Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1849-12-27
TO THE EDITOR.

what is to be the end Of it, no one pretends to
guess We have had 80 many curious denou-
ments here in the course of our proceedings,
that we begin to be prepared for any thing and
every thing. Mr. Winthrop you know has been
assoed at the North, by the free soiieys, so cal.
led, because in the construction of the commits
tees he showed himself subservient TO the Slave
power at the South Yesterday we had peep
at the other side of the picture. johnson, of
Tennessee, made ranting speech, in which he
made volen. attack upon Mr.. Winthrop and
complained most bitterly of him in the construc-
ton OF the committees, because he made them
aH for The North and in violation of the Soutl-
ern rights; and in his remarks he said that what
is called the "Wimot proviso" is miscalled, and
that it should be called The WINTHROP pRoy,so.
he in fact beirg the author Of il, and he appeal
ed to the Southern Wings and Democrats to
stand by the South, and declared that he would
sooner vote for Giddings than for Winthrop. So
you see that Me- Winthrop is between the sup
per and the neither mill stone."
The scene of Brown of Indiana sill ia the
theme Of conversation here 1t was a strange
transaction All concerned are heartily asham-
ed Of il, and are roasting him over and over aud
saying oil manner of hard things about him
but they seem not to think how much they are
condemnng themselves, for they make them
selves fully as corrupt as they essay to make
him. They not only now call him a kn1rc, and
a deceiuer, and liar, but they call him fool,
and openly denounce him as destitute of every
requisite qualification, las he truly s} to fill the
office he so much sought But this was as well
known to them before as after he fell so low
Surely no man ever before so suddenly fell from
such giddy height to so ignomnous depth.
The Southern fanatics, and the free sellers,
both strive to deceive the other, and Brown was
just base enough to lend himself for such pur-
pose. The Southern Democrats began the game
by first writing him letter and requiring
pledge. lie satisfied them by pointing 10 his
votes and speeches. But he had no record of
the kind that would answer for the Northern
wing, and so he was obliged to put his hand 10
paper and sign a pledge before they would
trust him. Having thus satisfied and secured
both extremes, he set himself about prepare
ton 10 receive the golden prize that he just then
saw within his reach. Wednesday night oil
seemed to have been impressed with the idea that
on Thursday Speaker was to be elected. Who
it was to be did not seem quite so certain-but
there was to be a Speaker and before the hour
arrived, the House, the Hobbies, the galleries, all
were filed to their utmost capacity Ladies' as
well as gentlemen had caught the inspiration,
and contested every inch Of ground to which
they were entitled by the courtesy of the House
and Mr. Brown, to double his joy on so conspc-
uous an event as being made site Spsakcr," af-
ter having written out his speech, which he was
to deliver on the occasion, took his wife and
seated her in the most conspicuous place in the
ladies' gallery, where she could have the best
and most commanding view of him when he
should be conducted i'll triumph to the ehrir,-
and there she sat through the whole Of the scene,
and witnessed the fallen hopes ami blasted char
acter Of her husband. This was the saddest of
the whole ofit,-for although every te,'y 1--.--
and despises him, all are are panied at the thought
that his wife should have been made the prnci-
pal sufferer. The manner in which his quondau
friends pounced upon him. was the next day
most admirably dramalzed by Mr.. Root of Ohio,
who compared them to pack of prairie wolves
in pursuit ola buffalo calf, all eager in the fray to
get a nip at him. The Shareholders had no
cause of alarm: if they had elected Brown he
would have been true to them; WiImot and his
friends, Notwithstanding his written pledge, we're
to be cheated. 1t was strange that they could
have been so easily deceived They knew that
the Shareholders made Slavery the test, and
brought out Brown, and yet Wilmot and Gid
dings, and Allen, and Durkee, and Preston King
all voted for their canddate-aDd all the North
ern democrats did the Ike. Mr.. Root smelt the
rat" and refused to vote for him, thus saving his
own consistency and the disgrace of eecting
such man. What we shall do is all in the fu-
ture. AS the issue is now made up the North
cannot consistently go for Southern man, aud
the South will not go for Northern man. For
one | am prepared to try the issue which they
have rendered