Anti-slavery bugle. [volume] (New-Lisbon, Ohio) 1845-1861, 1849-12-22
The Great Struggle at Washington.

All owes are still turned toward the Capitol,
watching with deep interest the great struggle
for the Speakership of the House of Represent-
atives. Our present advices reach only to Sat
urday, when the prospect of an election was
apparently no nearer than at any previous time.
1t is a struggle between the North and South,
complicated by the peculiar relations of the po-
litical parties, and no one can tell how it will
end. Of one thing, however, we feel pretty
certain, viz the House will eventually be or
gained by compromise, in which, as usual, the
interests and the manlinoss of the North will
be sacrificed. Under the operation of our pres
cnt Constitution it is hardly reasonable to anti
cipatc a more suspicious result.
The contest meanwhile is fruitful Of scenes of
the deepest interest, of which, however, we get
but very meager accounts. The telegraph works
very irrcgularly, and the mails are sadly disor-
dcred; but we have some facts and incidents
worth telling.
The Wings, = ince they dropped Winthrop,
have not been able to concentrate their strength
upon any candidate. There was an effort to
bring forward Mr.. Morehead, of KY, prompted
by the hope that he would secure votes enough
from the Southern Democrats to elect him but
some Northern Wings were too much afraid of
public sentiment at home to vote for a slave
holder at the moment when Northern Demo-
Gratis were supporting Northern men. If the
latter had stuck to Cobb, the case would have
been different. The regular Wing votes have
been divided between Duer of New York, More
head of kentucky, Stanly of n. c., McGau-
ghey of Ia, Winthrop and others. There has
been a talk Of concentrating upon Vinton of
Ohio, or Stevens of Pa, in the hope, no doubt,
of catching the Free Soil votes but every
movement of this sort awakens the jealousy Of
Southern Wings, and what is gained in one di-
rection is lost in another.
Tho Democrats arc in the same p~redicament.
The efforts to concentrate upon Potter of Ohio
proved a failure, whereupon w. ]. Brown. OF
Indiana, was put forward as a candidate. On
the 18th inst. he obtained 100 votes, and the
prospect of c~lecting him seemed fair. 1t was
at this point that Winthrop withdrew. When
the House met on the 18th, the Democrats gen.
orally expected the election of Brown. The
Frccsoilers had been importuned to vote fol
him, it was thought not without success, and SC
it proved. Five of them, viz: Messrs. Allen
Giddings, King, Wilmot and Durkce, voted fol
him when their names were called. Three OIL
four Southern Democrats were thereupon alarm
cd and voted against him. He received IL:
votes-two moro would have elected him.
Three Frccsoilcrs-Root, Howe and Tuck-dit
not support him, for reasons which subscquen
events fully justified.
After the result of this (the 40th) ballotin.
threw a bombshcll into the House by rcportin!
a rumor that Brown had given a written pledg,
to the Freesoilers, and thereby obtained thei
votes. This produced an intense excitement
Mcssrs. Baylcy and Meade of Virginia, Greer
of Missouri and others Indignantly denying tn
truth of the rumor, and mcnacmgly demanding
an explanation.
Mr.. Root of Ohio (Freesoiler) now made
speech, which is described as very amusing
He kept the House in a roar of laughter from
beginning to end, and concluded by an anecdoto
the point of which, as an illustration, was, tina
inc OcMOcIuls Huu SAT uONn WIN inc fretpOlleI
at a game, and thinking them greenh had stockec
the cards and commenced cheating by tuekinI
away the aces and the honors under their Goa
, sleeves. But presently they were constrainc;
to call out, why, where in the world are al
l the aces:" And Freesoil had occasion to re
ply, "Why, we think one of them is under tn,
, cuff of your coat, and we know the other thre
| are in the legs of our boots" The hit was 81
1 palpablc that the House rung with laughter
1t was manifest that Mr.. Root knew more THAI
he had told of the game which had been played
! 1t now leaked out that there had been a cor
respondcnce between Wilmot (Freesoilcr) anC
Brown, Dcm.) the nature of which will be seer
from the following : ,..li .5su,5.1 ag.!
+ +" Washington, Dec. 10.
Dear Sir-In answer to yours of this date,
will state that, should 1 be elected Speaker o
the House of Representatives, / will constitute
. the Committees on the District of Columbia, o.
, Territories and on the Judiciary, in such man
ner as shall DO satisfactory to yourself and youi
friends. l am a representative from a Free State
and have always been opposed to the extension
of slavery, and believe that the Federal Govern
ment should be relieved from the responsibility
of slavery where they have the constitutions
power to abolish it. III. w. ]. BROWN.
Hon. DAVID WnMoT, ~
w Brown himself being eorncrcd, was compel
ell to read his wi letter to the House. 1t pre-
H IT,. "Ur. II. WI f|. E.-| .- ...N