Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-12-14
Congress.
Montpelier, Nov. Ii, 1855.

Congress.
The .Sendt, consists of 33 Administrative
Democrats, Of whom Is are from the FIRE
aud Is from the slaSe s,ates-opposiiio
members, 25; 4 vacancies to wit, one eac
in Indiana. Pennsylvania, Missouri and Cal
ifornia. OF the % opposition members, j
are Republicans, 6 are Americans, and ; mr.
non-descrip, The Republicans are all frou
the free states, aud the Americans all from
tho slave states. The non descrpts are
Messrs. Fish OF New York, Jones Of Ten
nessee, Geyer of Missouri, Benjamin of Lou
isiana, Pratt and Pearce OF Maryland-al
of whom we're elected as Whigs-one only
lMr Fish, from the free STATES. We elias
sify them as non descripis by their own au
thority. The custom OF tho Democratic
minority of the Senate il to appoint CON-
mlttee st the opening Of each session, who's,
business II is TO form the standing commit
tees of the Senate, taking care, Of course
TO put upon each important committee ma
jorty Of their own party, and extending tt
the minority just such favors as they choose
On Thursday evening Of last week, tho
Democrats met in caucus aud appointed such
committee, and thereupon tine five geut.e.
men, yclept " memberships above, sent IL
joint card TO this committee, giving not ct
that they shave decided to stand aside from
all existing party organizations in order
that this fact might be recognized in the for
nation of the committees. his is an cx-
traordinary proceeding, and it strikes us that
II is anything but credtable TO the parties
concerned They were elected as Wings /;
they protested to be Wings; they were
counted upon 10 stand in the Senate as oppo-
nenis Of the sham Democracy, and rs de-
Tenders of Wing principles. so far as those
principles should be involved in the action
Of the Senate. Although It may be and il
true, that the Wing party is not now in exis-
tence, still its noble principles yet live, and
ever will live. They still come in collision,
and ever will come IN collision, with the dis
tinc,ive principles and measures of the pseu-
may be and Is true, that the question OF
Freedom or Slavery is now paramount to Ill
others, and has leo to, and will continue To
justify, new party arrangements, which shall
in good faith make the old party issues sub
ordinate to the new one in all the elections.
and although il is also trge that ancient qucs-
tons have been rejuvenated in the modern
American psriy,-questions which ought 10
be met and settled,-yet II Is also true
doubtless that The present Administration
will, in its measures, bring many Of the old
mooted principles into the arena and we
hold that the member of Congress, be he
Wing, Republican, Freesoiler or Democrat,
who fails to NEE, the old issues az they may
rise, in accordance with his convictions Of
right. will be recreant 10 his principles. In
decd, the case of these five Senators seems
TO be even worse than that; elected as
Wings, il seems to us that they cannot now
assume position Of neutrality towards the
Administration, which they were elected TO
oppose. without being guilty Of positive
treachery to their trust. Better iar-more
honorable, more consistent with the dignity
Of their station would il have been had
these gentlemen announced themselves as
Wings. standing precisely where they stood
when they were elected As il is, they seem
to be begging the favor Of the Adm.nlstra-
housekeeping for positions on the commit
tees. in which they can certainly gain no cred
IT to themselves iftbey comply with the terms
of admission by grounding their arms. If the
Administration has work to be done on the
committees, let them use their own tools -
The detection OF these FIVE Senators is but
one loss to the Republican side -Four of
them were slavocrats, and could have gone
over to the Administration body and breeeh-
es. with more honor than they are now emit
tied to. Perhaps their present halting-pla
is the halfway house. Another step may
land them a, the kitchen of the white house,
ItdOy " Wv lIcluiitq uo otsNdulr VI llo ilu5
ter.
The House Exclusive Of seven delegates
from the territories, who have the right TO
speak, but not to vote, consists Of 23i mem
beers, Of which ile is majority. The Al
mlnistration has 20 neutrality-suspicious.
l56. OF the opposition. ~ are Repubi.
cans. just one half Of the whole house,
and 80 are Americans. OF the Administra-
ton men, SIS are from the slave states and %
from the free. All the Republicans are from
the free states. OF the Republicans, sever.
al are or have been members of the Ameri-
csn order, but act with the Repub lican
members. The total representation of the
tree states is la. Of the slave states co.
The Americans hold the balance Of power.
On the FIRST ballot for Speaker, Us votes
were cast, divided as follows Administra-
ton ~, being two more than are assigned To
that party three original Democrats, who
were elected as Republicans, voted With the
Administration Republicans liz: Amer.
cans 80. Marshall, Of Kentucky, was voted
for BY most u the Americans, having receiy-
ed 30 votes In allusion TO his small vote
1t is said that Marshall exclaimed-a there
are no Americans --tLey are all niggeum-
The remark was undignlhed, bat i, may be
true: Of the % Americans, IS are from The
siars states. Joking aside, however, the
msmbers clsssed as Anericans are nearly
all 'i2th SECTION Dsa,' Or so-slssery, vii le