Dear Jon, is there any info in the bio about what drinks he drank? Another question: was there ever a print version of my piece on women and cocktails in Victorian AMerica? Thank you. Best, Lowell On 10/4/06, Jon Miller <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > Thomas F. Marshall, a Whig from Kentucky, may have been the first > degenerate Congressman to blame alcohol. He served in the > Twenty-Seventh Congress (1841-1843). Does anyone know of an earlier > example? > > His sympathetic biographer, surveying the whole of Marshall's life, > began: "Character, I may say at once, was Tom Marshall's weak point." > (See the March, 1874 number of the Galaxy magazine, which contains > Paul R. Shipman's long article republished later as A Handful of > Bitter Herbs). > > Marshall was a heavy drinker; he described himself as "one of your > spreeing gentry." His drinking habits were described and attacked in > the press; he was accused of being drunk on the House floor. In May > 1842, he gave a pair of famous temperance speeches announcing his > (short-lived) conversion to Washingtonian teetotalism. Marshall was > not re-elected. > > Here are a few quotes from a speech he gave to the Great Temperance > Meeting of May, 1842 in New York. They are remarkable, in part, for > the way he brags and jokes about his drinking. He also concedes that > yes, he was drunk on the House floor. The quotes are copied from a > pamphlet I read at the Library Company of Philadelphia. > > "Well, then, gentlemen, within all the broad territory of of the > Union, there does not breathe a man who knew less or cared less about > temperance societies, or the progress of the temperance cause than > your humble servant did some four months ago. I had never been in a > temperance meeting in my life, and I make the acknowledgement with > shame and contrition. I never had been in a Temperance meeting in my > life, and if I picked up a Temperance paper, or a political paper > with anything about Temperance in it, I threw it to one side as > smacking of fanaticism and as altogether beneath the attention of a > gentleman of my vast ambition and extraordinary talents! (Loud > laughter and applause.) (page 2) > > . . . > > "There is one point, however, that it may not be improper to touch > upon. With regard to this subject I have necessarily had to speak of > myself. I have said more on this subject perhaps than I ought to > have said (cries of "no, no,") and certainly more than I should have > said, had I not heard that I was expected to allude somewhat to my > own case, and from what has been said in the public prints. I found > from them that some little portion of my private history, which I had > hoped would ever have been private, was known to you. A good deal > has been said that is the truth in this matter (here he paused, and > continued in a solemn tone,) and far more than the truth was told > about me. And that, too, is one of the evils of intemperance. > (Cheers and laughter.) Bad as it is, in its best estate, and bad > enough that is, God knows, a man has always friends or enemies enough > to make it a great deal worse. (Cheers and laughter.) In my case, I > am modest enough to admit--my case was bad enough, but it was'nt > [sic] so bad as was stated. (Cheers.) But oh, if my example could > bring back to this cause any one who has now commenced the career of > intemperance--if it could only bring back one human being who has > commenced such a career, he is perfectly welcome to the benefit of > all my experience. (Terrific cheering.) (page 5) > > . . . > > "The papers . . . say that when I made a speech [to the House of > Representatives] I was pretty comfortably and most considerably > inebriated. (Cheers and laughter.) And, in all those five or six > speeches, except one, I give you my honor as a gentleman, I was as > sober as a judge. (Loud cheers and laughter.) And some of those > speeches cost me a good deal of time and considerable mental labor > and activity." (page 10) > > (Citation: Thomas F. Marshall, Two Speeches of the Hon. Thomas F. > Marshall, of Kentucky, before the Great Temperance Meeting, held in > the City of New York, on the 5th and 6th of May, 1842. Louisville, > Ky.: W. N. Haldeman, 1842.) > > -- Jon Miller, Dept. of English, Univ. of Akron, Akron OH 44325-1906 > -- Please note my new e-mail address. Lowell Edmunds 732 932 9305 at Rutgers