The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1854-03-13
AFT AIRS IN WASHING
Our Washington correspondence.

WASHINGTON, March 10, 1854
Sectional Siirishing in the House Of Representatives
We had very fair specimen to-day in the House of the
that may be expected to be enacted there when
the Nebraska bill up for discussion II was pi
quaint lively and while il lasted intensely exciting. As
the diminishing between outpots affords pretty sure
indication Of the importance and virulence which the
will when the decisive campaign is enter
ed on Let me give you brief account of the precur
sorry engagement of to-day and leave you to draw your
own logical deductions and calculations therefrom.
The House had been for some short time in Committee
of the Whole the private calendar, Mr. Campbell OF
Ohio, occupying the Chair-when Mr. Sellers of Mary
land made speech in support Of petty claims held
by few Of his constituents against the general govern
ment for certain losses sustained the occasion of the
British depredatons in this section OF country in 1872
10 These clams-tfiang in amount-have been long,
but unavangly, pressed in Congress. The Senate al
lowed of them but the House Committee invariably
rejected them, took no action whatever upon them.
Mr. Sellers in good natured, humorous speech, which
kept the members in continuous roar of aughter-as
well from the matter the manner-recounted some of
the facts on which the claims for compensation
based and appealed in mock heroic style to the honesty
and justice Of the committee at the bare mention of
which preposterous virtues the members laughed the
The house was in its best possible humor disposed
to enjoy the fun In the of his remarks however,
tile member from Maryland INDUCED in some character
the minds and political opinions of his constituents, in
stead of allowing his opinions to be moulded by them
And at all this the members laughed the more. But
not all of them. On one two the Grafton Of Mr.
Sellers had quite contrary effect and instead of mo
flying ollfyng their dispositions, it ratherand with
out any ostensble reason-seemed to embitter them
Mr. Lane, member from Indiana, became crotchety on
the point the others boast that he moulded or sroye
to mould the wills of his constituents Not so Mr.. L.
He had the honor to represent free and enlightened
constituency, and though the honorable member from
Maryland might mould to his own will his wooy headed
ha
Indana-reccgnized the intelligence of those whom he
presented and felt bound to shape his Congressional
In obedience to the public sentiment of his
stituency.
The term sswoolly head" was the talsmanc war cry
which instantly called dozen members to their feet
The unwilling originator of the dispute attempted to
ply to his free soil antagonist but his nudcous
of argument only preciptated events. The cry
e a o the
bill-Mr Dawson-supported his friend from Indiana,
and rerduche the Maryland member expressed his
greet that lie had voted for his free farm bill and there
upon recorded solemn that although his rule was
always vote in the Affirmative, he would thenceforth
ward by Mr. D. The able and discreet member from
South Carolina, Mr. Orr sensible of the imminent dan
ger from the explosive materials collected in the hail.
attempted to ward off the peril by calling Mr.. Sellers to
ORDER but himself ruled by the Chair to be out of
order The scene grew exciting. Many of the members
Joined the begerant ranks and stood in the of
combat, while the greater portion seemed to enjoy the
whole affair capital joke and amusing in the highest
degree But, while uproar and confusion reigned
supreme and while the ncessant hammerng of the Chair
mans gavl drowned any ineligible remarks that may
have fallen from the lips of excited members-which by
the by is dubiousand while the cries Of order,
ORDER from all sides only added to the disorder-at
that moment Of intense excitement and deafening noise
another combaant rushed upon the scene, who evil
IDENTIFY laboring under exacy of choer, which must
spend itself the heads Of his enemies sufocate
him if attempted to be longer pent up This Mr..
Hunt member from Louisiana, who felt that the term
wooy heads,' applied to the constituents of South
ern members, insult not to be endured-nor
should ii be tolerated by him. The South and its pecu
liar institution grossly and wantonly assaed and he
stood forward her champion U outrdnce 1t
became quite manifest that the speech into which this
gentleman rushed utterly out of order, and non
pertinent the matter before the committee An Ohio
member r. Egerton) venured to intimate much and
his point of order of course sustained by the Chair
to the great and augmented wrath of the gen.
eman from Louisiana who protested against the decision,
and appealed from to the judgment of the Committee
The appeal taken, but. as there was no quorum
voting the point left undecided at which Mr.. Hunt
expressed himself satisfied the principle perhaps that
if he did not achieve triumph, neither he tho
roughly vanquished. At this stage discreet member
proposed that the Committee do rise, which
agreed to, and the sectional sscrmmage'-to
Irish phasc-was terminated to the evident regret of
of the ocose members, who thought they might
well be rehearspg for the performances which are
to take place in the theatre the Nebraska
quest on
BEHOLD how great a fire little spark kindleth,
JEHOSEPHAT.