The Hawaiian gazette. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1865-1918, 1909-06-22
SOUTHERN BLOOD
BO|LS EASILY
By Ernest G. walker.

hAchlANulOANs " C.y Mhy OIL He
biggest fighting arena in the country
is at the Capitui. No Congress passes
into history without some efforts at
physical violence, by men who have lost
their tempers. For many years visitors
were shown an ink splotch in the old
committee room of the House Naval At
fairs, where an irate Missourian, by the
name of Tarsney, had thrown pot of
writing fluid at the head of an offending
colleague-and missed him.
Nowadays all the visitors to the gal
leries of the Senate want to be shown
the rotund and youthful looking Senator
from Texas, Mr.. Bailey, and they also
inquire whether one w. Sinkler Man.
ming is seated at one of the high
benches in the press gallery where the
correspondents watch the proceedings of
the Senate. Their fine mixup the other
day, right in front of the mahogany
portal to Senator Aldrich's Committee
room, has been the dominant theme of
week, which will be gossiped about
long after the debate over the sugar
schedules and the increase in the duty
upon potatoes is forgotten by all except
those who administer the laws.
The Northern men in Congress rarely
figure in these encounters. They do not
lose their tempers so quickly. Call a
Southern man liar or other like of.
fcnsive name and he will fight upon the
spot. If he did not the story would be
told back home and his home folks
would snub him and ostracize him when
he returned. No one, of course, likes
TO have his honor or his veracity i'm.
pugned, but the Northern Congressman
finds some other way to retaliate.
But the Northern men have their
quarrels, often of a very bitter nature.
There is probably score of Republican
Senators who are not on speaking terms
with all their colleagues. One con
spiciOus case of their present session
might be mentioned-that of Senators
Aldrich, of Rhode Island, and Dolliver,
of Iowa. No one knows Just what
passed between them, but they had
heart to heart wrangle some weeks ago,
engaged in the plainest kind of talk and
the one hates the other cordially. But
they did not come to blows. Time and
again they approach the very limit of
parliamentary law and etiquette in what
they say about one another, but they
respect that limit.
The House has had a quarrel scene.
Missiles have been flung in open session
and during the days just preceding the
Spanish war, there was a pile up of
members right on the floor. Repre-
sentative Bartlett, of Georgia, threw a
book at Representative Brumm, of Pen.
nsylvania, and there followed most
turbulent scene. In the earlier, and as
many pcssimistic people claim the better,
days of the Republic, such affairs were
followed by challenges and sometimes
by duels. Nowadays the combatants
glare blankly at one another for week
or two or month or two and then
make it up and become fairly good
friends.
No one marvels when the nimble
Senator Beveridge of Indiana. trips
over to the seat of Senator Bailey of
Texas and sits down for a most earnest
conversation. Their relations are en-
tirely friendly. But it was only few
years ago that one afternoon, just after
the Senate had adjourned, the quick
tempered Bailey, walked over to the
seat of the Honorable Beveridge and
elutched him by the throat, pulled out
his cravat and mussed him up quite
generally before the bystanders separat-
ed them. Mr. Bailey barely missed be.
ing in contempt of the Senate, but the
wise ones argued it out sagely that as
the Senate was not in session there
could have been no contempt. Senator
Beveridge is very plain spoken at times.
He has frequently angered older Sen.
ators both by his words and his manner.
Some of them thought Senator Bailey
on that occasion had some prOvocation
although they never for moment
sanctioned his method of showing re-
sentiment.
1t was altogether different when the
two South Carolina Senators, Tillman
and MeLaurin. started a biff bang con-
test right on the floor when the Senate
was in session. That was contempt of
the Senate beyond all question. The
doors were closed in twinkling and the
indignant Senate went into executive
session 1t suspended the two fiery
South Carolinians. President Roosevelt
recalled n White House invitation to
Senator Tillman and the air of all Wash.
ington resounded with discussion of the
incident. Both Senators had to apollo
gize to the Senate in the most abiect
terms and it was many day before
any of their colleagues were willing to
receive them personally or socially.
The Bailey Manning episode occurred
in the public corridor, adjoining the
Senate chamber, after adjournment, and
there was no question of contempt in
their scrimmage. Manning. like the
Senator, is Southerner and would not
stand for being called worse name
than liar.
The rules of conduct for Senator,
as well as for a Representative, have
been growing stricter and stricter in
recent years, There is little or nothing
about that subject in the manual of
Senate or House, but some very well
recognized ideas about the proprieties
have been growing up. Men in either
legislative body are very quick to
ostracize an offender OF TO acquaint him
with the fact that he is incurring dis.
pleasure. 1t was not long time ago
that Senator Warren. of Wyoming, was
virtually compelled TO apologize for a
little prank which seriously offended
the dignity of the Senate and brought
down upon him the wrath of the Com.
mittee on Rules. He had a seat lust
across the center aisle from Senator