New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-02-01
THE STRUGGLE FOR A PLURALITY RULE

Editorial Correspondence of The N. Y Tribune.
WASHINGTON Wednesday, Jan. 30 1856
The Plurality rule for the choice of a Speaker
has now been three times moved by Democrats;
first by Mr.. Barclay of Pennsylvania secondly,
BY Mr. Williams of New-YOrk to-day, by Mr..
Clingman of North Carolina Everybody is aware
that it must ultimately preyail--that the House
can be organized in no other way; the Nebraska
Democracy know that they cannot possibly elect
without it; even the South Americans, if allowed
TO choose their man from among the Democrats
must have the Plurality rule in order to elect him.
Even if our side should surrender to the straggers
and let George Dunn x Co. bring them to their
knees. we still could not elect without Plurality
rule Add the votes OF Dunn, Scott Scott Harrl-
son and Moore to our Banks column, and deduct
the six Democrats who to-day voted for the Plu-
rpty rule, and we should have but One Hundred
and Four to One Hundred and Twelve against us,
in the fullest House we have had for month. For
if YOU count both l.. ID. Campbell and Banks in,
you must count somebody else ont, as our candl-
date for Speaker, be he whomsOeyer he may, cannot
vote for himself They who say we might elect by
substituting for Mr. Banks some one whom Dunn
& Co. would support, do simply ignore the plain
est rules of arithmetic AS to John Wheeler, there
is 10 Member from South Carolina who is not as
likely to vote for any earnest Amt. Nebraska man
as he.
So long as the Democratic Members hoped that
the Anti-Nebraska support could be diverted from
Mr. Banks they had a sort of motive for protract-
ing the contest. do not think they would have
originally preferred any other earnest opponent of
the Nebraska bill to Mr.. Banks; but it had become
a matter of pride with them to make party SO
much more numerous than theirs as the Anti-Ne-
braska change its candidate at their bidding l
think they are now convinced that Mr. Banks will
not be dropped-that his friends will not be shiy-
cred ard shattered-and that unless complete
concentration of the Democratic and South-Amer-
can votes OIL single candidate, either Banks or
nobody must be Speaker. Now the union of Rich
ardsCn with Humphrey Marshall, Cobb with H. NJ
Fuller, Broome with Orr, Stephens with Zol-
Golfer, Bayard Clark with Letcher of Va. may or
may not look well in the abstract; yet thinkit can
never practically occur, because the parties cannot
afford it, Each of them would irrevocably be dam
value of the Speakership. 1 believe, therefore,
that most of them would be heartily glad if the
struggle were now over, even with Banks in the
chair Ii such is not yet their feeling, we must
wait till it shall be. H.G.
WASHINGTON, Wednesday, Jan. 30, 1856.
There was every reasonable promise and ex-
pectatiOn that the plurality rule would have pre-
vailed to-day from the auspices under which it was
presented and the apparent disposition on all sides
to terminate the contest. 1t was announced
through this correspondence month ago that Mr.
Cngman was willing at the proper moment to
break from the trammels of party, and to propose
the resolution which he presented this morning.
In deferrng it SO long he acted in obedience to the
dictates of supposed policy, and for the purpose
Of more surely effecting the objects at which he
aimed. Much excitement was manifested through
the hall when the proposition was introduced; for
although it had been prefgured, still there was
certain degree of surprise among those who were
not quite prepared for this trial of strength.
All manner of expedients were tried to defeat
the movement by motions to lay on the table, to
postpone, TO amend and to oyerride but the test
upon laying on the table was saved by majority
Of one, and through the interpositon of Mr.
Campbell Of Ohio, who changed his vote as a set
of to Mr. Bowie on the other side, who yielded to
the opportunities of friends, and abandoned the
position which he first assumed.
Upon the direct ISSUE the plurality was defeated