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

representing his constituents, should ask for the
passage of such a law, he would vote for it.
Cries of "that's right"l He desired to know
if the gentleman from Ohio would do likewise
Mr.. Campbell. Never
Without concluding, Mr.. Cox yielded the floor
for motion to adjourn which being agreed
to-yeas lis, nays l08-the House adjourned.
Friday, December q, 1855.
The Senate did not sit to-day.
| HOUSE.
The Clerk called the House to order at ~
o'clock and the Journal of Yesterday was read.
Mr. Giddings, Of Ohio rose for the purpose
! of correcting misrepresentation. The gentle
man from Virginia Mr.. McMullenl had yester-
day attributed to him the declaration, that when
the Government should pass into the hands of
the North, and the Abolitionist party should
elect President, then the Union should be and
ought to be dissolved. He could only say that
the gentleman had put language in his mouth
which ne had never used, which he had never
thought OF, and which he never expected to
| utter.
Mr.. McMullen, of Virginia, understood Mr..
Giddings to have said this in the remarks which
he had made yesterday: that the member from
| Ohio had said, that when the Government
should go into the hands of the North and thew
should succeed in electing the President and
Senate, then the South, who talked about dis.
solving the Union, should not dissolve it. He
had also said that that member had upon former
occasions spoken ofthe STAKEHOLDER as standing
over his slaves with the lash in his hand, and
that the member had now assumed to himself
the right to hold the lash over Southern Repre-
sentiyes in Congress. He had condemned the
course of the member, and had nothing to ia. =
back.
Mr.. Giddings. / never did such thing
spoke of principles, not sections and, as to
| replying to the gentleman, trust no member
will do SO, except in case of palpable misrep-
resentation.
Mr. McMullen. What does the member mean
when he says that he hopes no member will
| reply to me-when he says that he will not
| reply to me? Does the member suppose that
ne is capable of insulting me? Cries of
"order.'l will not violate the rules of deco
rum but when l have been wantonly assailed
by the contemplate member from Ohio, will
defend myself, here and elsewhere. Renewed
cries of order"J
Mr.. Cox, of Kentucky, then resumed and
concluded the remarks commenced by him yes
terday. In the course of his speech, he called
upon various gentlemen from the Northern
States to define the position assumed by the
Democratic party in the late elections, with ref
erence to the Kansas and Nebraska bill. The
replies elected made it appear that those North
ern gentlemen who had supported the Nebras-
ka act justified their votes on the ground that
it was favorable to Freedom.
Mr.. Etheridge, of Tennessee, expressed his
dissent to some of the views of his colleague
on the subject of Slavery, and declared that, so
far that institution was concerned, there was
no difference between the Democratic party at
the North and the Repnh'. ~"n - =.
y, .sbA mear,-l.. calculated to eradicate IL hoH,
the country.
Mr.. Cobb, of Georgia, rose to defend the
Democratic party. He indicated its caucus
resolutions Oh the Aabjcct qc the Nebraska bin
and Know Nothingism. Never did lhs " -,,s;
cratic party occupy so proud position. He
would not purchase votes for the Democratic
candidate for the Speakership by sacrifice of
the principles contained in the caucus resolu-
tons. How could his Southern friends ask
him to abandon the Democratic organization,
at the very hour "when, having purged itself
of the last vestige of that Free Soil sentiment
which has disturbed its harmony and destroyed
its power and usefulness, it is just entering
upon a new career Of triumph"
Mr.. c. then referred to the determination
expressed by the gentleman from Kentucky,
Mr.. Campbell, moi 10 cooperate with the
Democratic party in effectng an organiza.
ton, and declared that if the House should
never organize, his vote would never be given
for any member who had inscribed upon his
party or personal banner the doctrines con-
tanned in the oaths and obligations of the Amer
lean Order. Apart from this consideration, he
should regret extremely to cast his vote for the
gentleman rom Pennsylvania, Mr.. Fuller,
because in the act of so doing there would come
up before him the ghost of the murdered Wright,
who, by that gentlemans constituency and by
his aid and cooperation, had been stricken
down because he had voted for the Nebraska
bill, which his friend from Pennsylvania had
declared he would have opposed had he been
member OF the House at the time of its passage.
Mr.. Cox. The gentleman declares that on
account Of the proscriptive chars".c "a .ae OBJ
legations of the American party he will never
vote for any one connected with it, ] leave it
to tue country to determine whether he has
prescribed that party himself, or whether they
are the prosecutors. say, that to save my
country | will take any good man, / care not to
what party he belongs. Applause in the gal
leries
Mr.. Cobb. / cannot save my country by
voting with men who do not recognise the
fundamental principles of the Constitution of
the country and such | understand to be the
defenders and advocates Of these oaths and OBJ
legations. The salvation of this country is not
Mr. Campbell, of Ohio, said that the gentle.
man from Georgia had charged the one hun
dred and six men who had voted for Mr..
Banks, with sectionalsm, and with principles
adverse to the Constitution. And why? Be-
cause they stand by the principle of Slavery
restriction. He would prove that the gentle
man himself, and his party, had endorsed and
acted on this principle.
In 1916, there was a question before this
body, of vast consequence to our countryside
annexation of Texas; and pending that PROPOSE
ton here, the following proviso was introduced
by the honorable Senator from Illinois, Mr..
Douglas, then member of the House,.
PrOcided, hOUeUer, That in such State or
States az shall be formed out of the territory |
north of the said Missouri Compromise line,
Slavery or involuntary servitude, except for
crime, shall be prohibited"
He wished the country to bear in mind that |
this proviso did not seek to place restriction
upon Territories, but it went far beyond any
thing claimed by the enc hundred and six mem
bers who were voting for Mr.. Banks. 1t pro-
vided that even when Territory should form a |
State Constitution, and be ready to come into |
the Union as independent sovereignty, the |
people thereof should hot then have the right |
to tolerate Slavery.
lie had not risen to make a speech, but for |
the purpose of ipstifyhg, by the vote upon the |
proviso he had quoted, the position occupied |
upon that question by he one hundred and six |
members with whom be was acting. And he |
would call the attention of the House to the |
fact, that upon that voc the name of the dis |
tinguished gentleman rom Georgia was record |
ed in the affirmative. Applause.
Mr.. 4. SAID, as to ALericanism, he would be |