| Show the two hoopers AlIt AMUSING TSING SCENE IN CONGRESS Ss ono one of the most laughable scenes scones I 1 ever witnessed on the floor of congress was that which occurred in the house some three or four years ago growing out of a stupid mistake of identity on the part ora era of a new now england editor of more zeal than knowledge in in confounding the hon samuel Ho hooper olier a representative enta tive from massachusetts with william H hooper tile the I 1 gate from utah to begin with the sanio same which I 1 wish to explain tile the massachusetts hooper is one of tile tho solid men of boston a portly gentleman of middle stature with ruddy complexion heightened by contrast with the snowwhite snow white hair and whiskers that encircle a decided english face grave and dignified in manner and in deportment a model that mr turvey drop himself could not but admire no one even of ochla his bis most intimate associates ver knew him to have indulged in lany any of the dissipations of washington life further than to partake of a good dinner or drink a glass of sparkling wine the utah Hoo roo hooper tout au contra ire is a tall lank hatchet faced bac bae backwoodsman k woodsman like individual with bald crown and bronzed complexion pl exion with heavy grizzly beard growing from and covering the chin in faith a mormon of the straightest sect in practice he be is said to be a mono monogamist adist from choice he was as us social in his big intercourse ter course with his fellow members as could have been expected of a latter day saint among gentiles and for aught that was known knows of his private habits strictly correct Well the utah question and what to do with the mormons cormons Mor mons was wag before congress and had been the ithe subject of several days debate at the close of which the utah hooper took the floor and made a lengthy speech in defense of his people their political institutions social relations and domestic habits 1 including ne luding of course the detested practice of polygamy it was in truth a very good plea for a very bad cause the speech or a synopsis of it was duly over the wires by the ever vigilant reporters of the associated press and appeared in the leading dailies of the country with the other congressional doings of the day as the remarks narks of I 1 mr ine IrE hooper looper it naturally attracted the attention of the press and the people and was especially noticed by the editor aforesaid a representative of that numerous but highly respectable class of the fourth estate who while professing the rule of willing to praise but not afraid to blame are always more on the alert to find cause to blame public men than to commend them this editor for I 1 know never have spent a day in washington in lils ills life nevertheless he firmly believes in the commonly received opinion that life at the capital was a continuous carnival of debauchery and vice As a hawk pounces upon his prey ho he fastens his talons upon the luckless speech and imagining its author was in his relentless le ies s grasp proceeded to rip up zip his vitals with vengeful avidity to drop the figure he dipped his pen in fresh distilled gall and dashing off for his heading how are the mighty fallen or some similar stunning words launched forth into a scathing denunciation of the total depravity of social life in washington as a striking and deplorable example of which it grieved him to inform his readers however it might shock their moral sense that samuel hooper even he the tho once honorable but now dishonored samuel hooper a representative of the educated virtuous refined churchgoing church going people of boston a man reared in the strictest school of puritan morality and anil who heretofore had borne a character as pure and spotless as the marble from the quarries of the green mountain state had become so contaminated by the dissolute associations of Wash washington ington lugton society so debased in I 1 n feeling and principle as actually to stand up on the floor of the house of representatives that august assembly of the congregated gre gated wisdom of the nation andin and in the sight eight of the whole world so to speak shamelessly proclaim himself a convert to and apologist forthe for the revoltingly licentious practice nac rac of polygamy comment was unnecessary tongue would fail fall adequately to express the horror that must cause the very heart strings of every right minded american citizen to tingle leview in view of the tile deadly deflect which such suell a shocking example of fallen humanity would inevitably have upon the present and future gener generations ationo 11 ac ac tile the editor albeit tile alie effort must have cost him a season of nervous prostration doubtless rose from his work with the tile proud aud and ud self seif satisfying consciousness that he had bad discharged a painful duty with fearless fl denty deUty A copy of his big paper carefully marked soon found its way into tile the hands of the gentleman from ma massachusetts chusett 11 the vicarious victim of ills his utah utah namesakes earnest participation in the tile freedom of debate such an unmerited lampoon was too much for even his big dequan imley to bear in silence so next morning immediately after the reading of tho the journal ho he rose in his seat caught the speakers eye and asked leave to inake make a personal explanation etwas it was at once granted and byway by way of preliminary he be sent tile the truculent article to tile the clerks desk to be read that it was dr mahafrey Me haney hauey I 1 think who knows ajoue a joke the moment lie he sees it and enjoys it too proceeded to read it oie or rather attempted ate to read it for almost ev overy every e ry word was in interrupted herrup ted wl with th su such ch irrepressible bursts of laughter that had it been printed in the customary form the sentences would have havo been cutup cut up into innumerable particles and all the compositors cases eases in the globe office would not have furnished parentheses enough to contain the interjections intersections interject ions but nut the clerk got through at last and then mr Hooper who during the whole of this ludicrous scene had maintained an imperturbable composure attempted his meditated explanation the thing however had explained itself to the in infinite diversion of a all ali save perhaps the gentie gentle gentleman maii mali immediately interested he had not spoken half a dozen words before the mirth again a ain aln broke out fast and fur furious I 1 i ous anz ant and absolutely abl able F the speakers gavel thumped in in vain order would not come at its summons simply because members had lost all command of their risible muscles finally after one or two spasmodic efforts to make himself heard mr hooper himself yielded to the potent spell of merriment rampant and giving hearty vent to the laugh he be had until then with great difficulty sup pressed took his seat content with the permission with with the cordial unanimity to print what he desired to say in the globe my might well end here but to vindicate the truth of history I 1 must add to cap cup the climax as it were that just as he sat down up stalked the utah hooper grasped him by the hand shook it vigorously and congratulated him upon his safe dc liverance deliverance I 1 suppose for the words spoken were inaudible philadelphia press |
