Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1913-08-06
FAMOUS FIST FIGHTS
IN HALLS OF CONGRESS
Historic Pugistics Events in which Country States
men Have Engaged-Ony Real Fight in Senate
that Between Tillman and McLaurin in 1902.
washington Post.)

| the Representatives Hall suggests a
Roman circus, and the sittings OF the
House may furnish a Roman holi-
day. The 435 members sit on
benches arranged in Semi-circle. and
rising in steps to give all a clear
view Of the arena in front of the
Speakers desk, where the leaders in
debate take their places, and con-
duct the Legislative contests. This
new arrangement may conduce to
more orderly consideration of tariff
legislation, and it may not. 1t will,
however, centralize the proceedings,
and If they become dramatic, with
physical contests, it will be easy to
| Confine the actors to the ring, and
give all the members better view
than under the old arrangement.
Time has been when statesmen on
the hill used the old argument of
| physical force and pugilistic skill,
and in most of these instances the
dramatic features were marred by
the lack Of proper rules to keep the
contestants in the ring. They had
weakness for fighting anywhere in
the hall, and with anything that
was within reach, and there have
been number Of such contests
which were witnessed by few OF the
members because there was no ring
and no rules and no program. There
have been fights on the floor with
fists, with finger nails, with canes
and pokers, with books, pens and ink
wells, and they have so far ignored
the rules as to engage in hairpulling
and scratching and biting. But with
no ink wells or pens or books or
pokers lying around, there will be
less abuse of the rules governing
fair fighting. The Speaker can bet
ter referee the contests, too, as they
will be down in front of his desk,
where he can see every move made
in the ring. Champ Clark has con-
fessed that his early ambition was to
be prize fighter, and he may now
have an opportunity to act as ref
cree over fights in the new circus of
the House of Representatives.
Historic Lyon-GriswOld Fight.
This would be no reflection upon
| the Speaker at a time when we are
reviving, or attempting to revive,
and restore the Democratic simplicity
OF the earlier and better days Of the
Republic. 1t would be in keeping
with precedent established by
| Speaker Jonathan Dayton in 1898.
| Speaker Dayton was from New Jer-
| sey, and graduate Of Princeton. He
| was soldier as well as college
man. He was a strict parliamenta-
| rian, and he was also stickler for
| the rules of the ring when men tried
| to settle their personal differences
| in the good old way. Speaker DAY.
| ton insisted on fair play in fight
even when it took place on the floor
while the House was in session. He
divided his attention between efforts
to keep the House in order and in
| refereeing the fight.
The incident which demonstrated
Speaker Dayton's impartiality was
| one Of the most sensational that is
Irecorded in the history Of the House.
| Matthew Lyon, a Representative
! from Vermont, spat in the face of
| representative Roger Griswold, of
| Connecticut, and the House had a
very serious time investigating that
| affair. Lyon was a hot-headed Irish
man who had been prominent in the
| anti-revolutionary agitation in Ver-
mont, deputy paymaster in the Con-
tinental army, Clerk Of the Court
| Of Confiscation in 1886, and was af-
| terwards elected a member Of Con-
| gress. There were rumors of irreg-
ularity in connection with his ser
vice in the army, and one day, while
the House was considering charges
Of impeachment against Mr.. Blount,
| Of mississippi, and the members
| were gathered in groups chatting, as
a vote was taken, Mr.. Griswold
| taunted Mr.. Lyon about his war rec
ord. Mr. Griswold had not been in
the army; he had graduated from
Yale. studied law, been on the bench,
and was now a student of Congress.
He was not a fighting man and
when he referred to Lyons war rec
ord as discreditable the bluff Irish
man spat in his face. Griswold
either through surprise of humilia-
ton, did not resent the insult at that
time, but left to his colleague, Rep
L..Li LIZ. Il. -