Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1850-02-14
y olitt1ol. 0
MR.. JOSHUA R. GIDDINGS.
AP II II G III

OF OHIO,
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DECEM
| BER 81, 1919,
On The moton of Mr.. SACKETT, TO amend the
rules so rs to elect certain COMMITTEES 6y uote
Of The House.
Mr.. GlDDINGS said, he had noticed that
through portion of the Administration press OF
the North the Free Soiers of this body were
charged with electng the present Speaker lie
desired to say to the House and to the country,
that the present occupant of the chair held his
Office as necessary result of the plurality rule.
That rule had been forced upon us by the wing
Darty. aided bv some small portion OF the mem
bers from the other side of the House. lie tho
every rejecting mind must have toreseen tins re-
suit. If the Free Soilers had separated, and
each united with the party to which he had been
formerly attached it is clear that the Democrats
w@ggldM @ Il heye aye majority q 1gf xesss asfs
Lers ,yho had bean elected by aid of l'em1erh' '
vo,ee while one hundred and fourteen haa Deeh
eloc,ed bv aid of Wing votes. Two ol ines
,,or, ohsent leaving but one hundred ana t"eltC
rno,,hars now present who had come mere oy diU
nftho WHO'S. With these facts before us, \salc
he y could not suppose that any one cou,u ms
take the effect of eecting speaker by Plulaii'9
? of votes. ..,,,,, otbo
Mr. WHITE inquired if there was any olhe
, way to organize the House lo1 i 3;
3 Mr. GIDD[NGS. The Wing party had 1t l
VI their power at any time to elect the 9enuellla
. coro PENNSYLVANIA on the other side OF the House
e rMr STnoye I This matter was so plain that n
. man could doubt it. If the question OF lreeuo'
G in the Territories had been regarded as an on)e
A by the Wings, they could at any hour after u
,e fret ballot have secured it by voting tor any pr
- yso Democrat. In doing so, they might hi
." selected the gentleman to whom have ailuue
u GMr SrpoNGl who is believed to be IN favor
he modfvinc the tariff and of harbor and rlVer IL
s: movements or they might have elected
.ro Free Soil friend from New York, Mr. FREsf
~ KING i or nv friend from PENNSYLVANIA l. J,
IN WILMor i or my colleague from the huron
,o- trct mir. RuoTl Had the Wings N0'eu
, anv one of those gentlemen they woula ~
elected him at any ballot. Free SolleTs had
tended to be liberal and just. lhey hau va =,
for nv Wing friend from Pennsylvania; Il
-, THAppEus STEVENS man recognI2eu az
the Vhip. but one who had no hesitation IN aSo"
lost his attachment to freedom. Had 'he wing pa
No voted for him, he might have been elec'eo at
,,,o time. In short, sir, had the wings u'''leu
anv man who was unconduonally conll''i''eu
''ie the cause of free soil and OF humanity; even
ate Whig, he would have been elected: lhey
the informed of these facts by free ooiers' az u
s.s, rent times during the ballottlngs nut 'liey
hered pertinaciOusly to their caucus "0,lt,"0 nIi
no They appeared determined to stand OF 'aii
ma him. They would go for no oiher ca'lui''' ~,
~ Indeed, it appeared to Inc that they iil'e.To'
.o elect him or saveholdlng Deillocla'' W
more onnsc;nIs that the Free Soil vote would be g
his Gor anv candidate of either party who STOOD
L., Nl,nnt
,.a ynte wouId effect his election. | could II
fore. see no other object in proposition 10
were Whqs and Democrats on some new pan IL
NOR lec,ing a Sneaker. than to avoid the elecuo
.,,n a man committed to freedom in the territorl'
49,. This conviction was so strongly impressed o
'I'e' ou,n mind that | called the attention OF
ttom IIonso to il ON the morning of the goth IN!
vous, nc MAINLY as | could under the gag resol
,c all then in force, by the interrogatores proPo'
n r ~ tho oontleman from Massachusetts, MI
NUN. cn.-l.1,. -
atoms under the constitution, confer no right WIN
.nent IN the office of Speaker. This was wen
stood nv the House. The vote merely OPT
"h'c" 40 nomination. while the election was ma
on OF adopting the resolution of the gentleman
Is and Nmth Carolina, mr. STANLy..l That 7
,ne in ton reads as follows =, uclL
'"- u, :. R,.olped, That the Hon Ho'ceH COBB,
:; ana rs,snioi;pe from The Stale of Georgia BE- {
res re- IS her,bu declared duty elected Speaker
House for the thirty first Congress;
This resolution gave him the Office, cons
him Speaker. Withoutit, he would have
# this claim to the Speakership. This was adopt
% tho the Speaker elected by the united vote oil
u ''o the entire Wing and Democratic parties,
char clearly part of the original agreemenIi, by
we en- the plurality rule was adopted. The Wh
lemon. now turn round and charge Free Solier
.I,n;v. electing the present Speaker. r.
'u'i''N' Mr.. SCHENCK inquired if Mr. I'll
wards had not an opportunity of choosing oetwe
france, present Speaker and whig committed
"'"s ~ ur, GIDDINGS. Certainly ] did St
'eil na' voted for the gentleman from Pennsl
o' '"e [Mr. STEVENS. .. .u...
yet pre- Mr.. SCHENK inquired if his coleaG
which not have the opportunity of choosing oeIN
- Wbio nominee and the gentleman elected
re-up- Mr., GIDDINGS. regret that my c'
on, too, has pressed that question upon me. MAJ
,portant tended to make any personal alluslons to
=, ,f the orahle gentleman who filled the Speaker
. ~ during the last Congress, Mr.. WNTHR
Is known to the House and to the count
human on the assembling of the last Congress
he union orable gentlemen, who had acted WIN y"
Accord. party, together with myself reiuSeu 10