The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1913-03-20

of them was known to be at bay and /
bounded by the opposition. It was
a royal treat to see and hear the
stalwart Conkling-eyes afame and
nostrils quivering, hurling defiance
at the Plumed Knight (Blaine) who
had, with outspoken malice, refer
red markedly to the return to Wash
ington in defeat, of that faithful
phalanx who uncompromisingly
stood for the third term aspirations
of the warrior President. And
mark you, whenever some rather
pointed and vituperative sally should
throw both floor and galleries into
tumultuous applause or jeers, and
while Mr.. Speaker frantically WELD
ed his gavel in infectual efforts to
enjoin peace, others, as war dogs
held in leash, made wild efforts to
engage the Chairs attention, eager
to break into the hostilities.
Then again, in marked contrast to
the fiery and stirring style of those
giants, we had the suavity and kill
ing ridicule of Sunset Cox in the
House and Proctor in the Senate, but
|
none the less effective. In particu-
lar | we'll mind the occasion when
the Senate, having reached debate
on the Harbors' and Rivers appro-
priation-the perennial grab bag
familiarly known in Congress as the
pork barrel," the junior Senator
from Minnesota obtained the floor.
and forthwith entered into a long
dissertation as to the just claims of
Duluth for a rasher over generous
slice of pork" / recall that it was
a set speech and apparently the re-
suit of great mental labor and over
, loaded with statistical data, all to the
purpose of enhancing the merits of
, the just claims of that principality.
But mind you, Duluth was then an
) unknown quantity; some nebulous
Information had perculated as far as
: Washington that it was some for
lorn spot on Lake Superior which
r was giving signs of becoming har-
Dor town, and to be exact, it Is
= doubtful whether outside of the
Minnesota contingent. any member
q of House or Senate could have walk
4 ed up to map and laid finger on
: it's geographical position. By the
4 time that the Senator from Minneso.
n ia sat down he evidently had some
n of his fellow members wondering
y whether they had not become vastly
}. and lgnorantly Heglectful with ref
: erence to an important metropolis o.
It the northwest, but not so will
II Proctor. Here was an opportunity
O which set the sceiiery 10 his liking
!? In moment he stood up and smil
# ingly glanced across to his colleague
i and with suave phrases assured hin
n that far from exaggerating the mer
e itorlous case of Duluth's just claims
is he had but half presented its worth.
e cause, and that he (Proctor) coul'
a but onl apol oeize for the ignor
,r ance of those of his colleague
IN who had permitted this long neglec
1T toward the wonderful metropolis OF
ID Superior. Then, he launched int
" one of those witty 1mprompt
in speeches that had ever marked hi
ly career, and in a very few minute
I'd the staid decorum that rules with
ne the four walls of that chamber ha
of flown. The speech in question be
n came a classic, and, as the write
er happened to be doing his trick" o
a that occasion and reported it. it wa
Us indelibly stamped ON his memor!
IL and on several occasions in afte
es years. while paging over som
ne books of speeches, he has run acro'