The Washington weekly post., 1900-03-20

/ self seemed to be reduced to a pile OF
! bricks, and every neophyte was reaching
| for one Some members threw them with
remarkable regularity and precision: 9TH
ers hurled them about reckessly. without
regard to consequences. 1t recalled a
SNOWFALL battle between school boys in
the Olden time. When the snow was soft
and not hard packed, everybody laughed
when struck. but when an urchin was hit
under the ear with a condensed ball, it
was not so funny. He yelled in agony.
and dropped in his tracks as though shot.
II requires an expert TO shy a constitu-
tiOnal missile. Unless skillfully handled.
it becomes a boomerang. and is mighty
apt to return and give trouble to the man
who throws it, If a tyro is imbued with
true Congressional wisdom, he will never
fool with such weapons. A college pro-
fessor might as well pirouette with an as
segais.
Serene +. Payne opened the fight In the
House. He loaded his arms at the great
brick pile, and began TO shy the bats in
every direction. Some were glazed. few
were firebrick, and others bore cuneiform
inscriptions. Unfortunately for Payne.
there was a boomerang among them. Ii
was swerved in its course by Charles Z.
Littlefieid, who claimed TO be nothing
more than a plOdding backwoods LAWYER
from Maine, and the result was exceed
ing'y disastrous for Payne. The returning
weapon struck him sharply above the
shoulder. He rubbed his neck and SHE'D
another brick. The Down East lawyer de-
hected II from its course. leaving Payne
again in a qUandary. The scene was high
ly interesting to those on the battle
ground. and peculiarly pleasing 10 a bevy
Of school girls in the galleries Serene held
his own right CALAMITY in the ensuing col
loquy, but Littlefield persisted in exhibit
ing the missile until everybody recognized
it as q boomerang.
Floored the Astnte Daizen.
After Payne sat down. John Dalzen, an
astute lawyer from PittSbure, approached
the brickpile. Thoroughly veTsed in the
intricaCies of the law. he was as agile as
a cat. He carefully assorted his bricks,
apparently prefCT-ing those with curei-
form inscriptions. ma hurtle1 them
through the air with surprising velocity.
With all his artfulnesS, however. me TN
consciously picked UP 4 BOOMERANG Lit
tleheld exposed its true character so lu-
cidly that even Serene F. Payne smiled.
For new member the backwoods LAWYER
was playing in great luck. He was ad-
dressing an audience OF TO less than ia
100000 Of people. 4 wave Of applause ran
over the land. and the handclapping is still
heard beyond the Rocky Mountains.
The next victim was the Hon William II.
Moody, Of Massachusetts. He went at the
brickpile with peculiar artlessness. forti-
fed by ripe experience at the Harvard
Law School, Classic ir face. fg,Ire. ana
nature, he threw his missiles with a grace
and precision that reflected great credit
on old Harvard The bsckwoods counsel
or watched him IN silence. Each brick
went up in the air with i graceful curve
1t was an exhibition well worth seeing
Al last, however, came the inevitable
boomerang MooGy. with all his tact and
exquisite nicely, had got hold OF t,a
wrong implement. 1t reCoiled with great
force. Littleheld gave il terrific In;-
petus, and another enlivening scene en-
sued. To sustain his position Mr.. Moody
had quoted Daniel Webster. Li,;lofeId
extended the quotation from the Cod
ike Danf' and the extension not cnIy an
swered. but demolished the proposition NJ
the Harvard graduate The country law
yer assailed Mr.. Hoody's quoted DJa,a-
dent with a zest that was more than Pc
freshing. He toned his voice 10 The sub-
ject and sarcastically alluded 10 him as
the editah Of the Harvard Law Journal
his knowledge Of the law ard
tearing all his precedents Into strings. II
IS fair 20 Mr.. Moody TO say that he was
not present when this attack was made
and no one urobahfr regre+fed tbfs -
than Mr.. Littlefield himself
There was = smile on the face Of the
Horse when Gen. Grosvenor approaches
the pile OF bricks. He has had so much
experience and has been engaged in so |
many similar fights that expectation was
raised 10 the highest pitch. Posing him