Judge — September 23, 1882 — page 5: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

“P'RAPS.” A wonp has troubled all my youth, And shattered all my dreams of trath— ‘Tis simply that small word, uncouth, “P'raps.” When but a child, when I would pray Some other's help to ease my way, They'd laugh, and for an answer say “Paps.” Then when I bad become a boy And wished for money; full of joy Vd run to father—Don’t annoy, “Props.” Now, when a man, I thought to wed, Full straightway to my love I sped And asked her, but she frowned and said, * Prraps.” Will life's sun ever on me shine? Will joys that others have be mine? Will that love come for whieh 1 pin “ Prap An East Tennessee Congressman. Us.ess Leonidas Casar Houk, representa- tive in Congress from the Second District of Tenressee, has been greatly belied by Jon B. Brownlow, of the famous “Fighting Parson” Brownlow family, the Republicans of that district will have much to answer for if they return him to Congress this year. Mr. Brownlow is a clerk in the Post Oflice Depart- ment in Washington. He advocates the election of William Rule to succeed Mr. Houk, and has seen fit to express in most emphatic language his opinion of the latter. Mr. Brownlow’s well-known and hearty opposition to Mr. Houk’s re-election drew out the fol- lowing extraordinary letter: Hovse of Rergesestarive Wasittxorox, D, To J. B. Browstow, Esq. Sirk:—I just wish to say there is no serious division among the Republicans in the Second Congressional District of Tennessee, and if it is your purpose to try to create the Impression here that there is, and that official pressure should be brought to bear to retire both Rule and myself, which is no doubt a part of the pro- gramme of the old Custom House ring, I will seo if 1 can't bring some official pressure to bear in order to send you home to work for a livi Mr. Brownlow, in a long letter to the Re- publican voters of the Second Congressional District of Tennessee, writes that he did not expect to be bullied by a man whom he knew had been frequently reprimanded by General Rosecrans for utter worthlessness as an officer, and whose resignation as a colonel in the Union army was accepted for the “ good of the service,” as the records of the War De- partment will show. Mr. Brownlow declares that during Mr. Houk’s existence as a Con- gressman the people of the Second Tennessee District have been misrepresented by a man whose disgraceful conduct at the national capital has made the very name of East Tennessee a by-word and reproach among ‘public men. Mr. Houk, Mr. Brownlow con- tinues, exhibited himself at the State capital in Tennessee in a prolonged and beastly debauch, He went to Nashville to defeat the late Horace Maynard for United States Sena- THE JUDGE. tor, but during the six weeks of his stay there was too drunk to do Mr. Maynard any harm. During the las ion of the 46th Congress, in one hundred and twenty-seven calls of the roll of members, Mr. Houk answered to his name just fifteen times. He was tire only Congress- man, according to the same authority, who was in bed, drunk, when President Garfield was inaugurated. He said that he was “paired” with a Democrat during the greater part of his absence. Mr. Brownlow writes that it is the custom for a Congressman who is drunk to find out what Congressman of the other party is k or necessarily absent, and then to urge that member to “pair” with him. It would have been better for his con- stituents, Mr. Brownlow thinks, had Mr. Houk absented himself more frequently from the House of Representatives. He often tried to speak there when too full of liquor for utter. ance, and his friends found it necessary to lead him from the floor to a carriage. On the 18th of June, at five o'clock in the morning, Mr. Brownlow writes, Congressman Houk was arrested for being drunk and dis- orderly in the streets of Washington. When locked up in a cell in the police station, he shouted that he was ‘Congressman Houk, of Tennessee,” and threatened to have the po- lice officer dismissed from the force for doing his duty. He was searched, and $108.81, a knife, and other things were found in his pockets. When he was released he gave a receipt for the money, knife, etc., to J. E. Boteler, lieutenant of the sth Metropolitan Police Precinct, and signed his name as * L. Campbell." Mr. Houk is Chairman of the Committee on War Claims, and the other members of the committee have frequently discussed the unprecedented course of asking the Speaker of the House to remove him from the chairmanship of that committee because of his grossly filthy habits, Everybody in Washington, Mr. Brownlow says, is familiar with the appearance of “that drunken Con- gressman from East Tennessee.” The busi- ness of his committee has been shamefully neglected by him, and bis condition during committee meetings has been disgraceful in the extreme. He is a member of the Hubbell Committee on extortion of money from gov- ernment employees. In a recent speech in Knoxville he attempted to explain his arrest in Washington as follows: t is possibly true, fellow-c calaboose, but I tell you, before God, I have no recol- lection of it. T got poisoned, and for ten hours T did not know anything under the sun, and it may be that some of the rascals who poisoned me put me in the cal- aboose while [was unconscious. I would bave made this poisoning business public long sinee, but I had de- tectives after the murderous villains who attempted to take my life, and f feared if f made it public the assas- sing would eseape. slipped into my room and put poison in my water glass, and upon taking it I became in that condition I was putin the if pnt there at all.” 3, that Iwas in the calaboose, One of the Tennessee newspapers, in com- menting upon this specch, has the following paragraph : “We learn that a large reward will shortly be offered for the arrest and conviction of the scoundrel who poisoned Congressman L. C. Houk while at Washington ‘discharging’ the duties of bis fice. John Barley- corn has heen suspected, a8 he was known to be con- stantly with the Honorable gentleman, and on divers occasions has publicly made threats dangerous to the life of the late ‘ Leonidas.’ Spiritus Fermenti (another Italian cuss) has been apprehended, and his conviction is regarded asa question of time only. The friends of the unfortunate victim are determined to bring the scoundrel to justice.” Among the reported utterances of Co gressman Houk, which now confront him in the Tennessee newspapers, is the followin “The death of Garfield, considered from a_ political point of view, would be the best thing that could hap- pen for the Republican party. The people will sustain Conkling, arfleld’s name will go down to d honor and disgrace.” while Vo.usterers, you did wel We have main- tained all along that the best team would take the cake. comicbooks.com