Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1850-01-05

TO them The Journal that the twentieth day Of
December this committee reported the bill TO establish the
Territorial Government of Upper California and on the
third day of January the bill to establish the Territory OF
New Mexico Both these bills contained those provisions OF
the ordinance Of 1887 forever prohibiting slavery IN those
Territories. Now, sir submit to the House. and to the
gentleman from Ohio (Mr GIDDISGs) himself, il it is just
fair or candid for him TO sae or nsinuate that the Com
mittee on the Territories neglected to report territorial bills
containing the provisions Of the ordinance OF 1857 long
that il became necessary to instruct them to do so Sir that
committee were guilty of such neglect the gentleman
has charged upon Them They delayed not at all. The
ory Of that committee reported those bills and always faith
fully supported them, you, Mr. Speaker well know, for
you member of that committee though decidedly OPP
posed to the majority upon these points. The bills
ported just after the appointment OF the committee
the questions of the boundaries of these Territories could
be properly investigated by the committee.
Mr. Speaker will direct my remarks to the question
more Immediately before the Househe resolution authoriz
ing the Speaker to appoint the committees Both the gentle
from Ohio, (Mr RooT and Mr. GIDDINGs,) who have
preceded me- expressed themselves in favor OF that
luton and against any attempt to elect committees by the
House. Thus far cir, agree with them in opinion Ac-
cordng the accustomed OF this House, the appoint
of the committees among the duties OF the Speaker
1t duty he is to perform under the high responsibilities
his station This among the which made the
choice of that officer important From my experience in
Congress- and from my knowledge Of this House, feel
that any other mode of appointing the committees will be at
tended with great confusion and delay to the great hndance
and dermen of the public business, it, indeed the attempt
should not prove entirely mpactcabe. However these
mees may be constituted, sir they cannot entirely control
the Of business ard the policy of the House The
majority of the House, wherever that majority may be found
still control its proceedings was one OF those who
voted for the which resulted in the organization Of
this House. We had spent three long weeks in vain endea
elect Speaker by majority voe We had exhaust
ed all reasonable effort We were no nearer an organization
that mode than when first assembled In my Judgment
the interests Of the country and the opinions of consu-
ens demanded an organization There but practi
cable mode, believe, and that was adopted We all
knew would effect organization. The gentleman from
Ohio M GpDIsos has said that he knew that the result
would be the choice Of the present Speaker did not know
that for did not know what would be the OF that
gentleman and his friends. believed them as know now
that in their power the election Of my honora
BILE colleague (Mr WISrHRor) There stands the unaltera
BILE record For Mr.. Conn, OF Georgia, one hundred and
votes for Mr.. WINTHROP, of Massachusetts,, one
hundred votes The gentleman from Ohio (Mr. GIDDISGs)
knows full well whose votes given for NEITHER and what
the effect of those scattering votes was.
Mr. SCHENCK expressed the reluctance with which he
took any part in this extraordinary debate but he felt as
Northern and Ohio man, that he could not longer
without at least undertaking in few words to define
bis posionn relation certain matters whatever other
gentlemen think proper to do He had been accustom
ed to hear the North ectuedhe North told to " stand up
and face the musicthe North spoken to by certain gentle
who undertook be the peculiar champions of freedom
this floor He should pass all that by these gentlemen
confined themselves general lectures but when they
nfuhe his colleague haddone this morning, and
before this House undertaking to mspesent the position OF
called upon repe every such Misrepresentation made
the country His colleague before any nteogaory had
been put to him. had volunteered the declaration that to the
Northern Wings Of this House it peculiarly owing that
the present Speaker Southern genteman-now occupied
the chair He had said, that if the Wing party had put up
candidate known to be in favor Of the Wmot proviso he
could have been elected in hour and thereupon he mr.
thinking his colleagues position untenabe had asked him
why, ii he was in favor of any Northern who
Wilmo proviso man, he had not taken the Northern
presented who had always sustained the Wmot proviso
but had contributed by his to the election Of Southern
Speaker The gentleman had replied that he did not
cognse the candidate of the Wing party being in favor of
The Wilmo proviso. And how did he prove it Did he
refer to the fact that Mr. WINTHROP formerly moved in this
House to incorporate that provision Of the ordinance of 81
into the Oregon bill Had his colleague referred to the fact
that Mr. WINTHROP had voted for that very proposition
when first christened the WImo proyiso Had he
referred to the votes Of that gentleman and to his past
in this hall Not His colleague had left years of legs
aton OF continuous consistent conduct on the part of the
gentleman from Massachusetts, out of view and referred to
the organization Of the committees of this House at the last
Congress in such manner, his colleague had contended
to uphold the traffic in slaves in this District.
Mr. GIDDINGS (Mr. ScHENcK yelding) explained that
his objection the gentleman from Massachusetts, for Speaker
that after the present Executive of the United States
was nominated, the gentleman Mr. WINTHROP had de-
cared his opinion Wing meeting in Massachusetts, and
had moved to lay the table the proposition OF gentleman
from Cambridge which pledged the Wing party against the
support any who opposed the Wlmot poviso
His objection to the gentleman also from the fact that
he had gone for Texas, in public toast at Faneu Hail.
Boston, in july ls45 before Texas annexed His OBJ
econs to that gentleman also founded upon the acts Of
his whole public fe and particularly upon what had been
said in Wing upon the Saturday evening previous to
the of the present session, when the gentle
mans colleague had said that part of the Wing po
icy 10 adopt the Wilmot proviso.
Mr.. ASHMUN. To whom does the gentleman refer
Mr.. GIDDINGS. To you.
Mr.. ASHMUN. did not any such language.
Mr.. G1DDINGS. The public have the language. 1t
was, believe, thu neither the Wing party Of Massachu
sets the people of Massachusetts, made the Wmot pro-
viso test.
His objections (Mr G. coninued had arisen from these
and all the other demonstrations which the gentleman from
Massachusetts and his friends had made in sustaining for Pre-
sden whose education interests and associations led
him to oppose the Wilmot proviso. II. -.
Mr. SCHENCK, (resuming,) with remark upon the
gresson which his colleague had made from the course
,mark in which he was engaged, and word OF apology
MI, WINTHROP for seeming to undertake his defence,
when woId be done much ably by himself briefly
hpceu anu 2ed 10 Of the points just stated by his
coheasue VIII reference to what his colleague had said
Concerning me the gentleman from Massachusetts in
mig caucus 'hey had lie testimony of two gentlemen from
VI ,n o'ne' ind, contradicng that charge OF
us anu efe ne iei'h gentleman with two wit
nesscs against him. '.
Then the charge of his coleas,e tba, the gentleman
from Massachusetts, had supported the annaon Of Texas
from the beginning to the END, in every the TWENTY
eighth Congress, (when the passeoS the GEN
teman from Massachusetts, had been found voting ctioo
against the annexation. Not so with the gentleman i.,
Indiana (Mr. BRowN,) for whom his colleague had
The votes of that gentleman dramatically opposed to
those of the gentleman from Massachusetts, and with the
supporters Of annexation.
He proceeded notice the charge Of his colleague based
upon the composition the committees Of the last Congress-
which, after ALL he (Mr s. said, seemed to be the great