The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-24
Thursday, January IL, 1856.


SENATE.
Numerous petitions were presented and refer
red.
| On motion of Mr.. Clayton, the President was
called upon for papers relative to Central Amer
lean Affairs
| Mr.. Hamlin spoke of the necessity that exist
ed for the appointment of Committee on
Printing for the Senate; and, although the rule
said that the committee should be balloted for
| yet there were cases where it had been depart
ed from, and the Chair authorized to appoint
He would move that the Chair be authorized to
| appoint the committee; which was agreed to-
| On motion by Mr.. Stuart, the Senate proceed
ed to the consideration Of Executive business
and, after some time spent therein, adjourned
| to Monday.
The Clerk called the House to order at IL
| o'clock, and the Journal of yesterday was read
Mr.. Garlic, of Virginia, remarked that more
than six weeks had passed, and the House yet
| remained without an organization.
| For the first time, he believed, in the history
of the country, was found sectional party in
| the House, willing to elect Speaker to preside
over its deliberations by sectional votes alone.
1t might be that it was the duty of the sec
ton of the Confederacy from which he came to
present the same united front in behalf of its
interests as was presented by the North in be-
half of the abstraction which fanaticsm had
enabled to rule the hour. With this view, his
honorable friend from Alabama, Mr.. Walker,
for the purpose of efecting, if possible, speedy
| organization of the House, upon sound con.
sentative principles, had proposed to the friends
OF the Administration, weeks ago, to unite in
| conference of National men, to ascertain if that
desirable object could be attained. He regret.
ted to be compelled to say that that proposition,
made in the spirit in which it was, was repealed
| by those to whom it was made Notwithstanding
they were aware of the fact that in such a con.
ference they would have had majority of two
to one, and the power to adopt whatever meas
ures they might have desired.
| But to what was this agitation upon sub
ject fraught with evil Justly attributable 1t
was to be attributed to the conduct of the Ad-
minstration and its friends at the last Congress,
in forcing a reopening of the question of Sla-
very, which both parties were pledged by their
National Nominating Conventions of 1852 to
keep out of Congress and repress in the country.
| MIR. Richardson, of Illinois, desired to know
if the gentleman would have voted against the
Kansas N ebraska bill, had he been a member
of the Congress by which it was passed?
MIR. Garlic replied, that had he been a mem
Der of that Congress, acting, as he had always
done, according to the dictates of his own iudp.
niOh', TcBtfuiceS VI INC consequences 10 nlmSclf,
he should certainly have voted against that
measure, and for two reasons, if not more.
| The first of those reasons was that it would
reopen the question of Slavery, without bring
ing to the South any practical good, and violate
the pledged faith of the two great parties, as
given by their National Conventions. The
second was, that it asserted the doctrine of
"squatter sovereignty" which Virginia had
ever repudiated. He was free to admit, how
ever, that, like the able distinguished and
patriotic gentleman from PENNSYLVANIA. IMr.
Fuller, he would under no circumstances vote
for the repeal of that messnre, because by so
doing he would aid that very agitation which
he had urged as an objection to its passage.
MIR. Orr, of South Carolina, moved to rescind
the ten minutes rule.
An extended debate ensued between Messrs
Stephens of Georgia, Zollicoffer of Tennessee.
and Washburn of Maine, on the subject of the
restriction of Slavery in the Territories, during
which MIR. Stephens defined his position in re-
marks Of considerable length.
Mr.. Orr then withdrew his motion.
The one hundred and sixteenth ballot was
then had, and resulted as follows:
Mr.. Banks, of Massachusetts 81
Mr.. Richardson, of Illinois 68
Mr.. Fuller, of Pennsylvania 80
MIR. Pennington, of New Jersey 6
Scattering 3
Whole number of votes given 203
Necessary to choice l02