Curiosity was on tip-toe when motion was made that a stenographer be appointed. "'Snographer?' What's dat?" "Maybe it's de pusson whut takes down de speeches befo' dee's spoken," explains a wise one. The riddle was partly solved when a spruce, foreign individual of white complexion rose and walked to the desk, vacated in his favour by a gentleman of colour. "Dar he! dat's him!" "War's good close, anyhow!" was pronounced of the new official; then the retired claimed sympathy: "Whut he done?" "Whut dee tu'n him out fuh?" "Ain't dee gwi give niggers nothin'?" "Muzzling" was not yet begun; this occasion for eloquence was not to be ignored by the Honourable Lewis Lindsay, representing Richmond: "Mistah Presidet, I hopes in dis late hour dat Ole Fuhginny am imperilated, dat no free-thinkin' man kin suppose fuh one minute dat we 'sires tuh misrippersint de idee dat we ain' qualify de sability uh de sternogphy uh dis convention. I hopes, suh, dat we kin den be able tuh superhen' de principles uh de supposition." Lindsay would always rise to an occasion if his coat-tails were not pulled too hard. Fortunately, his matchless oration on the mixed school question was not among gems lost to the world: "Mistah Presidet, de real flatform, suh. I'll sw'ar tuh high Heaven. Yes, I'll sw'ar higher dan dat. I'll go down an' de uth shall crumble intuh dus' befo' dee shall amalgamise my rights. 'Bout dis question uh cyarpet-bags. Ef you cyarpet-baggers does go back on us, woes be unto you! You better take yo' cyarpet-bags an' quit, an' de quicker you git up an' git de better. I do not abdicate de supperstition tuh dese strange frien's, lately so-called citizens uh Fuhginny. Ef dee don' gimme my rights, I'll suffer dis country tuh be lak Sarah. I'll suffer desterlation fus! When I blows my horn dee'll hear it! When de big cannons was thund'in, an' de missions uh death was flyin' thu de a'r, dee hollered: 'Come, Mr. Nigguh, come!' an' he done come! I'se here tuh qualify my constituents. I'll sing tuh Rome an' tuh Englan' an' tuh de uttermos' parts uh de uth--" "You must address yourself to the Chair," said that functionary, ready to faint. "All right, suh. I'll not 'sire tuh maintain de House any longer." That clause against mixed schools was a rock upon which the Radical party split, white members with children voting for separate education of races; most darkeys "didn' want no sech claw in de law"; yet one declared he didn't want his "chillun tuh soshate wid rebels an' traitors nohow"; they were "as high above rebels an' traitors ez Heaven 'bove hell!" Lindsay took occasion to wither white "Radicules" with criticism on colour distribution in the gallery. "Whar is de white Radicule members' wives an' chillun?" he asked, waving his hand towards the white section. "When dee comes here dee mos'ly set dar se'ves on dat side de House, whilst I brings mine on dis side," waving towards the black, "irregardless uh how white she is!"