The Madison journal. (Tallulah, Madison Parish, La.) 1888-current, 1919-08-30
FIGHTS IN SENATE
NEVER OCCUR NOW
LANGUAGE IN DEBATE ALSO is
MORE RESTRAINED THAN IN
THE oLOEN DAYS.
SCRAPS BEFORE CIVIL WAR
Then and During the Years of Recon-
struction, Discussions Were Acrimo-
NOUS and Personalities Were Com
mon-House, Too, Behaves Better.
By EDWARD 8. CLARK.

BY EDWARD 8. CLARK.
Washington.-The senate of the Uni
ted States is not an altogether amia-
BILE place these days, but if the people
are surprised at the occasional sharp
which are exchanged, let
them think for moment how much
better things are today than they were
in the past when there was little or no
check on the tongue, and on more than
one occasion no check on the fist.
In sixteen years service In the press
gallery there has come to my know
ledge only one physical encounter on
the floor Of the senate, and as that
was In executive session and no one
would talk about 1t, the affair Is
shrouded in obscurity TO this day so
far as the actual facts are concerned.
About eighteen years ago two sepa-
tors, members of the same party, rep
resenting the same state. exchanged
blow or two. Both parties to the al
tercatiOn and a fist battle Of mo-
nent are now dead. Both. however,
lived to reEet the circumstances.
Today while the League Of Nations
is under discussion there are things
said which senators are sorry after
ward that they did say, but there has
been nothing Of the kind which In for
mer years was the generally accepted
thing.
In Days Before the Civil War.
II one wants to read about person
alities, the lie direct, and abuse gener-
ally, let him pick up some of the his
tories Of senate proceedings prior to
the days of the war between the states.
Some Of the debates between Sumner
Of Massachusetts, Mason of Virginia,
Butler Of South Carolina In the old
days when read will make people un.
derstand how a parliamentary debate
has improved In manners with the
passing Of the years.
Even after the Civil war when men
seemingly had had enough of acrimOny
there were some highly exciting YER
bal encounters on the floor of the SEN
ate. Men dealt, even as late as the sew.
entities. in personalities, sometimes OF
cruel kind, even taking advantage
sometimes Of an adversary's physical
| peculiaritieS or mannerisms in order
to humiliate him.
During the debates of the recon
struction period Blaine from the NORTH
and Hill from the South went after
each other with verbal sledge ham
mers and occasionally the debate:
waXed so hot that men feared trouble
The nearest approach to anything o.
. serious nature in comparatively re
cent years was when one senator aros,
and calmly said of another senator VIII,
belonged to the same political party
''The senator from - does not know
how to debate with gentlemen"
The senator to whom this remarl
was addressed was known as fir
ings of temper and to the utter amaze
ment of the senate he took the person
al rebuke with due meekness, sayin
that he had forgotten himself when h
was talking few minutes before, an
that perhaps there was some justifica
ton ut the moment for what was sal
OF him.
Spooner Versus TiIIman.
About fifteen years ago Senate
Spooner of Wisconsin. now dead, an
Senator Tillman of South Carolin,
who also is dead. had interchange a
ter interchange of personalities Will
debating. Each had a seat on the Gel
ter aisle, their desks being almost OF
posite each other. The galleries tin
and again thought that there would /
a real explosion with fragments flyin
about. but both men kept well with
bounds which in earlier days Of Il
senate certainly would have bee
passed.
In the house Of representatives pc
sonalities come more frequently this
in the senate, but the house. like Il
senate, is much better behaved
these days than it was in other day
There was personal encounter abO
twelve years ago between a memb
from Missouri and member fro
Mississippi. but not much damage w
done. The seeming aggressor in Il
encounter was a representative who
ways had been known for his dignifi
and reserved bearing. He was not
y young man by any manner of NEAR
. His antagonist is now a senator of L
h United States.
. Gas Service 10 Saved.
- Congress, after careful hearing
the advocates Of both sides of (
issue. has decided against the chief
staff Of the army. and has continu
n by legislation the chemical warfa
service, otherwise known as gas sci
ice of Uncle Sans forces.
g Until June 80. 1920, therefore, {
- gas service by order of the Ia
makers will be continued with {
- duties and authorities that it had
the day that the armistice went In
effect, November IL. 1913. The CO
10 mittee of congress which went IL
20 the subject heard the whole histC
10 of the gas service. its intimate re
- tions with the chemical and dye
dustry, how the Germans built tn