The Bridgeport times and evening farmer., 1919-09-17
Conn. Congressman Figured in Fight on
 Floor of Tribunal
Tights in tho National X. c.
 (Amcrican Congrcss)


 There is one serious defect in the League of Nations Covenant IL con tains no clause covering CougessionaI warfare. The ', $. Congress has ucv- CT been bound by international law or interstate law in the matter of members QuarrcIs, and even the Yer satlles convention did not invpGe the personal prerogative of a Congress- man to fight his fellow ConErcssnau whenever such may be arranged. Nor do the Marquis of Queeusbury rules apply. Nothing seems To apply, Look ing over the record or this ancient and honorable body I find many set tos. and l shall cover the bouts of this athletic club in a series of re ports
 The first event stased by the club was in the old club house later de- stroyed by fire in the British inva- sion of 1872. It was the I.yOn-Gris- wold fracas of January 2Oth. 1TS9.
 Mat Lyon the representativ from Vermont like SD many nghtcrs, was of Irish parentage and birth. Having served as a soldier under Ethan Allen at T5conderaSo, he was later sent to Congress as an anu-federalist He was of a scrappy nature. Connecticut sent another pug in the person of Roger Griswold who besides having ready fist had a sharp tongue. Were Griswold alive and fighting today he could give press announcements of coming victories that would make the modern press gent turn green with envy,
 On the date mentioned Lyon ad- dressed the Speaker of the House i~ his usual rough and boisterous man ner, He bitterly attacked the federal ists of Connecticut, declaring that if he were editor of a Connecticut paper he'd drive them all out of the state
 Griswold who was one of the jcer- ing bystandcrs responded, "If you go I suppose you w3u wear your wooden sword" Dear reader, this is deep stuff-let me explain There was a story in circulation that Lyon had proved yellow in tho Revolution and had been cashiered and forced 10 wear a wooden sword as a token of cowardice- So you will see that the Connecticut kid had landed a pretty stiff verbal punch
 Lyon didn't say a word, he didn't even violate the House rule against spitting on the floor, he spat in Gr-s- vold's face In which act he did eN- pectorate as a first class Congress man
 Now in tho earlier days of the American prize ring there were many police tnterferenccs- and the National A c. vVas also subject to stoppaEes. On this occa sion the sergeant at arms ana narttsans of the COntenders crowded In and prevented a fiEhL Op- portunity 10 finish the argument how ever came on February the 15th- whereon Grisuvold attncked Lyon beattnr hirn over inc dome with a cane
 Intent upon making 1t a perfectly fair hghr-for himself-Nat rushed 10 the open fireplace and secured pair of tonga. whereupon he returned to the cente- of the -inE- The tmple- ments of civilization however did not serve we'll. and both men returned 10 the weapons of nature They clinched and purnneIled and went down with Griswold on top
 The fans pulled Roge off by the heels, thus permitting the Ner1nonter to reratn his feet before the count Grabbing the Challenger's cane, he made for tho federalist, but the crowd Evarned in and 1t was de .clared no contest. Both men were r1edged not to renew the fight for the crown but both went before their constituents for re-elecdOn. and both were returned to Congress. Thus, each held the championship of his own state, but the National Cham 1ionshfp for that period remained un- decided.