The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-12-20
THE COMMITTEES OF THE SENATE.

The rule to be observed in forming the
Committees of the Senate is as follows:
In the appointment of standing commit
tees, the Senate will proceed by ballot, seve-
rally to appoint the chairman of each commit
tee, and then, by one ballot the other members
necessary to complete the same; and a ma or-
ity Of the whole number of votes given shall
be necessary to the choice of chairman of
a standing committee. All other committees
shall be appointed by ballot, and a plurality of
votes shall make choice"
The intention of the rule is, to exempt men,
bers from undue restraint in exercising the
right Of suffrage, and to secure on the Commit
tees the best and most efficient members.
Practically, however, it is a nullity. All the
chairmen and members are agreed upon by a
caucus of the members constituting the domi-
nant party in the body, and the voting of the
Senate is a mere form, the rule often being
dispensed with, and the whole batch of caucus
nominations being adopted by single vote.
December 18th, the Senate, on motion of
Mr.. Cass, proceeded to the election of the
was usual to dispense with the rule requiring
balloting and it would expedite business
and economic time, he presumed there would
be no objection to pursuing that course now.
MIR. Hale, not appearing to think that the Sen
ate was greatly pressed for want of Time
objected, and so the form of balIotiug was en-.
acted. The reader will find in our record of
proceedings, the Caucus Committees elected,
and we hope he will study them as curiosities
Rather unluckily for the Caucus, the Secre
tary of the Senate placed the names of the
members on the Committees, according to the
number of votes received Thus Mr.. Fish
stood second on the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations, Mr. Collamer second on that on the
Post Office and Post Roads and, according
to usage, in the absence of the Chairmen, these
gentlemen would have been Vice Chairmen.
Mr.. Cass, accordingly, had the mishap corrected
day or two afterwards, and moved that the
order in which the members names were
placed, should be so altered as to conform to
the arrangements of the Caucus Mr.. Hale
thought it little departure from the usual
mode, that the votes were tOSbe registered, not
according to the Senate record, but the edcts
u
small matter. The change was ordered, and
the effect of it was to place Mr.. Fish and Mr..
Collamer at the tail end of their several Com
mittees
The Slave Ohgarchy, composed of Southern
members and Northern adherents of the Slave.
holding Caste, have everything their own way.
OF twenty-six chairmen, sixteen are Slave
holders, and seven, Slaveholding adherents.
OF the three remaining, Hamlin is Anti-Sla.
very, Allen is a quietist, James, uncertain. In
a word, among the Chairmen of the twenty six
Standing Committees, the views and interests
of the Free States in relation to Slavery, COM
prising, as they do, more than two-thirds of the
free population of the country, are represented
by single mani
This is what they call Nationality,v
The Oligarchy mas taken special pains to Sc.
cure the most important Committees. For ex-
ample: Mason, author of the Fugitive Slave
Bill, is Chairman Of the Committee on Foreign
Relations, backed up by Weller, Slidell, and
Douglas, all pro Russian and pro-Cuban he
roes. Hunter, of Virginia, is Chairman of
the Committee on Finance; Weller, Of that on
Military Affairs, on which we find Fitzpatrick,
Jones of Tennessee. Johnson, Iverson, and
Pratt, all ultra Slavery men; Mallory, Naral
A6airs; Sebastian, Indian Affairs, with Bell,
Brown, Reid, Rusk, and Toombs, all slavehold-
ers Butler, the Judiciary, with Geyer, Bayard,
Toombs, and Toucey, to make all sure; Rusk,
Post Office and Post Roads; Brown, District
Of Columbia, with Mason, Pratt, and Reid, all
Shareholders against one from the free States,
Mr.. Allen; Pearce, Library, with Mr.. Bayard,
constituting majority, enough to keep the
Library of Congress pure and indebted
Beautiful Nationality"
The humble adherents of The Oligarchv, it
will be observed, are generally placed in sub
ordinate positions, except in few cases, where
signal services demand special honor
1t is curious to notice the disposition made
of the Republican members of the Senate For
the present, we reckon in this class, Fessenden
Of Maine, Bell and Hale Of New Hampshire.
Foote and Collamer of Vermont, Sumner and
Wilson of Massachusetts, Foster Of Connect.
cut, Seward of New York, Wade of Ohio.
Trumbnll Of Illinois, Durkee of Wisconsin,
statesmen, all men of decided abilities, capable
of rendering the most important services in
the work of legislation. In fact, it would be
difficult to select any other fourteen men of the
Senate equal to them in aggregate talent.
Now, let us see where " Nationality has
put them. Mr.. Seward stands third in the
| Committee on Commerce, next to last in the
Committee on Pensions, the last place being
reserved for Mr.. Sumner, whose name appears
on no other Committee while Mr. Stuart of
Michigan is Chairman of one important Com
mittee, and member of three others Har-
Ian, Trumbull, and Wilson, are slowed away
in the Committee on Manufactures, Of no kind
of Importance. Wade foots up the useless
Committee on Agriculture Bell stands third
on the Committee on the Militia, not very dan.
gerous TO the Commonwealth Foster, third
| on Private Land Claims In a word. generally.
where there is some drudgery of details, with
little honor, and no influence on general inter
ests or politics, there you will find the places
of the Republicans.
So much for NATIONALITY the "Na-
tionality so highly priced by the Hunts and
the billiards of the North-a "Nationolity"
whose essential element, whose beginning and
end is, derOtiOa TO Slareyy
INQUIRY ANsWERED-AN IMPORTANT PRO
JECT
/ IUnah To IL