The freeman. (Fremont [Ohio]) 1849-1850, 1850-01-19
The House Committees

Our readers, remarks the Cincinnati Gazette,
know the circumstances attending the election of
Mr.. Cobb, as Speaker of the House The two
equally divided On the last vote Immediately pre-
ceeding the election, "the Democracy" had tWo
votes more than the wings. Mr.. Cobb was elect
ed with vote of 1o2 in his favor, opposed to 12o
of all palties against him. When he assembled the
chair and took the oath, he addressed the House,
then seemingly impressed with the circumstances
attending his elevation. He knew that it was to
the desire of his whig opponents to organize the
House, that he owed his election, and he then felt
it. From the chair in the face of the House, and
of the whole country he solemnly pledged himself,
with appeal to heaven for its blessings, that he
would faithfully and impartialy perform his d.
ty." So he pronaised-how has he performed?-
We have heretofore shown his palpable injustice
to the free states and his partially for the szave
States in the organization of the committees Of
the thirty standing committees, he has given
s'the democracy" Mirty-sir of the chairmen! The
Chair of the committee of Accounts he has given
to Mr.. King, Wing. from Massachusetts.
But this is not all. By courtesy the first named
on the committee acts chairman. In the alb
sence of the chairman, the remaining members pre-
side in the order they are placed on the list. He
has given the second place on every committee, ex
cept some half a doz en- of no consequence to 'the
Democracy" also! Of the five important commit
tees he gives "the Democracy" tfve, and the wings
FOUR members. The committee of Ways and
means, of Foreign Relations, of Military Affairs,
and of Naval Affairs, in the performance of their
respective duties, have frequent communications
with the Heads of Departments, and if it be too
much to expect of opposition majority
to place in the chair of those committees gentle
men agreeing politically with the administration,
care should be taken not to place there bitterly
hostile to it. The general rule is so to organize
committees as fairly to bring proposed measures
before the House, but Mr. Cobb's importiality and
fairness led him to select for those places gentle
men to hold confidential intercourse with Gen. Tay-
lors Cabinet Ministers, known to be bitterly hostile
to them.
Bear in mind, that the Speaker, Mr. Cobb, does
not represent majority of the House, That is an
important fact-one that should have made him
fair and impartial, if nothing else would, Yet on
all the important committees, that of the Dis
trct of Columbia, he has given his party fUe mem
bers and the majority tourt Add to this the glar-
ing fact that to the 81 Representatives from the
Slave States he has given majority of the chair
men of the committees, leaving to the 14O Mem
bers from the Free States a minority, and we see,
in proper light, Mr.. Cobb's views of impartiality
and fairness. Upon this state of the case the Re
public well remarks:
ave have heard good deal of talk among Mr.
Cobb's friends about "moral treason"-by which
they have seen fit to exDresS the Quilt of any rem
resentative of the people who dared to say that bis
soul was his own when it was claimed by Mr.. Polk.
These serfs of the late Executive required every
man to vote as Mr.. Polk desired about the Mexican
war-on the pain of being denounced for "moral
treason" What do they think of the crime of
'1noral" perjury? And how remote from the COM
mission of this crime is the man who mixes up the
name of Heaven with his promise of "impartaIity"
in the discharge of his duties, and then commences
those duties with the most gross and papable fall
si6cation of that promise %