Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-06-28
Capital Sidelights
ny WILL r. KENNEDY.

During these quiet Summer days the
few members of Congress who are
strclling about the marble corridors OF
gathering in chatty groups under cleo
trio fans have been enAvening their
conversation by talk of the countless
encounters, man TO man." In this
great national arena" in which nota-
bles in public life have participated
In recent years we have witnessed q
number of verbal lambastings, fistic
encounters and Vituperative denuncia-
tons in the legislative chamber, in
committee rooms, and wherever hot
headed antagonists have met. The
younger men in Congress have been
magnifying these encounters and Hnak-
ing small scrimmages appear as great
historic events. Those more experienced
in Legislative lore and who have delyed
into the records fnd that alterations
in recent years, while not overly credit
able to the participants. do not measure
up to the belligerency mark OF SO to
800 years ago.
Research shows that in our great
national arena" at washington such
weapons as pistols, knives, sticks,
swords, fists and spittoons have been
used to help settle congressional argu-
ments.
About q century ago, when Andrew
jackson was President he called to
WASHINGTON one Reuben M. Whitney 10
assist as q contributor in the Globe,
antecedent of the Congressional Record
In the work of destroying the Bank OF
the United States. Whitney was sum-
moned as o witness before q COMMITTEES
appointed TO investigate the admins
tration of the executive once. He rec
fused to attend and was afraigned be-
Rava h. NaN of hn H0x anSataVqaYNt
Whitney'S excuse was that he could not
attend the meeting of the committee
for fear Of his life from violence OF the
members. Representative Peytop OF
Tennessee. q member OF the committee,
as 1t appeared from the evidence, had
taken offense at an answer from Mr.
Whitney and unleashed his temper dur
ing q session OF the committee in these
words: Mr.. Chairman, wish you
would inform this witness that he Us
not to insult me in his answers. II he
does, will take his life on the spot. y
The witness claimed the protection of
claimed: You shant speak, you shan t
say one word while you are in this room
II you do I will put you to death. I"
Henry A. Wise, chairman of the COM
niittee, then added: Yes, this inso-
lenee Is intolerable."
Soon afterward. Mr.. Peyton, observ-
ing that the witness was looking at him,
cried out: His eyes are on me; he is
looking at me; he shan't do it; he Shan't
look at me-" These EXPLANATIONS were
accompanied by violent cursing and
swearing. Mr.. Wise admitted that he
was armed with deadly weapons and
said: Il watched the motion of the
right arm of the witness; his elbow
hA tAHy ma ~ had tNa
one inch he would have died on the
spot. This was my determination
Such scenes were common in those
early days in the Halls of Congress
which acquired the nickname Of The
Bear Garden"
An attempt was made on January
20, 1886, to assaSSinate Gen. jackson
on the portico Of The Capitol at q flu
neral ceremony, by Richard Lawrence,
a painter by trade and q resident of
Washington. He exploded two caps on
his pistols in the attempt The pistols
were later found to be we'll loaded, and
Jackson'S escape was considered nirac-
ulous. The would-be assassin was
knocked down and taken into custody
Gen. Jackson always insisted that this
attempt on his life was made at the
instigation Of some friends of the bank
Two years prior to this Gen. Jackson
had been assaulted while sitting down
reading a newspaper on a boat at Alex
andria, but the friends Of the assailant
succeeded in getting him out Of the
way.
For many years several famous duel
ing grounds existed in the neighbor-
hood OF the Capitol, one of the most
historic being The Field Of Honor" al
Bladensburg, In February, 1888. Rep
resentative Cilley Of Maine charged in
speech In the House that James Wat
son Webb, editor of the New Yorl
Courier and Inquirer, had received q
bride OF $50. 900 from the Bank of thu
United States. Representative Grave:
of Kentucky took up Webb's quarrel
and Henry A. Wise took his challenge
to Cilley. Gen. George w. Jones wa!
Cilley's second and Bladensburg wa:
the place and rifles were the weapons
The rifles rang out and both missed
The challenge was withdrawn to give
opportunity for reconciliation. The at
tempt failed and the principals agar
took position, Wise remarking that i
the matter was not terminated by thai
fire he would propose to shorten thu
distance. The rifles rang again anC
Cilley fell dead.
y
Henry A. Wise, the Ajax in these
scenes. struck Representative Stanley
from North Carolina q blow at the race
course Stanley demanded the usua
satisfaction" The demand was with.
drawn for explanation. Wise explained
that understanding Stanley came ir
collision with him Internationally neal
the race course he deemed it TO be hi'
duty as a gentleman to say that the
blow inflicted by him on Stanley
through a sudden impulse, induced By
erroneous impression. demanded his
profound regret" Stanley's friends told
him he was bound to accept the ex'
nlanatinn=Khich he did.