The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1850-01-08
Free Soil and the Speakershin.

| Having III dLOther article cndc5vrred Il
do justice 10 hose quasi Wings from South.
erm States who saw fit to vote against and
defeat Mr., Winthrop because The VI hia
| Members would moi be pledged 10 inaction
| upon or resistance TO the exclusion OF
Slavery from The Territories and lis ter
| mutation in The District of Columbia. we
propose now 10 consider the course Of thai
llcipn which deall its blows from The op
posite quarter, refusing 10 vote for Nj.
Winthrop, and thus conniving al the lri-
unph of Cobb. Slavery and Loco Foco-
ism, on The assumption Of exceeding aud
exclusive devotion to Free Soil.
The case stood thus: The House had
ballolled three weeks for Speaker inel-
fectuaIy, because neither of Tie great Ma
tional parties had strength enough therein
n beat its antagonist and The two or three
shreds or scraps Of parties whose votes all
counted against a chnice. The Wings had
only been able to poll IO3 votes at mosI
for Mr.. Winthrop: their ania gonsis but
l04 Tor Mr.. Cobb, while 100 10 III were
necessary from time to lime 10 constitute
an absolute majority. Nothing remained
but 10 agree that plurality vote should
virtually elect or continue uno ganiZed and
incompetent 10 transact any businesS,-or.
in the words Of one of the factiunisis, Let
DiscOrd reign forever The majority de-
cided 10 elect by plurality vote. as they
should have done Two weeks earlier. II
ih,re had been any doubt rs To the pro-
prirty of this course, The desperate resist
ance made 10 il by bnth squads of faction
SIS should suffice To dissiplIe that doubt.
What Toombs and Root unite in vehc-
menily opposing IN g,onnds relating 10
Slavery could hardly be Otherwise Than
right.
Sixty-two ballots for Speaker had
been had without result: three weeks
had been lruiiIess'y consumed in The bal
lettings, when fair and iull notice was Civ
en- that a msjuriry OF The House had de-
cided 10 accord The S1elke rslip 10 whom
soevc, should receive the highest vote on
the next ballot. 1t was certain that either
Mr.. Winthrop nr Mr.. Cobb must he cho-
sen: no one could pretend 10 doubt il. IL
was also certain al the tSet, or very SD on
became so, that hose Members prolcs>ing
d transcendrni devotion 10 Free Snil had
the choice in their hands. Ey their action
OF inaction Tie res ul' would he determined.
They knew. every one o. them, thai Mr.
Winthrop WAS the frs; man who since The
4 annexation of Texas had moved a ProvI-
So excluding Siavs ~ from portion Of our
Pacific Territory; ihcy knew thai he had
been for number Of years in Congress
and had uniformly vote,i on the side of
Freedom and Free Soil--against Gag
Laws; in favor of the Righ' Of Petition
a rainsl The attempts 10 expcl MIR. Adams
and Mr. Gidiines from fnrir seats, Tor pre-
sruting offensive AMI Slavery Memorials;
n against The Annexation Of Texas in ia
yer Of restricting Slavery 10 oue hall Of
her territory in case OF such Annexation
in favor Q. f the WllmnI Pro>isn. &c. &c.
All lhese votes ere osrcniatiouSly paraded
ia he columns OF The Union day or two
ielare the House convened, in order 10
comyel SouIhern y hig Members 10 vote
, guinst Mr.. Winthrop; and Mr.. VIM !
hrop's uniform, decided, consistent course
was summed up in thai paper with The en- =
,,atIc declaration thai Mr.. Winthrop had
-0led from first 10 last exactly as Mr.. Gid ;
!inrs had, aud that one WAS exactly tie ,
anne sort oi Abolilonisl lis The other. And
,et Mr.. GiddinGs and his squad have seen
II 10 see Mr.. Winthrop l'eatsn-t they stand
no by and consenrinG-hy Howell Goth,
Dmc Of lie most determined ihoruugh-gu> I
ny. efIirrnt and capable champions Of :
Slavery Extension iI,af can be picked out ;
If Congress He had always voted against
Mr.. Giddines, as ilr. Winthrop. nineteen
lines nut of ~ en;y. has voted with him;
yet Mr.. Giddings allows Howell Cobb. The /
Shareholder aud Slavery Propa gandisi, 10
,rat Mr. Winthrop, Tie consistent and de-
.i.led though temperate antagonist of
Slavery Extension, when a breath from
nm might have prevented ii. Was that
lone like Cassius 2 Was it not rather an
On. bic sacrifice Of public duly 10 personal
or those Free Suffers who represent es-
.enriallv Loco Foco Decentralization
King, Wiimoi and perhaps Durkee-we
10 mol Iere speak. They might perhaps
,ree that, while their cons i'uenis would
refer an advocate Of Free Sol for Speak
n, they would desire 10 see him also an
adversary of The WING party; so that they
night exclaim
j sec before ne divided duty
md fairly decline TO acI decisiv, ly in The
Premises. Messrs. Booth and Julian. al
hourh the constituents of each. had they
cen required TO choose between Messrs.
Winthrop and Cobb, would have given
,ot less Than fiye hundred majority in Ell.
her case for the former, might plead that
hey had been mainly elected by Loco Fo>