Whereupon he entered into a discussion of the bill, dissecting it with more calmness, with an ability that must have commanded, even from some hostile minds, an unwilling respect.  The penalty, he said, was outrageous, hitherto unheard of in law,—­putting a corporation in the hands of a receiver, at the mercy of those who coveted it, because one of its officers refused, or was unable, to testify.  He might be in China, in Timbuctoo when the summons was delivered at his last or usual place of abode.  Here was an enormity, an exercise of tyrannical power exceeding all bounds, a travesty on popular government....  He ended by pointing out the significance of the fact that the committee had given no hearings; by declaring that if the bill became a law, it would inevitably react upon the heads of those who were responsible for it.

He sat down, and there was a flutter of applause from the scattered audience in the gallery.

“By God, that’s the only man in the whole place!”

I was aware, for the first time, of a neighbour at my side,—­a solid, red-faced man, evidently a farmer.  His trousers were tucked into his boots, and his gnarled and powerful hands, ingrained with dirt, clutched the arms of the seat as he leaned forward.

“Didn’t he just naturally lambaste ’em?” he cried excitedly.  “They’ll down him, I guess,—­but say, he’s right.  A man would lose his self-respect if he didn’t let out his mind at them hoss thieves, wouldn’t he?  What’s that fellow’s name?”

I told him.

“Krebs,” he repeated.  “I want to remember that.  Durned if I don’t shake hands with him.”

His excitement astonished me.  Would the public feel like that, if they only knew?...  The Speaker’s gavel had come down like a pistol shot.

One “war-hoss”—­as my neighbour called them—­after another proceeded to crush the member from Elkington.  It was, indeed, very skillfully done, and yet it was a process from which I did not derive, somehow, much pleasure.  Colonel Varney’s army had been magnificently trained to meet just this kind of situation:  some employed ridicule, others declared, in impassioned tones, that the good name of their state had been wantonly assailed, and pointed fervently to portraits on the walls of patriots of the past,—­sentiments that drew applause from the fickle gallery.  One gentleman observed that the obsession of a “railroad machine” was a sure symptom of a certain kind of insanity, of which the first speaker had given many other evidences.  The farmer at my side remained staunch.

“They can’t fool me,” he said angrily, “I know ’em.  Do you see that fellow gettin’ up to talk now?  Well, I could tell you a few things about him, all right.  He comes from Glasgow, and his name’s Letchworth.  He’s done more harm in his life than all the criminals he’s kept out of prison,—­belongs to one of the old families down there, too.”

I had, indeed, remarked Letchworth’s face, which seemed to me peculiarly evil, its lividity enhanced by a shock of grey hair.  His method was withering sarcasm, and he was clearly unable to control his animus....