The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1904-07-29
WASHINGTON LETTER.

an article the other day bewailing the
degeneracy of the times and entering
upon the details of what it calls gam
bling and 6sticuffs" among members OF
the present Congress. That hebdomanal
must be very hard up for an item. The
fact is that of all the fifty-eight Congresses
which have assembled this is certainly
the quietest, cleanest and most moral.
Considerably more than one personal
encounter on an average has taken place
on the floor between Cougressmen:during
every session. In 1898 the first occurred,
greatly disgusting Washington on his
Mount Vernon farm. Roger Griswold OF
Connecticut had quarrel with Matthew
Lyon of Vermont. Lyon abused the Con-
necticut members for their position on a
certain bill, and said, IT have mind to
come back there and teach you good
manners"
eff you come, Lyon" cried Griswold,
'don't forget to bring your wooden
sword!" abiding to the rumor that the
Vermonter was drummed out of the army
during the revolution. Lyon, without a
word, crossed the room in a frenzyiof rage
and deliberately spat in Griswold's face.
There was motion to expel him and
during it tendency the offender made a
speech in self defence which was so OBJ
scene that the newspapers of even that
free and easy day could not indicate its
purport The motion to expel was de-
feated, whereupon Griswold ran over TO
Lyons seat, jerked him out of it, threw
him down, and beat him on the floor of
the House. Lyon escaped to the fireplace
and defended himself with the tongs, but
was there beaten again. Friends rushed
into the melee, and the battle came to all
end only after considerable damage had
been done. When Jackson came to
Washington he brought with him quar-
relsome reputation. He had wounded
two men in duels and killed one, and had
received four wounds in street fracases,
one of which, from the hand of Thomas
III. Benson, he bore consciously all his
life. 1t was said that Old Hickory had
been in dozen duels and hundred per-
sonal fights when he entered the White
House. He had been horsewhipped in a
ball room by Thomas H. Benson, who
was resolved to "get even," and while he
was President he was once shot at on
Pennsylvania Avenue and once had his
nose pulled ON the Potomac. He was a
strenuous man, and his example was fol-
lowed when Humphrey Marshall shot
Henry Clay, when Senator Bagley
assaulted President Tyler, and when Clay
and General Scott had a scrimmage in
Boulanger's restaurant here SO little to the
credit of either that its details have never
been in print.
In fact, as early as 1924, when the
House was just moving into Statuary
Hall, from the building afterwards known
as the Old Capitol prison, the most popu.
lar branch of Congress was widely known
as the "bear garden" Duels between
Congressman were common, but they
were not often deadly. Men believed
that if they were called "liars' or Cow
ards" only blood-a greater or smaller
quantity as the case might be, would
wipe out the stain of the dishonor. And
it seemed to make no difference whether
it was contributed from the arteries of the
offender or of the person whom he had
injured. Anybody's blood would do.
Splitting in the face seems to have been
much resorted to as remedy, as 1t was
10 ancient times deuteronomy XIV, 9,
in the case of brother-in-faw. Besides
Lyon, both Slidell and Pierre Soule had
recourse to this method of expressing
their feelings. Probably no member o.
the present Congress is subject to such
fits of uncomfortable rage as were several
Statesmen" of that earlier time. Wher
Bale Peyton was member from Ten
nessee and Eli Whitney, the cotton cir
inventor was a harmless witness before
his committee, Peyton burst out: "Yor
shall not speak, sir +! You shall not say
one word in this room. If you do by -
I'll take your life on the spot. Shortly
afterwards, noticing that the witness wa:
looking at him, he shouted: Hes look
ing at me! He's looking at me He
shan't do it I'll kill him ! I'll kill hin
In minute !"-cursing the witness ani
drawing his revolver on him.
introduced this topic in the presence
of ex-Speaker Galusha Grow last year
"Ah !" sighed the venerable man, "Thi
Congress lacks the self-poise and the self
respecting dignity of the Congresses from
SIS to Co." The old gentleman's kindl,
memory misleads him sadly. WAS it no
in those two Congresses that Washburr
scalped Barksdale; that Wilson and But
Ter had scrimmage; that Burlingham'
and Brooks arranged to kill each othe
with rifles. that Potter and PRYOR selected