The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1855-03-08


Mr.. LETCHER said it was impossible for
the people of Virginia TO submit TO such inter
ference of their Government. They would
never submit to be disgraced and dishonored.
If the party whom Mr.. GIDDNGs represents are
disposed to pass this issue on us, let us go into
body by ourselves, and leave the other party
to go into body by themselves. He asked
Mr.. GIDDINGs whether he belonged to the Know
Nothings?
Mr.. GIDDINGS replied, he knew nothing
about the organization.
Mr.. LETCHER. find that nobody has any
personal knowledge of it. Laughter. have
yet to see the first man who will acknowledge
he is one. Even the gentleman from Massa
ehusetts Mr.. BANKS could not be screwed up
to say he is one
Mr.. BANKS. Nobody has asked the ques
ton.
Mr.. LETCHER. Do you belong?
Mr.. GIDDING& III answer.
Mr.. LETCHER / can get nothing out OF
you. Laughter.
Mr.. GIDDINGS. / don't belong to the Know
Nothings.
Mr.. LETCHER. Let me try the gentleman
from Massachusetts,
Mr.. BANKS. j belong to an organization,
not that l know it is called Know Nothing, but
it answers the description which has been given.
Mr.. LETCHER. Then there is one WHO &C
knowledges the corn Laughter AS the gen
tleman is the High Priest, how many followers
hes he here?
Mr.. BANKS. don't know one.
Mr.. LETCHER. That's remarkable. He is
the head of the Know Nothing family, and
don't know his children. Laughter. That
is practical Know NOthingism. l have heard
it said that the rule is to know nothing and
L.I. m IL
hear. / think, after the last answer of the gen
| tleman, the House will have no difficulty in ar
| irving at the conclusion that the Know Moth
ings have been correctly described.
Mr.. GIDDINGS. Are you Know Nothing
Mr.. LETCHER. Practically, theoretically
socially, morally, or otherwise, l am not. When.
ever shall join society, and have not manl
ness to say l am member of it, trust l shall
never be here, or in any position where conf
dence is reposed in me. He asked Mr.. Banks
whether Senator Wilson is Know Nothing?
Mr.. BANKS replied, II don't know"
Mr.. LETCHER thought that was strange
After further remarks in condemnation OF
the Know Nothings, the Committee rose at | |
o'clock, and the House adjourned.
WEDNESDAY EVENING.
The members reassembled at seven o'clock,
in the Committee of the Whole on the state OF
the Union, for the purpose of general debate.
Mr.. YATES said that the Nebraska question
was almost the only issue in the late elections
in the Northern free States. The result would
he trusted, remain perpetual condemnation OF
those who attempt to treat lightly and slight
ly the sacred compromises made by our fathers
BY the result of those elections, Freedom has
vindicated herself, and gave politicians to under.
stand the sentiment Of liberty and humanity
is not to be crushed by the iron heel of legisla.
tive majorities. So far as Illinois was concern
ed, the ntiNebraska members of Congress
were elected by seventeen thousand majority.
But for the opinion inculcated that Kansas
would never be slave Territory or State, the
condemnation of the advocates Of the Kansas
Nebraska act would have been more general
Scarcely three months have passed, before we
find that Slavery has already hold in Kansas,
which Territory has Delegate on this floor,
whose sentiments are known to be favorable to
making Kansas a slave State. Toward the con-
clusion of his remarks he said, if the next Con
gress shall refuse to restore the Missouri Com
PROMISE he should consider this Government
the apoOgist for Slavery, which he in strong
terms condemned.
Mfr. GOODRICH addressed the Committee
on the subject of the Congressional Emigration
Society Of which he is the President. In reply
10 speech of Mr.. OLIVER, of Missouri, he said
that, so far as he knew about the emigrants
from Massachusetts, to Kansas, he had been
told that every man who had gone thither from
that State did so with a bona tide intention of
becoming citizen of that Territory. He then
proceeded to defend the principles and purpo-
SEES of that society, of which the gentleman Mr.
OLIVER had spoken as an organization of hire
lings, charging the members of it, in substance,
L.. al e
the country. The money of the society, he said,
was used to send to Kansas such emigrants as
were opposed to the introduction of Slavery
into the same, and in favor of repeating all
laws passed, tolerating Slavery in the Territories
of the United States. The further object of the
society is, to restore the Missouri Compromise,
and to bring back the Government to the prin-
ciples of the Ordinance of 1887.
Mr.. CAMPBELL was rejoiced that we are
rapidly approaching the last hour of this Con-
gress the history of which, he feared, will
prove to coming ages that we have done more
evil than good for our common country. He
had looked back on the records. of the past, i'm
vain, for any evidence calculated TO show that
anything has been done to promote the great
cause of the country, or that of humanity. He
did not propose to recapituate the acts of this
country. When they met here, they found the
Treasury full to everAowing. If it is not now
empty, it soon will be to the last dollar. He
predicted that the next Congress will be called
on by the Executive of the nation to authorize
the issuing of Treasury notes to pay the current
expenses of the Government. Among the acts
of wrong and outrage of the last session, is the
repeal of the Missouri Compromise.
In the course of his remarks, he alluded to
the controversy, heretofore, between himself
NJ. ,f II
the prosperity, respectively, Of the States of
Ohio and of Georgia, involving the question Of
free and slave labor, and the superiority of the
one description over the other.
Mr.. BAILEY, of Georgia, Mr.. CAMPBELL
yielding the floor, said he regretted this black
berry trapgrass discussion between the gentle
man from Ohio and his colleague Mr. STE
PHENs.
Mr.. CAMPBELL said he placed the contro-
versy on higher ground namely, Freedom
and Slavery.
Mr.. BAILEY remarked, such discrimina-
tiOns, as to States, were not only odious, but
calculated to have a bad effect He had a
right to say he believed the people of Georgia
u not sympatllize IN such a discussion as this.
: Mr.. CAMPBELL asked, Do you believe in
the power of Congress to exclude Slavery from
the Territories?
MIR. BAILEY replied, he did not; and he
did not understand his colleague Mr.. SrE-
PHENs to believe so.
| Mr.. CAMPBELL said he would prove every
position which he had assumed on the question
of Slavery was endorsed by the gentlemans
| colleague, Mr.. STEPHENS.
Mr.. BAILEY wished to say, for he had no
opinions to conceal, that if his counsel had
been pursued with reference to the organiza-
ton OF the Territories, this discussion would
never have been here He went for fighting
for the first piece, instead of the last, if the
people OF the North will not see the truth, as it