登陆注册
19633600000125

第125章 CHAPTER XLV(2)

It might be asked why the government should buy this land, when it had millions of yes, more than the railroad companies desired, which, it might devote to this purpose? He answered, that the government had no such tract of land as this. It had nothing comparable to it for the purposes of the University: This was to be a school of mining, of engineering, of the working of metals, of chemistry, zoology, botany, manufactures, agriculture, in short of all the complicated industries that make a state great. There was no place for the location of such a school like the Knobs of East Tennessee. The hills abounded in metals of all sorts, iron in all its combinations, copper, bismuth, gold and silver in small quantities, platinum he--believed, tin, aluminium; it was covered with forests and strange plants; in the woods were found the coon, the opossum, the fox, the deer and many other animals who roamed in the domain of natural history; coal existed in enormous quantity and no doubt oil; it was such a place for the practice of agricultural experiments that any student who had been successful there would have an easy task in any other portion of the country.

No place offered equal facilities for experiments in mining, metallurgy, engineering. He expected to live to see the day, when the youth of the south would resort to its mines, its workshops, its labratories, its furnaces and factories for practical instruction in all the great industrial pursuits.

A noisy and rather ill-natured debate followed, now, and lasted hour after hour. The friends of the bill were instructed by the leaders to make no efort to check it; it was deemed better strategy to tire out the opposition; it was decided to vote down every proposition to adjourn, and so continue the sitting into the night; opponents might desert, then, one by one and weaken their party, for they had no personal stake in the bill.

Sunset came, and still the fight went on; the gas was lit, the crowd in the galleries began to thin, but the contest continued; the crowd returned, by and by, with hunger and thirst appeased, and aggravated the hungry and thirsty House by looking contented and comfortable; but still the wrangle lost nothing of its bitterness. Recesses were moved plaintively by the opposition, and invariably voted down by the University army.

At midnight the House presented a spectacle calculated to interest a stranger. The great galleries were still thronged--though only with men, now; the bright colors that had made them look like hanging gardens were gone, with the ladies. The reporters' gallery, was merely occupied by one or two watchful sentinels of the quill-driving guild; the main body cared nothing for a debate that had dwindled to a mere vaporing of dull speakers and now and then a brief quarrel over a point of order; but there was an unusually large attendance of journalists in the reporters'

waiting-room, chatting, smoking, and keeping on the 'qui vive' for the general irruption of the Congressional volcano that must come when the time was ripe for it. Senator Dilworthy and Philip were in the Diplomatic Gallery; Washington sat in the public gallery, and Col.

Sellers was, not far away. The Colonel had been flying about the corridors and button-holing Congressmen all the evening, and believed that he had accomplished a world of valuable service; but fatigue was telling upon him, now, and he was quiet and speechless--for once. Below, a few Senators lounged upon the sofas set apart for visitors, and talked with idle Congressmen. A dreary member was speaking; the presiding officer was nodding; here and there little knots of members stood in the aisles, whispering together; all about the House others sat in all the various attitudes that express weariness; some, tilted back, had one or more legs disposed upon their desks; some sharpened pencils indolently;some scribbled aimlessly; some yawned and stretched; a great many lay upon their breasts upon the desks, sound asleep and gently snoring.

The flooding gaslight from the fancifully wrought roof poured down upon the tranquil scene. Hardly a sound disturbed the stillness, save the monotonous eloquence of the gentleman who occupied the floor. Now and then a warrior of the opposition broke down under the pressure, gave it up, and went home.

Mr. Buckstone began to think it might be safe, now, to "proceed to business." He consulted with Trollop and one or two others. Senator Dilworthy descended to the floor of the House and they went to meet him.

After a brief comparison of notes, the Congressmen sought their seats and sent pages about the House with messages to friends. These latter instantly roused up, yawned, and began to look alert. The moment the floor was unoccupied, Mr. Buckstone rose, with an injured look, and said it was evident that the opponents of the bill were merely talking against time, hoping in this unbecoming way to tire out the friends of the measure and so defeat it. Such conduct might be respectable enough in a village debating society, but it was trivial among statesmen, it was out of place in so august an assemblage as the House of Representatives of the United States. The friends of the bill had been not only willing that its opponents should express their opinions, but had strongly desired it. They courted the fullest and freest discussion; but it seemed to him that this fairness was but illy appreciated, since gentlemen were capable of taking advantage of it for selfish and unworthy ends. This trifling had gone far enough. He called for the question.

The instant Mr. Buckstone sat down, the storm burst forth. A dozen gentlemen sprang to their feet.

"Mr. Speaker!"

"Mr. Speaker!"

"Mr. Speaker!"

"Order! Order! Order! Question! Question!"

The sharp blows of the Speaker's gavel rose above the din.

The "previous question," that hated gag, was moved and carried. All debate came to a sudden end, of course. Triumph No. 1.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 创业的成功(现代人生成功方案丛书)

    创业的成功(现代人生成功方案丛书)

    自己创业能够带来非常诱人的回报。不过,在你决定辞职作企业家之前,还应当注意以下问题:在人们眼中,企业家是能够独立承担风险、颇富创新意识的偶像。与此相对,如果从经理人转变为一个企业家,这应该是什么样呢?从经理人转向企业家的旅途充满艰难险阻。你有充分准备去迎接这一挑战吗?你为什么要离开公司?有可能创业成功的经理人之所以离开他们的公司,是因为他们有一个了不起的新创意。这种新创意是一种能量的源泉,可以补偿你作为独立商人时的资源溃乏。
  • 荒古战歌

    荒古战歌

    悠悠荒古,万族争锋。蛮巫化道,穷极天宇。蛮者,掌本体之力,修不灭神体。开天辟地,所向披靡。巫者,握天地之力,成玄奥术法。法天象地,天下无敌。蛮巫双修,得无上战力,一念之间,掀起了荒古之中吟唱了千万载的战歌。
  • 妖神之九尾狐

    妖神之九尾狐

    小白一样的女子,穿越到古代,能不能适应呢(⊙o⊙)?,这是一个很严肃的问题,为了回到现代,找尽各种方法,却情陷古代“不就是去看了一下蜀山吗?怎么就给穿越了,我可不是穿越迷啊,放我回去“
  • 地道英语脱口而出

    地道英语脱口而出

    本书精选热点单词及句型,用口语交流最热点的主题。本书内容丰富,语言地道。书中附有配套超长600分钟MP3的下载二维码,只需拿起手机扫一扫即可轻松下载MP3,随时随地练习听力和口语,开创外语学习新模式!
  • 长公主种田记

    长公主种田记

    大龄未婚女汉子重生到昏君当政、民不聊生的东晋末年,如何帮助亲爱哒一家造反上位,收获美好爱情,成为人生赢家?作为新鲜出炉的驸马,如何帮助新鲜出炉,凶残无比的公主大人征服乱世,力挺岳父一统江山?面对凶残的母后大人,以及怕老婆的父皇,若干疑似蛇精病患者的亲戚,“勇悍二人组”如何妥妥搞好皇室内部关系,促进皇室和谐,最终实现天下一统,百姓幸福安康?总之,这是一部温馨甜蜜的异世开发史~
  • 武逆九天

    武逆九天

    身负逆天血脉,手持饮血狂剑,追寻父辈踪迹,作为大陆强豪龙家的子弟,龙振宇这个稚嫩的少年逐渐成长,父母的隐秘逐渐浮现。他能否找寻到自己的父母,打破针对他的杀局,在这强豪林立的大陆之上打造出一片属于自己的天空!
  • 校花老婆帅老公

    校花老婆帅老公

    东海高中第一校花,意外成为李飞的老婆……从此,冰山警花,火辣总裁,艳人校花……一一投入他的怀抱!可惜,修真界大乱,他不得不带着师傅的使命,踏上了,争霸的道路……在他的名录中,有这样一句‘与我对立的人,只能是死,或者,生不如死!’
  • 勇者传说之仙道

    勇者传说之仙道

    王林,先天性经脉堵塞,无法像别的孩子那样在十岁那年开启经脉聚气修炼,就在他放弃颓废的时候,偶然的机遇让他开启了经脉,从此与穆晨一起走上了修仙的道路,且看他如何立足于学院、立足于王朝、立足于整个玄天大陆!每个人的心中都有一个英雄梦,我,作为一个网络写手,就是将大家的英雄梦给写出来,牛人保证,保证不会断更,作为处女作,不敢说是精品,但是每一章都一定认真的写。
  • 市场与政府

    市场与政府

    《市场与政府》收录了张维迎三十余年来的重要文章和演讲33篇,从改革开放之初到2008年金融危机,张维迎一直活跃在中国改革的最前沿,他的许多观点后来被证明具有极强的预见性,本书精选的文章,几乎囊括了张维迎教授所有对中国改革产生巨大影响的重要观点,他对市场经济的坚持、对主流经济学的思考和对中国资本市场及金融稳定的建议,都在书中得到了完整的论述,本书是了解张维迎学术思想、理解宏观经济脉络、认清政府与市场关系的权威文本。市场经济的内在矛盾在于市场体系自身包含着反市场的力量—政府。这是一种“异化”。
  • 穿越之剩女恋爱记

    穿越之剩女恋爱记

    一次乌龙的穿越,让她来到了美男如云的时代。是上天对她的弥补!还是一场阴谋!还是一场艳遇!对面温柔的他、阳光帅气的他、善解人意的他、腹黑的他以及痴情的他……她会做出怎样的抉择?是一世一双人还是照单全收?【情节虚构,请勿模仿】