The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-12-27

ed till Monday.
HOUSE.
The Clerk called the House to order at l:
o'clock, and the Journal of Yesterday was read
The House, Immediately resuming the bust
ness of voting, proceeded to a sixty-seventt
vote, with the following result:
Mr.. Banks, of Massachusetts lO4
Mr.. Richardson, of Illinois 70
Mr. Fuller, of Pennsylvania 81
Scattering 10
Whole number of votes given POI
Necessary to a choice Ill
40 candidate having received a majority OF
the whole number of votes given, there was con-
sequently no election.
Mr.. Smith, of Alabama, did not now rise for
the purpose of making a speech, but merely to
snbmit a proposition of his own humble eoncep-
tion-a proposition, not to organize the House,
but 10 promote by degrees its business. His
plan was. that the House should proceed to the
selection oftwo standing committees Com
mittee of WAYS and Means, and the Committee
on Foreign Affairs-to be composed of gentle
men belonging to the various parties of the
House These committees were each composed
of nine members, and he proposed that the Re
publican party, indicated by its one hundred and
five votes, should nominate four OF the men,
bers of each OF these two committees; that the
Democratic party, with its seventy-four Repre-
,entatives, should nominate three of the men,
hers of each committee; and that the corporaFs
guard Of the South, aided by those men of the
North who had stood by them, should have the
humble privilege of nominating the two men,
hers that would then remain to be appointed.
These committees having thus been constituted,
he proposed that they should select their own
chairman by ma ority vote, and that these two
chairmen should alternately preside over the
ordinary business of the House until q Speaker
should be elected. He further proposed that
the House should then be sworn in by the chair
man OF the Committee of Ways and Means, and
proceed to the election of a Clerk, Sergeantat-
arms, Doorkeeper, and last, though not least,
a Chaplain, by whose prayers perhaps some oil
might be thrown upon the troubled waters.
laughter.
Mr. Jones, of Tennessee, said, that the law
of Congress required that Speaker should be
elected aud that some one member should ad-
minister the oath to him required by the Con-
s.ituton and that then the Speaker should ad-
minister the oath 10 the members of the House.
He would ask the gentleman if the House had
anv authority whatever to authorize, by Resolu-
ton. any individual to administer the oath to
members
Mr. McMuen replied at some length to the
remarks heretofore made by Mr.. Giddings and
Mr. Whitney, and expressed his concurrence
in the remark of the gentleman from Alabama,
Mr. Smith, that ans ~--sr not the time for
elimination and ecrimination.
MrZolIicofr, of Tenn, Ii. NJ, said he was
Southern ms, but had come here prepared to
ft the national and patriotic men of the
Eth upon middle gTopnd-upon . basis
Z Il To- sv,< 6oQ md IAN
b. North those rights which our fathers of
Revolution determined should be protected
h De Constitution. But what had occurred
3? The national organ of the hdministra-
Democratic party, a few days after the
h. tting Of the caucus which nominated Mr..
b2rdson had declared that that party had
tied themselves upon their platform, and
IL look to nc compromise with the national
of the Union. And what was that plat
~? it attributed to gentlemen occupying
position disposition to deprive portion
q lie American people of their civil aud reli-
~ n liberties. Gentlemen who protested to
"a, II with him for the maintenance of the
hi the Constitution, the rights of the peo-
(. birth and South, had undertaken to stig
nss him as occupying that position. And
gbg Sc bad occurred? A few days since,
,ar. sn, Mr.. Walker, with whom he had
the b1r to act, looking to the present state OF
aFg, nd to the fact that in ali probability
tb,-4v. IA majority OF members here who were |
glrrg o stand together Qpoa conservative
gnlGvleK, had suggested that it was time iof
ugiFa hen to have conference. But what
v4s NE tresponse? Why, the author Of tho
b-ugrltic platform, Mr.. Jones, Of Pennsyl- |
yaaa md the leader of the Administration
parts repeed, spurned the suggestions, and
declared that the Democratic party would con-
Ter with no men unless they should stand upon
The Democratic platform; and the same asser
ton had been made by one of his colleagues,
lr. omh. IN view Of these facts, was it not |
manifest that, as n man who had respect tor his |
PERSONAL honor. he could not walk up to the |
condition Of standing upon that platform while |
tstgmatzed him unjustly-he would not say |
lseiy, it was not his habit to use such Ian |
.aage-as being willing to deprive portion of |
al- +I~e-can people of their political and reli- |
,loS liberties
There was now, therefore, two platforms pre- |
'rnled for the consideration of conference.-the |
administration Democratic platform, taking a |
party position upon one of the most exciting |
tiesilons before the American people at this |
me- when the tendency was to sectional organ |
iL4lons such as threatened the stability of the |
Ion and TIA: of the .iepublican party, pledg- |
Nt themselves to vote for no man who would |
MI secuonaze the committees of the House. |
la the latter party he could not possibly vote,
VINE II ne were disposed to act with the form
VI lie language and action of those who sup
io.' We're such as to preclude him from so
dong
an Wright, of Tennessee, Administration,
80, q The opinion that his colleague who had
Jus. %ddEesSed the House, and those who were
with ! Al. Al
ueSlrolS OF restricting civil and religious liberty,
zee making the principle Of change in the
:a'urShLauon laws paramount to every other
issue before the country.
WI HoilIcofier replied. that had he, disregard
~ uie resolution adopted by the Democratic
f"T' to'ed Tor Mr. Richardson, it would in all
Banks. '1'''N III INC eie'''0i Vi MI
M night said that he had come here, not as
HOrh 0. Northern man, but with the de-
''i'"al'on to cooperate with all who were in
l'o' VI maintaining the Constitution and the
---'a'tled rights of the States. He was not
ol nose VINO believed that this Union would
eS'oived, but at the same time would warn
S';'eiAeh that there was a point beyond which
,--a[alce ceased to be a virtue. He believed
"a we vOrthern people would not sustain their
fT.e>ehtauyes in any extreme course, but would
H.! 70 The support of the Union, and sustain
rr, resolution adopted by the Democratic eau
M. nj smith, Of Alabama, then submitted the
h. he had this morning suggested to
vs, noeSe' modified, as he stated to suit the
NJ u some of the members of the House.
no, tL;e CoN; OF kentucky, Know Nothing,) did
80, ,...A The adoption of the resolution would
,.,.oS lie House from the responsibility which
e,s So upon them, for it was their duty to use
-! eAor' to effect an organization by the cleo