The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-10-29

| Der. His theme was the Lecompton
! Constitution, and he was a friend and
| follower of stephen A. Douglas and
| those of us who have the vantage of
| judging after the fact can only re-
gret that every Democrat in the Re-
public did not follow the lead of the
Little Giant in the slavery dispute.
There might have been no war, slavery
would have died a natural death, and
there would be no race problem to
veX this generation and curse their
children and their children's children.
Cox was now a national figure. He
was reelected to the Thirty-slXth
Congress from Ohio in 1858, and con-
tinued a member from the Columbus
district until his defeat in 1864. In
1863 he was the Democratic caucus
nominee for Speaker, against Schuy-
Ter ColfaX. 1t was during his service
in the Thirty-scyenth Congress that
he was instrumental in securing
commission of brigadier general for
William II. Sherman. Though he was
a war Democrat, Cox bitterly assailed
the war policy of the Lincoln admin
istration, and joined with Dan Voor-
hees in preaching the funeral of
American liberty. Those two orators
were unsurpassed for parliamentary
eloquence in those days. but they are
scarcely justified by the event 1t was
rarely that Cox INDUCED in inVectiVe,
but in one of his speeches during the
war he fairly blistered Edwin NJ. stan
ton.
In 1861 Cox became a member Of
the Committee on Foreign Affairs, for
which he was especially fitted by taste
and by education. He was born ia
vorite, and would have shone at Lon
don, at Paris, at Berlin, or any other
capital of the Old World. This sub
iect brings TO mind Illinois grand old
man, who would not get get out OF
Henry Cabot Lodges way, and it is
said that Father Cullom will not name
the Interstate Commerce Commission
ar to succeed Gov. Fifer. Can it be
that the Massachusetts statesman is
partially avenged? 1t was all that
General Grant and Hamilton Fish
could do to prevent the last chairman
of Foreign Relations frEn Massachu-
sets from licking Great Britain, ana
they say that Senator Lodge would
as soon as not cut that caper for Ger
many. Uncle Cullom Will lick nobody
if he can possibly avoid it.
Mr. Cox retired from Congress in
1855 and became citizen of New
York: but he never lost interest in
public affairs. 1t was claimed for him
that ne was greatly instrumental in
securing the acquittal of President
Johnson in The Impeachment proceed
ings His pen was busy and he was
frequently on the stump. OF all the
public men of that epoch, the Demo-
Gratis hated Ben Butler most. They
looked on Sumner as impractical and
a lunatic. They feared Stevens and
abominated Wade and Chandler; but
their hatred of Butler was the in
tensest of all. Dom Plat wanted the
party 10 bring Judge jeremiah Black
to Congress, and said he would go Dall
that old Ben would resign the day
Black entered the House, and ii was
not without reason. for Plat cited in
stances where the grand old jurist
from Pennsylvania in the Supreme
Court took Butler by the nape Of the
neck and shook him as ii dog would
a rat, speaking in metaphor
Others said that it would do-as we'll
to bring s. 5. Cox back to Congress.
They remembered how COX had heap
ed ridcule on a Universalist preacher
a member of Congress from Cincin-
natl of the name of Gurley. who has
assailed General Mcclellan. Cox re-
piled i'm one of the most rollicking
speeches Congress ever heard, and set
the whole country TO laughing. / re-
member he said that Gurley had faith
to believe that Humphrey Marshall,
then a general in the Confederate
army, who weighed nearly 400 pounds
could enter the pearly gates of heaven
without widening the gates or lessen
ing Marshall's bulk, though he had
not faith to the size Of a mustard seed
in the accomplished young command
er who was the tool of the army and
the hope of the people.
That speech introduced Cox every
where and the question of his return
to Congress waS'national. From every
State the demand was heard to send
Cox back TO Washington, and the main
reason assigned was that he was the
man to take the hide off old Butler.
The red hottest Democratic papers
loved TO reprint that terrific assault
on Butler by John Mitchell, the Irish
patriot and orator closing with the
/ epithetS, Beast, brute, devil; from
which Butler got the name of Beast"
Well New York sent Cox to Con-
gress-elected him in 1858. 1t was
not u great while before he clashed
with old Butler. and much to his dis
comfiture. Farnsworth, of Illinois,
leading Republican, hated Butler as
cordially as the Democrats, and one
day in committee shook his fist in old
Ben's face and called him several sorts
| of scoundrel to which Butler only i'm
| perturbably retored, You've got more
| head than brains, Sir, and went ahead
with the business in hand One day
| Butler and FarnSWOrth FLASHED on
the floor and Cox thought it his OPP
Iportunity. His conception was excel
| lent He knew that it was useless to
search the language for abuse for in
| that particular it had long been ex-
hausted by both Democrats and Re-
| publicans in denunciation on Butler,
and SO he proceeded to defend him. 1t
was delicious piece of satire, and
would have served its purpose admir-
ably if Butler had stood hitched. But
Butler refused to stand hitched. He
| took the floor and sailed into his enc
mics with terrific sarcasm and invec-
tive, and at the close he turned to Cox
and answered something like this
tAs to the gentleman from New
York, / Will answer him out of the
mouth of every gamin in the street,
"Shoo fly, don't bodder me-"
And old Ben waved his hand and
grimly took his seat. The House roar
ed, and the next day the country
roared. "Shoo. fly was senseless
| QittV. that WAS sim bOut that time IN