Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1851-12-10
THE FIRST MOVEMENT OF THE
OPPOSITION.

The Washington Republic of the 4th
inst, at the conclusion of an article under
this head, says
In the House on Monday as will be seen
by the reports in another column, the DEM
ocralIc party, counting in their number
Messrs. Rantoul, Cleveland, and Preston
King, succeeded pv majority of eleven
votes in electing Mr.. Lynn Boyd 10 the
Speakership. In accomplishing this result,
the Democratic party has been secessioniz-
ed and abolitIonized. The Wings made no
nomination to the Speakership. They were
prepared, many of them, to vote for any
man of any party presented on the Compro-
mise platform, the ground OF the Admins
tration. They were in hopeless minori-
ty. It would have been idle for them to
nominate a candidate of their owa; but
they were ready 10 take up any Democrat,
known to be sound on the questions Of Ad-
justnent, if they had been allowed AM OPP
portunity. But this opportunity was not
afforded. The bargain had been too strict :
ly affirmed The Democrats had sacrificed
the Compromise to conciliate the votes Of
the ultras of the North and of the South
The Buffalo Convention and the Nashville
Convention had every thing their own way;
and the present Speaker of the House of
Representatives is The creature of coali-
ton as corrupt and shameless as that which
IN Massachusetts elected Mr.. Sumner to
the Senate, and Mr.. Rantoul to the House,
and which in New York has elected an al
most entire ticket of Freesoilers TO all the
important State Offices.
We confess that we were in hopes of
different result We thought that the time
had arrived when the friends of the Union
and the Constitution, on the Democratic as
well as on the Wing side of the House,
were prepared to make up The issue with
dlsunionists of all shades and compilations,
and to compel the men who think alike to
act together. We did not imagine that
caucus of either party would shrink from
applying the Compromise test to its men,
bers, and from abiding fearlessly by the re-
suit. There is no doubt that very large
majority of the American people are pre-
pared to sustain the policy of the Admins
tration. We had hoped that this undenia-
Bile public sentiment would have been fair
ly represented in the Congressional caucus
Of both parties, and that neither party
would have sought by any base alliance or
supple trucking to secure temporary adj
vantages al the expense of the Constitution
and the Union. We have been disappoint-
ed. The Democracy have pursued their
old policy Of sacrificing principles 10 the
pursuit of power. They have adopted and.
endorsed the coalition of Massachusetts,.
and reinforced it with the Secession pha-.
lanx of the South. Such is the character
and position of the opposition to Mr.. Fill
more and his Administration and it was a.
fitting finale to their whole arrangements
that the oath of Office should be administer.
ed to the Democratic caucus by Mr.. Gid
dlngs, just after he had declared himself "a,
FIRE Democrat, and urged an immediatese-
lection. We were singularly struck by. the.
appropriateness of this denounrmsnf, and.
the cordial extra shake of the handC by
which the ceremony was concluded was.
but faint type of the warm Fluctuations
with which the allied forces Of the. Demo-
Gratis and Abolitionists contemplate tho
o. ant ,,f tho eessinn npr- 4hA
Compromise measures and the 4dministra-
ton.