Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1911-07-28

on every occasion have kept hewing to the line
of one special legislative endeavor. John T.
Morgan, for years senator from the state OF Ala
bama worked for months untold to secure the
adoption by the United States government OF the
Nicaraguan route for the great interoceanic
canal He lost out, but it is probable that the
facts which he obtained in his researches were OF
more value to the diggers of the canal than those
gathered by any other one man.
Senator Morgan was one of the noted excep-
lions to the psalmists rule for the limit of the
years of man. Some of the f1ippant, and pos
sibly tired senators declared that Mr.. Morgan's
speeches long as his life If the voice
Of the Alabama had been younger there
would have been few sleepy ones in the senate
when he taked-that is when he talked any
oEier subject than the interoceanic canal Then
it to fly before the face of his oratory.
There substance to Senator Morgans
speeches. and this much cannot be said for the
vocal efforts of Of the fippant and younger
ones. The aged ones words went into the Con-
gressional Record and Illuminated it's pages.
when he to speak many of the colleagues
of Mr.. Morgan retreated to the restaurant or the
cloak room. Only rarely did he take apparent no.
tice of the seeming discourtesy. Once wisely or
unwtsely, he said with something of pathos in
his voice that he wished he could talk in the
lunch room, for there he would be of
audience
Mr.. Morgan no imperialist. He had fear
in his heart of the outcome of the policy of expan-
sion, and the note of warning that from his
lips frequent and forceful One day. after
outlining the position which he believed his
country should take, his voice came back to
him. Senators starting to leave their seats sunk
back and listened. The words fairly rang through
the chamber. This was what he said:
'In this lofty attitude we can prove the vir
tue of the republic before the eyes Of all
kind or we can set it's light a beacon to
coming generations that in the highest
reach of power and advantage, this republic
the n
with the sin of covetousness and Is a1ame with
the consequent lust of power that is attended
with the usurpations tyrannies and expressions
which have marked the course of the oligarchies
and despots that have disgraced the history of
other nations"
The senate of the United States stands for dig
nifty Sometimes the dignity is overdone but on
one occasion the Senate undgnif1ed to the
point of striking several older senators with
horror.
Senator Tillman of South Carolina was max
ing nothing less than mpassioned speech. He
reaching toward the skies of oratory when
Senator Warren left his seat, unseen Of Tillman,
and took station behind the South Carolinian.
The speaker had both hands high over his head
directing the soaring Of his thoughts and words.
Warren took a step forward. His hand stole
to Tllmans side, slipped into his pocket and
came out again holding in its clutch big black
bottle.
All unconscious Tillman went on with his words
of fire. Warren held his find aloft in full view
of the presiding officer of his colleagues and the
crowded galleries. There a gasp, then a
smothered and simultaneous gurgle of horror
from a hundred throats, and then roaring laugh
ter uncheckable.
Tillman turned and knowledge Of the awfuness
of his situation came to him. For once possibly
for the first time in his life, he was staggered
to speechlessness. He strove FOR words, but they
came not at his bidding His face was first black
with something like anger. Then the cloud clear
ed and smile broke through. Speech returned,
and two words "Boracic acid
1t was boracic acid, but unfortunately for Mr..
Tillman 1t had been put into a black and suspi-
cious bottle. A sore throat the reason for its
carrying and while the South Caronian is a
man of known truth he would not let the matter
pass until he had passed the bottle and had
forced him comrades to smell the stuff and make
clear his temperance record
Neither senate house makes light of pen
sion pleas in the presence Of the galleries, but
some of the woud-be pensioners play comic roles
in the committee and corridors. Claim
ants who can prove things are treated as old sol
ders and old soldiers widows ought to be treated
-decently and reverently.
Congress in its weakness has voted pensions
on many occasion, though doubtless know
ing that the pensions were unearned and unde-
served but the day of that sort of thing is pass
ing if it has not altogether gone One member
was asked to his influence to secure an in