Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1856-02-09
S E N 7 | N E I.
EgOGEz yGE4H4E1, RED.
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 1856
CONaREss ORGANIZED.

and BANKS was elected Speaker, having
three majority over Mr.. AIKEN, National
Democrat, Of South Carolina. Mr..
BANKS is an Abolition Know-nothinc.
, and the same gentleman for whom the
Northern wing of that party in Congress
had been voting since the beginning of
the session.
Although the people will be glad to
hear that this discordant body has at
length organized, every national, Union
loving citizen will regret the election of
BANKS, and the consequent triumph of
the Black Republican Know-nothings
in the Congress of the nation. All will
regret the election Of a man who has
been proven to have said ''that sooner than
see the area of slavery extended, he
would let the Union slide;" and who en-
tertains an opinion of the probability of
an ultimate amalgamation of the white
and black races of our country.
Political affairs haye come to sad
pass when such a man as BANKS is ele-
waited to the Speakers chair. Hostile
to the people and institutions of one por-
ton of the Union, he is to preside over
the deliberations of the representatives
ofthe whole Union. Possessing greater
love for the comparatively few negro
slaves Of the South, than for the pros
perity of twenty-five millions of free
men, he is raised to the highest position
in the Halls of Congress.
There san awful responsibility resting
somewhere, and The people ask who is to
blame for this result? Whose votes and
influence have raised such a bigoted IA
matte as BANKS to the position which he
now occupies, and which never was be-
fore disgraced with an enemy to the
Union? We answer, the Know-nothine
party is responsible for it all. Almost
universally conceded, this fact needs
little proof for its establishment. But
were it necessary, it might be conclusively
shown.
We charge, first, that Know-nothing-
ism is responsible for the election Of Alb
olitionists to Congress from the Northern
States, and that BANKS was one Of these.
The majority of the members of the last
Congress from the North, elected by the
Democrats, were conservative national
men, and voted for the Nebraska bill.
But after the adjournment, Sam entered
the political arena, and, leagucd with
,San,Jo in the North, he was Abolitionist,
Know-nothing and Black Republican
everywhere bore down the Democratic
party, and throughout the country the
victories over tLis time-honored party
were announced in juJilant strains by
the magnetic wires. The Democrat.
were defeated, and Abolition Governors
and members Of Congress were made to
order like wooden hams Tins is the
Congress then elected BY the allied forces
Of the opponents Of the Democracy, and
after two months Of fruitless effort, il
has elected, as Speaker, a man Of thcsa
stamp as GIDDEas, GREELEY and FRED.
DouoLAss.
But this was not all. Not successful
in returning quite enough Abolition
Americans to elect BANKS without a few
conservative votes, thercsult was deferred
and the miserable farce continued from
week to week by the same Know-nothinq
party Those Of that party who did not
dare to vote for an Abolitionist directly,
voted for a man no more national in his
antecedents than BANKS, and refused 70
unite with the Democrats on either Of
their excellent nominees, Mcssrs. RICH
ARDsoN Or ORR, but, as we conjcctured in
our last weeks paper, persisted, with a
determination to compel some Of the
Democrats to vote for the plurality rule,
and thus indirectly elect the idol of North
ern Khow-nothingism.
For long time the Democrats molly
stood forth in defence Of the best interests
of the country, hoping that the Southern
Know-nothings would come to the rescue
and save it from disgrace. Time, how
ever, taught them that their hopes were
vain; yet they saw that if the pretended
National Know-nothings voted with them
a national man could be elected A few
Of the Democrats yielded and voted for
the plurality rule which would completely
test their sincerity. The rule was adopt
ed-the crisis came-Mr. AIKEN ,ofSouth
Carolina, was selected by the conserva-
tives, and the contest lay between him
and BANKS. The issue was Nationality
and Union, or Sectionalism and Disunion.
What was the course Of the National
Know-nothings at this juncture Instead
of voting for Mr.. AIKEN, six of these
national, Patriotic Americaas, among
whom was Henry WINTER DAVIS, Of