Daily Richmond times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1849-1850, 1850-01-01
Of man, and looking for pledges vamped UP the eve
e. :. L. Il L


of man, and looking for pledges vamped UP the
| Of an election like those of Mr.. VIM j. Brown
| He (Mr. S. had not much faith in these deathbed
repentances. He had not much faith in these sudden
conversions, and least OF all had he faith in them when
they seemed to have been made under the strong pu-
sive influence of reward lust ahead, that to be
given in case pledges were made on the other side.
He repeated that he tired of hearing certain gen.
tlemen to themselves to lecture the Wing party.
There might be some propriey in it, they had not
rely separated from the pary but, having done So he
must protest against the right OF gentlemen, in phari
saca spirit preach purity and good conduct to all the
rest OF the world, assuming to be champions OF all that
was right, and putting every body else in the wrong
This requiring Of pledges showed that there were men
at each end Of the Union who would vote for cand
dates who used 10 give pledges OF sectional charac-
ter--who would not vote for Northern man because
he Northern man, and who would not vote tor a
Southern man because he was Southern man.
| What did this mean! ii he took the position that he
| would not vote Tor man because he was Southern
man, and another gentleman would not vote for man
because he was Northern man, what did it amount to!
1t disunion. They might cover 1t as they pleased
it was disunion. 1t might perhaps be defined as but
the first step tow rds disunion; but it was step
from which the consequence followed inevitably as
fate. One section--the North the South-must
have the majority. Disranchise all upon the other
side, and the Union could not hold together q day
it ought not to hold together day. The Wing
party, and some of the Democrats, differed from
his colleague in this respect They believed that
this Union resulted from compromise between the slave
and the free States They entertained peculiar local
sectional views, which education, habit, association
had forced upon them in reference to the question OF sa
very He was in favor OF the ordinance OF 1887. lie
had always voted with the gentleman from Massachu-
sets Mr.. Winthrop in favor OF it. yet he did not iee
that upon this account he must stand here and claim to
dsancise every living i'll the slave States because
he differed with him that local, sectional question
He had voted the other day, part OF the time, for
Northern men, and part OF the time Tor Southern
| He had been wllingto vote for any man whom he be-
leved to be conservative and true Wing. But, fail
ing to elect such man, and finding that, at both ex
tremes of the Union there were men who would stand
out impractcaby "o the bitter end unless the whole
of the House consented to their peculiar views he
OF those who had very reluctantly consented
to the plurality system as the only mode OF organizing
| the House
| Mr.. S., in concluding, cited as precedent for the
speeches in favor of disunion, speech of Wendall
Phillips, the aboonst of Boston, declaring for tram
pling upon the Constitution and protesting that the New
England people were not a lao abiding coanmunity'
That tsaid Phillips is the of American po-
litics We have forced the Democratic party of the
field, the original ally Of the slave power. We have
sent the Wings into alliance with Southern slave
holders. 1t is natural alliance 1t is the Lords the
Lash and the Lords OF the Loom associated 1t is the
capital OF the country and the conservatism of the
try against the ideas of the country"
Here proceeded Mr.. S. we saw extremes meet. The
Wing party charged by Mr.. Phillips, were indeed
the " conservatism" OF the country. Coming from the
North and from the South representing every sectional
maintenance OF the rights and interests OF the WHOLE
These rights and these interests he r 81 ready to
maintain, here and elsewhere, wherever his hand or his
voice could do It, against these mpractcabe gentlemen
Mr. HOLMES made one ofhis warm Southern speeches.
which shall insert hereafter, declaring the Union
safe because the South was united.
Mr.. GIDDINGs again took the floor and said his col
league (Mr Schenck) had said that his only objections
to the Wing nominee the arrangement OF the
mittees to which he had referred when last up He
! M her az nj tba He had ot
intended to go into these personal objections further
than was absolutely necessary They were matters to
which he had felt great repugnance but he told his
colleague that his objections were founded on the whole
political course OF that gentleman tie referred part-
cuarly to his Faneuil Hall toast on the 4th July, 1915,
in favor OF Texas, before Texas was annexed He re-
ferred to his motion lay the resolution of Mr. Pal
frey the table. That resolution was designed TO
pledge that party in opposition to any cand
date for President who was not pledged, by his acts
avowed opinions, against the extension of slavery
These all entered into his estimate Of that genemans
character He had also regarded the avowas of those
gentlemen OF influence who lead that party. He re-
terred to the remark of that gcntemans colleague at
the Wing caucus held the Saturday evening previous
to the commencement OF the present session. that the
Wing party in Massachusetts did not make the sup
port Of the proviso party test.
Mr. AsHNUN inquired which colleague2
Mr. GIDDINGs replied, the one who now addressed
him.
Mr. AsHMUN said he had not made that remark
Mr.. GIDDINGs resumed He did not pretend to quote
the languages he had intended to express the substance
The words had been published; he referred to them.
But his colleague had referred to the Wing party, and
was willing to vote for any Wing. He was unwilling
to be driven into any remarks relative to that party
But the House would bear him witness that this discus
sion not his seeking. He was driven into itn self
defence. But he constrained to say that the action
of that party for the last year had been anything but
consistent.
On the 2lst of December ls47, he had presented to
this House petition from the people OF this District,
praying the abolition Of the slave trade carried
in this city, and moved its reference to the Committee
for the District of Columbia, with Instructions report
bill agreeaby to the prayer ofsad petition motion
was made to lay hs proposition on the table. Against
this motion every Wing north OF Mason and Dxons
line voted The vote such as he expected-7such as
did them credit But mark the change Just year
subsequently, the gentleman from New York, on his
right, offered his resolution to instruct the commit
tee to report bill aboishng the slave trade. carried
and motion was made to reconsider the vote by which
it was adopted That motion came up on the 9th of
the same month ard the gentleman over the way from
Illinois Mr.. Wentworhl moved to lay the motion to
reconsider the liable. On this they rallied their forces
they regarded the favorable for strong
in favor OF freedom Ii carried it would leave the
luton in force, and the bill TO abolish that traffic would
have come before them But he would that every man
in the nation could hear him. On that twety-six
Northern Wings recorded their names against the
on thereby lending their influence in favor OF that dis
graceful commerce IN our own species. Sir said he,
Gen. Taylor had been elected, aud these Northern
Wings being majority OF that party who then voIed
against the motion, in the space Of year and six days
faced to this right-a ermarched-changed
their position on this subject.
MI G said he wished just to state fact in the most
profound confidence. His colleague, who had just adj
dressed the House with much ability, OF those
who had thus suddenly turned political somerset.
Mr.. ScHENcK nterposed, and said that his colleague
spoke of MIR. Colts resolution He tMr. s. was not
here when thai resolution passed. having been call
ed away by sickness in his family If he had been here
he should have attempted to have had the resolution
passed without the preamble, which he considered unne
cessariy offensive to The people OF the South. When
the question on The consideration of the resolution came
up he had returned to this city. He voted against the
motion 10 lay the table; but he meant to move
consider as one OF his colleagues whom he had con
ton passed. (and he was in favor OF the esoluton that
it should be done in the offensive language OF the
preamble. If his colleague would read that preamble,
he would see what its terms were.
Mr.. GInnINGs resumed He said his colleague re-
erred to the preamble OF the resolution offensive to
the South. Does he alege there was any thing in that
preamble that was not strictly true? And he afraid