The Bennington evening banner. (Bennington, Vt.) 19??-1961, 1913-08-22
More About Matthew Lyon.

In last weeks issue of The News
we gave a brief account of the fight
led in Congress in President John
Adams administration. by Matthew
Lyon, an early Vermont Representa-
tive, whose opposition to Mr.. Adams
custom of delivering his messages to
Congress in person, caused a bitter
controversy between the two, result
ing among other things to Lyons
prosecution on complaint of the Presi
dent This stirring episode, however,
was but one of the many controver-
sizes In which the sturdy Lyon engag-
ed throughout his long and stormy
career. Any account of his life with
the fights left out would be like n life
of Napoleon with nc mention OF Wat
erloo Sd combative was his career
in Congress that resolutions of eX-
plusion against him were almost at
regular in their occurrence as the
procession OF the equinoxes. Though
some OF them received a majority aft
flrmative vote, none received the two
thirds that would have been neces-
sary TO unseat him. So he jus,
fought on. .a
The year 1859 found the young
Irishmen, al the age of thirteen, in
Dublin whittier he had gone from
Wicklow, his birthplace, FESTIVE UNI
der an apprenticeship to Il printer.
Ardent and rough and ready as he
was TO the day of his death, Lyon
ran away from his master and was
induced by an American ship captain
to take passage for this country. As
he was without funds he shipped as
q "redemptioner' a designation com
mon in those days among emigrants,
who upon their arrival here were
bound out TO a master. who in turn
satisfied the claim of the ship which
brought them over by the working
of this system, Lyons services for
fifteen years were sold by the ships
captain to two Connecticut Yankees,
the consideration being two steers.
In this incident, was the origin of
the phrase which Lyon used through
ont his life: by the bulls that re-
deemed mel" One of the men to
whom Lyon was indentured was
Jesse Leavenworth, afterwards one
OF the founders of Danville. in this
state.
Next Lyon appeared, as a laborer,
at Arlington, in the employ of Thorn
as Chittenden. afterwards the first
Governor Of Vermont. He married,
first niece of Ethan Allen and after
her death contracted union with
Deulah Chittenden, his employers
daughter. Four children were born
to each union
Although Lyon enlisted in the
cause OF the American Revolution,
his part was not creditable. He fail.
ed to hold together the regiment of
which he was Colonel and in 1776.
with his associate officers was tried
by court martial and cashlered. Al
though afterwards technically restor-
ed TO his standing in the Continental
| Army, the stigma which attaches to
a eashiered soldier followed him and
became the barbed point of many a
| political sqIrib in the subsequent days
of fierce and vlruent partisanship be-
| tween the, Federals and Democra Is
while Lyon was in Congress. The in
cident gave Lyon the title of Knight
| OF the Wooden Sword"
l thAOA DOA0AiE NuitOu cAuAt anu lO-
cal Offices, Lyon, who in 1888 had
| settled In Fair Haven, established a
printing press in that town and in
l7eS commenced the publication OF q
small sized newspaper, The Farm.
ers' Library edited by himself. hi
| son and a printer named Spooner.
| OF the four other papers at that lime
| published in Vermont, two, The Rue
| land Herald and The Windsor Jour.
nal still are issued. In 1898, when
| the editor OF The Herald. DR.. viii
liams, refused to publish communica.
lions 'favoring Lyons candidacy for
| Congress. the later estatl ished a
! magazine with the sonorous and sug.
gestive title, The Scourge OF Arts
tocracy and Repository OF Important
Political Truths"
Lyons first man to man fight in
Congress. whichc happens to be the
first OF RECORD in that august body
occurred in the House of Representa-.
tives in 1898. in Philadelphia. at that
time, the seat of the National Govern
ment Because OF opposition 10 q
measure which Lyon favored. by
Representative Roger Griswold. oil
Connecticut. the Nermonter made a
threat that he would go into Connect
cut and make a fight against Girls
void. Griswold interrupted The
speech with. SAY Lyon will YOU
use the wooden sword you got loi
your bravery in the Revolution
Lyons reply TO this humillating re
mark was to spit in Griswold's face
The House was Mortified and befor,
the Representatives had recovered
themselves Lyon and his Connectci
cut adversary were very much mixinl
ID up on the floor. The bout endes
without decision. 4 resolution @,
expel Lyon was lost.
But Griswold smarting under ihi
humiliation Of his treatment al III.