New-York daily tribune., 1856-01-17
FROM WASHING TON.
GOSSIP OF THE FEDERAL CITY
good one


Editsrsi Cosre.pondenee Of The n. Y. Tribune.
WASHINGTON, Tuesday Eve, Jan. Is, 1856
have not cared 10 remark ON the distractions of
the Nebraska Democracy in the House. They are
but seyenty.fve to eighty when full including
Caruthers and Mordecai Oliver of No., Talbot OF
KY, Watkins of Tenn, and Bowie of Nd, who,
though voting steadily for Richardson, are old
fashioned Henry Clay Whigs, whose only grounds
of sympathy with the Democrats are devotion to
Slavery and hostility to the KnOwNothings But
il is not by these that the present trouble in the
camp il created. The difficulty is caused BY Mr.
Richardson's afirmatons of the constitutonality of
Slavery Restriction, though he is utterly opposed
to such Restriction. But this admission OF the
abstract right to exclude Slavery from the Terri
tories is very offensive to the South Carolimans
and Missssippians, some of whom threw off from
Mr.. R. after the exposition of his views on Satur-
day, and the caucus of last night was held ex-
pressly to bring them back to the fold. The effort
was an earnest one but only in part successful.
The little harmony secured is entirely superficial;
the cauldron still bubbles beneath. Manifestly,
there will be lively time at the Cincinnati Presi-
Dental Convention.
The Plurality rule was nearly sustained to-day
on the motion to lay it on the table-the vote
standing One Hundred and Five for the motion
to One Hundred and One against it. Several
Democrats voted to stop fooling and elect
Speaker in the only manner now practicable, IN
cluding two from Pennsylvania and one each (all
there s) from New-Jersey and Michigan have
heard that Gen. Cass thinks it high time the Plu-
rality rule were adopted, since it is evident that
no one can secure majority. / do not think the
consummation can be much longer delayed, even
though Democratic Caucus were to be held
every night But our folks have determined not
to hurry any more, but to vote steadily for their
candidate, let all struggle who will, vote for the
Plurality rule whenever offered, and bide their
time.
Certain Democrats who had been expected to vote
for the Plurality rule, and who had encouraged
that expectation, excused themselves for doing
otherwise to-day by asserting that Mr.. Banks on
Saturday favored amalgamatiOn and negro equality
with white men / think this is enough OF itself
TO condemn the whole business of catechlziDg can.
Barksdale asked Mr.. Banks whether he believed
the negro equal to the white man, &c. Mr.
Banks gravely replied that he understood it to be
natural law that of two races brought into int-
mate relations the inferior always succumbed to
and was absorbed by the superior; and he pro-
posed to await the Developments Of the future be-
fore deciding which race in this country should so
swallow up the other. This was simply take-Of
on the absurdity of asking such questions and was
accordingly received with shout by House. Yet
persons holding the positions OF Statesmen offer
this as their excuse for resisting the Plurality
rule
A word on another point. l remarked, in
letter on the AI-Night Session, that there were
several gaps in the Pennsylvania line on that occa-
sion, which was perfectly true. But / did not
mean TO imply that the great body of the Pennsyl-
yanian Delegation were not at their posts earnestly
and effectively supporting Mr. Banks through that
long Wintry night. Messrs. Allison, j. II. Camp
bell, Dick, Grow, Pearce, Purvance, Roberts,
Todd and ! think one or two more, were resisting
adOurnments and pressing an election to the last.
From no quarter has Mr.. Banks been more heart
lily and resolutely sustained than from Pennsylya-
MIA; and though some of her Members happened to
be away (paired that occasion, they are no less
firm than the others.
The Telegraph makes serious bunder, which
see THE TRIBUNE has followed, in representing
Mr.. Banks as having on Saturday, when under
catechsm, referred to some vote or speech of his
last Session as indicating his views on the Tariff
question. He said nothing of the sort. The pas
sage thus inexperienced was reference to "the
record" for his views on Americanism. He pro-
pounded no views on the Tariff question, but init
mated that he should make resistance TO the Ne
braska iniquity the pivot OF his entire course.