The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1850-12-12
THE TYRANNY OF THE "NORTHERN Ma
JORITY."

THE TYRANNY OF THE NORTHERN MA.
JORITY."
MIR. Fillmore having been called to fill the
place of the late President, the Senate in which
there was a Northern majority elected as its
President pro TEN. Mr. King of Alabama, one Of
the prescribed, oppressed minority; just as the
House, in which there was Northern majority
of thirty.nine, elected fer its Speaker Southern
man, Mr. Cobb Of Georgia, who insists that the
Fugitive law u perpeiuarea as sOlemn pledge
of the sacred faith of the Northern majority"
Now, let US see how dreadfully the rights Of
the minority are impaired in the Senate
There are fourteen slaveholding States, with
half the white population of the seventeen nom
slaveholding States. In the Senate there are
twenty-seven Standing Committees. At the be-
ginning of this session, having undergone revi.
sion by the President pro tenn, we find that the
Chairmen of sixteen of these are from the section
of country that contains but one-third Of our
whole white population eleven only are placed
under the guidance of members of the aggressive
Northern majority OF the Committees, those
on Foreign Relations, Finance Military Affairs
Naval Affairs, Indian Affairs, Public Lands, the
Judiciary, Post Office and Post Roads, Territories
and the District of Columbia, are of the most i'm
portance; but the grssping " Northern majority
has furnished charmen for only one of these
that on Public Lands Nh. Douglas, Chairman
of the Committee on Territories, is stakeholder
k,a inf in, ba NJ "a
North.
Nine of the ten most important committees are
then under the guidance of the deplorably de-
graded minority Only two chairmen are Wings,
and they are slaveholders. All the Fest Of the
Chairmcn are Democrats either shareholders or
Hunkers, with the exception of Hamlin, Walker,
and perhaps Felch.
Again while the men who represent the deci-
ded phase of Northern Sentiment are excluded
with two or three exceptions from the post OF
honor and influence on Committees, the most ultra
men of the oppressed minority are specially favor
ed For example: Hunter Of Virginia is Chair
man of two Committees one of the highest i'm
portance Mason, of the same State, is Chairman
of that on the District of Columbia Davis, of
Mississippi, of that on Military Affairs; Yulee
of Florida, of that on Naval Affairs; Butler, OF
South Carolina, of that on the Judciary-all OF
them, members who have distinguished themselves
by their violent opposition to ali compromise, and
fercely threatened extreme measures.
As it is important to preserve the Library Of
Congress free from all Influences hurtful to Sla.
very, and as the Northern Majority" has little
to do with Literature, the Committee on the Lii
brary is composed exclusively of Senators rep
resenting the specially literary and greatly en-
dangered minority-Pearce of Maryland, Mason
of Virginia. and Davis Of Mississippi.
On all the most important Committees, it will
be found Also that not only the chairmen, but the
majorities of members, are from the degraded mi
nority In word, the Northern Ma orityn is
excluded, so far as the rules of the Senate will
allow, from taking the initiative or the control Of
the most important parts of legislation. Such, too,
is the state of things in the House, and yet our
common sense is constantly afronted with che
clamor about the aggressions of "the Northern
Majority" its bad faith its selfish ambition, and
the wrongs and prvatons of the poor, prosecuted
South SO far in the minority that it find safety
alone in Dissolution Of the Union
We append list of the Committees of the
Senate
On Foreign RLions-Messrs. Foote Chair
man Cass, Mangum, Phelps, and Douglas
On finance - Messrs Hunter, Chairman J
Bright, Pc ,roe, Benton and Ewing.
On C0marce-Messrs. Hamlin, Chairman J
Soule, Davis of Massachusetts,, Dodge Of Wiscon-
sin, and Bell
On Manufactmes-Messrs Sebastian Chair
man, Clemens, Clarke, Jones and Upham.
On Agrieuliure -Messrs Sturgeon, tChairman)
Turney, Sprusnce Walker, and Chase.
Ga Military Afaus-Messrs Davis of Missis.
sippi, lChairman,l Borland, Greene, Shields, and
Dawson.
On The Mlum-Messrs Houston, Chairman
Dodge of Wisconsin, Morton, Clemens, and Spru-
On Napal AGnrs-Messrs. Yulee, tChairman)
Mason, Badger, Miller, and Gwin
On Public Laads-Messrs Felch, Chairman }
Shields, Winthrop, Fremont, and Smith.
On Prirote Lind Cioims - Messrs Downs.
(Chairmsn) Whitcomh, Davis of Massachusetts,,
Baldwin, and Chase.
Ga Iaiian Agnrs-Messrs. Atchisou, Chair.
man Sebastian, Bell, Rusk, and Wales
On Ciains-Messrs Norris, tChairman,) Whit
COinO, OnuerWOOt, DaluWln, anu frat.
On tie Judieiayy-Messrs. Butler, Chairman
Downs, Berrien, Bradbury, and Dayton
On Revolutionary CLAIMS - Messrs Walker,
lChairmanl Upham, Dodge of Iowa, Cooper, and
Chase.
On tie Post 0Gee and Posi- Roads--Messrs.
Rask, lChairman,) Bright Upham, Soule, and
Morton.
On Roads and CdnGls-Messrs Bright, Chair
man. Atchison, Greene Pratt, and Spruapce.
On Passions - Messrs. Jones, (Chairnan,)
Phelps, Dayton, Hale and Borlsnd.
Ga The Disna Of Coiuahtq-Messrs Mason,
Chairman Yulee, Miller, Shields, and Ber-
rien.
o. Patents and he Patent OGcs-M essrs Tur-
ney, (Chairman,l Norris, Wales Whitoomb, and
Dawson.
On R,frene.msni-N essrs Bradbury, Chair
man Houston, Mangum Fech, aud Clarke.
On T,ubones-Messrs Douglas, (Chairman,)
Underwood, Houston, Cooper, and Seward
IT. audit and control ne coaD.gea erpnses of The
Senate-Messrs. Dodge OF Iowa, chairman
Walker, and Badger.
On PSb',e Bpildings-Messrs Hunter, Chair
man. Davis Of Mississippi, and Clarke
Ga. Pd9iag-Messrs Borland, lChairman)
fIamln and Saith
On Engrossed Bls-Messrs Jones, Chairman
Sebastian, aud Hale.
Ga The L@rmy-Messrs Pearce, lChairman)
Mason, and Davis Of Mississippi