hunting that night, and tn
rain came up and he had no shelter ex
cept to crawl into hollow log. Whei
he crawled in there the log began t
swell, and as 1t got larger on the ont
side it got smaller on the inside. ant
the hole got so tight Ia there that b
couldn't get out, and he commenced &
think Of all the mean things that b
ever did in his life. and finally it oc
CURED to him that be had voted the Re
publican ticket that day, aud he fel
so small and little that he slipped OF
like he was in oil daughter } Tha
may be Of use to my genial friend from
New York (Mr. Payne)
Now, l want to discuss this thing o
it's constitutional grounds. daughter.
I listened with respectful attention
the distinguished gentleman from Penn
sylysnia-I believe ne is from Pennsyl
yanis l mean Mr.. Dalzell (Laughte
on the Democratic side). We NOR
prominent members Of Congress do nc
know these obscure members, and ar
not sure where he comes from (Re
uewed laughter l listened wit
patieuce, and If / had not happened :
have seen a copy of the Constitution
in print, and II / had not happened
have heard that there was an old ma