Today's Congress genteel compared to slavery era's
By Stephen Mihm / Bloomberg Opinion
Congressional dysfunction took a dangerous turn this month. In the House, former Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., allegedly elbowed Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn., in the kidney (McCarthy denied the claim). Not to be outdone, Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., challenged the president of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, Sean O’Brien, to a fight, with the two men exchanging insults.
For those inclined to believe that these childish provocations auger the end of the republic, please consider life in Congress in the decades before the Civil War. If the politicians of that era could be magically transported to our own Congress, they would likely roll their eyes — thinking that today’s antics are child’s play — and say: “hold my beer.”
When Congress first met in 1789, political parties didn’t yet exist. That changed quickly, and by the decade’s end, the Federalists and Democratic-Republicans were at each other’s throats — literally. In 1798, Rep. Matthew Lyon of Vermont, a Democratic-Republican, said something nasty about Rep. Roger Griswold of Connecticut, a Federalist.
Griswold called Lyon a coward in front of the other legislators. Lyon promptly spat in Griswold’s face. At this point, Griswold got hold of a hickory walking stick and beat Lyon 20-plus times. As Lyon ran from his attacker, he managed to pick up a pair of fire tongs and hit back. The melee would continue for some time before the audience pulled the men apart.
https://www.heraldnet.com/opinion/comment-todays-congress-genteel-compared-to-slavery-eras/
The editorial goes on to talk of other instances. Still I hoped we've progressed a whole lot more than how it was in the 19th century.
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