The Montgomery advertiser., 1902-04-30
PLEASANT "REMINISCENCES
Hon. James L. Pugh, President Buc hanan and "Insurrection'
 Whisky. .+,

Ex-Senator James l.. Pugh of Alabama has since quitting public life made Wash ington his permanent home, says Wash- ington correspondent. lie entered the House of Representatives as early as 1893. served eighteen years in the senate. ana if he lives until December F. will be sz. It may therefore be supposed that ne mas many interesting "reminiscences 10 relate. One story he told the other day related to some famous whisky which President Buchanan had at the White House in is1). ,ttlRt3 (- s.rhe equestrian statue of Washington ip the. circle betweea' Twenty third and Ifwenty fourth Strqets was unveiled one saay in the early part of Fehrnarss lsso Ssatd, Sen ator Pugh It Yas cfssss et tssne 2 ss sxorst and raWest os2S eyer E sz2ssrienceaj 2, event there in theS natl t,pis cssf4tal that ,nSlfrl,as every manEin CohgteS* Mhoughtl .its lns dnty to be ob ha nsi:st Of ldpurse the' and hisAca binAt hadt Se, ea5fsi Rsoat 3s0i two hopr:5 Defore essSereme aid. Suggested thafs We gaSbysfEe Whlte I!1hs and see 'oldrsuck.ss ssswe called
 Maybe hell put tout ,s6rde of that fine old whisky we have heard so mpch talk about l said They say it's tine, and I am quite anxious to taste It. and as the weather is so terrible he will prob ably treat
 Sure enough. one of the first things the President did was to suggest that we might he dry and need warming mp on such a cold damp day. He called the whisky Insurrection' whisky because 1t was distilled along about 17s5, when George Washington had to go to Penn sylvania himself to assist in putting down the riots that broke out In the State.
 This whisky was over 50 years old the day Old Buck asked us to take a drink with him. l was anxious to taste 1t to find out if it was better than any other, but 1t wasn't bit better than what we are drinking right now, gen tlemen.
 Tn those days we didn't drink out of glasses such as we have now. They were large numbers. and when the decanter was passed over to me by the President himself I took what you may call sockdologer-the tumbler nearly two thirds full The President noticed 1t and he said:
 'Pugh, you take a hell of d pig drink. but I suppose it is due to the weather, and l will take a good-Sized one myself.
 The President never allowed any man to have the second drink of Insurrsc- ton whisky. One was all, but he was most hospitable and when not busy It was his custom to invite Congressmen 10 take a smile with him, and you could get other brands afterward.
 Shortly before that" continued MT. Pugh .'I had made rip-roarins, red hot speech in the House in favor ot se- cession. | wanted Alabama and all the other Southern States to go out of the Union even before the Presidential can didates were nominated in 1S60 l was young and regular iire-eatcr.
 Like most youngsters serving first term in Congress I was anxious to know what impression had made. Lots ot the fellows at the Capitol had told me 1t was d great effort, whether they meant it or not and that of course pleased mo very much.
 Just after we had taken that drink of Insurrcction' whisky the President turned to mo and said:
 {" 'Pugh. I did something last week that am not often guilty of.
 What was that, Mir. President? inquired.
 |" I read every word of your speech in the House.
 Then he commenced to compliment me on the diction. the grammar, the rhetoric. etc. until l fairly blushcd in returning my thanks. and my friend with me seemed much astonished that so many compi- ments had been showercd upon me- and l was fairly buhbling over with joy. But finally the President remarked:
 q" I did all that, and 1 wish further to say that after reading the speech from beginning to end 1 reached the conclu- sion that there wasn't damned bit of common sense in it.
 As soon as the laughter which this mar rative provoked had subsided Senator Pugh. to the great amusement of all seated around the table added:
 Not long ago in going through my papers I came across that speech and read 1t carefully. and after lapse of forty years l admit myself there wasn't [ damned bit of common sense in it. old Buck had d pretty level head"
 Mir. Pugh left the United States Con Eress tO go to Richmond to serve in the Confederate Congress. He now has the privileges of both floors in Congress, and Is one of the few men who have such privileges. Two of the others are ex- Senator Reagan of TCaNs, and ex-SenatNr Henry w. Blair of New Hampshire. There are great many cx- Senators and hundreds of eN- N-RcprcsentatN'es but very few mon whn have been members of both branches of Congress.
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