The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1856-07-17
CONGRESS- wEDNEsDAY.

rfSar CONGRESS- WEDNESDAY. od5.""-@ %
SES4rE-The bill supplemental to act entitled "An
act toamend the several acts respecting copyright APP
proved February 1884, considered and passed also
the bill for the final adjudication of questions of title to
swamp lands between private claimants and the State OF
Louisiana The Senate then took up the bill to increase
the efficiency of the United States army and Mr. Jones' of
Tennessee advocated its PASSAGE after which the further
consideration of the subject postponed until Monday
next After very long executive session, the Senate ad-
journed. ..' @.s HE
HOUSE OF REpREsENTATIyEs.-Ae communication laid
before the House from the Secretary of the Treasury en-
closing letter from the Director of the Mint in relation
to the proposed alteration of the cent coinage The House
then the consideration of the report OF the special
committee appointed to investigate the alleged assault
upon Senator Sumner the question being upon the
ton TO reconsider the by which the preamble to The
resolutions had been adopted. Mr. Kei delivered eo
quent address, which enthusiastically applauded and
resigned his seat member of the House The motion
reconsider then laid upon the table and the House
proceeded to consider the Him selection After
speeches from Allen of Illinois, and Washburn of Maine
the House adjourned.
Mr.. KEITT's spEECH.-TaE END OF THE SUMNER
.*. CASE.
Mr. Ket addressed the House yesterday in speech of
great power and eloquence in vndicaon of the revou-
tonay history of his State and in defence of his col
league Mr. Brooks and himself His speech dgni6ed
and temperate in its Tone considering the peculiar crcum
stances in which he and listened to with
marked attention and interest At the close Of his
marks he announced that in anticipation of the vote Of
yesterday, he had forwarded his resignation member
Of the Thiryfourh Congress to the governor of South
Carolina Mr. Keitts speech appears entire in paper
to-day. -a& srgss..-. .,.. .s..t.. 's.. Z"
Thus has ended one Of the most extraordinary proceed
ngs that have ever marked the Legislative history of the
countrynot extraordinary in the real facts which have
resulted in the resignation Of two members Of Congress but
In the unparalleled excitement with which these facts have
been connected in section of the Union. The case
Invested of the extraneous questions which have been
dragged into it for political Objects may be stated in
very few words of Massachusetts deliberately
prepared, delivered printed and circulated speech, in
which he illuminated the revolutionary history OF South
Carolina and grossly abused and vided the good name
and reputation of one of her senators whilst alb ent
from the CITY, representative Of South Carolina, and
relative of the absent senator, felt it his duty
the injuries, and, after failing for two days to
fnd opportunity outside of the Capitol finally con-
sumated his purpose by nfictng severe chastisemsnt
upon the offending senator after the adjournment Of the
Senate but whilst that senator in his seat Thanking
and sending off the very speech which contained the
lbelous matter. 1t was purely matter of personal
grievance and Of personal redress. The original insult
had nothing political in it, unless Mr. Sumner assaled
the State of South Carolina merely because she toerates
slavery and assaed Mr. Butler merely because he uphods
the institutions OF his State. Whatever may have been
the mpeng motives Of Mr.. Sumner there was nothing
political in the resentment Of Mr. Brooks in the dis
grace which it was his object to infict upon him.
The extraordinary feature in the affair is this that
whilst the cause Of the difficulty not different from
many Others of the like kind which have occurred in Con-
rress unlike all Others this has been made instrumental in
giving intensity to a poltca agitation based sectional
which has stirred the blood of whole
section of the country We cannot believe that any such
result would have followed il large portion of the north
ern mind had not already become morbdy sensitive by
the continual appeals sectional passion and prejudice
which have been kept up for more than two years and
vet il is strange fact that for number of years past
there seems to have existed element Of popular
agitation in the northern States which has kept up
A succession Of excitemens in the public mind which
a Ia exceedingly difficult to comprehend Long before the
subject OF slavery INC PTeteA loi
saw with wonder these periodical eems in the public
mind and frequently in connexon with the most absurd
and nonsepsica questions There the anti-Masonic
excitement Mierism Mormonism ee-toalism and other
similar excitements for which adequate could be
discovered To these succeeded the anti slavery agitation
and with this every other question out of which excite
meut can be manufactured is greedily connected
What that element Of agitation Ia in the North we do not
pretend 10 know but the facility with which II has seized
upon the late difficulty between Brooks and Sumner, and
converted mere personal affair into engine Of wide
spread political excitement rbodes good to the future
progress Of our institutions Ia to TO be time
that the men Of substance and property and in6u-
ence at the North looking for remedy for
the evils under which society has been aboring from
tbese continuous sgitations Directed, they have
been Of late against institution at the South, the
raj effect has been esrange portion of the country
from the other How long this state Of things exist
aud how much further IL may be pushed without dsrup
ton of the concderacy II well becomes all who love the
Union 10 consider When personal rencontre IN
no way connected with politics. but occurring between a.
northern and southern man. be made the subject Of
sectional agitation like that pervading the North
tits worse idle indulge the deusion that there is
I