Daily American organ. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1856, 1856-02-04
The EIectien of. speaLer.

mat question winch mas kept the mouse ol
Representatives in a state of continual excite
ment for the past nine weeks, and which has
threatened to clog the wheels Of government
if not seriously to test the strength of our Fed
eral compact has terminated in the election Of
Hon. Nathaniel p. Banks, Jr, of Massachu
sets, as the presiding officer Of the House
The question was solved by the adoption Of
the plurality rule, TO DO observed upon the
fourth vote to be taken upon Saturday. The
result was attained on the one hundred and
thirty third trial, several members Of the ad
ministration party having abandoned their adj
hesion to tho resolve of their party caucus, and
voted for the plurality rule.
Upon the adoption of the plurality rule, every
member Of that section of tho American party,
usually denominated the Southern Americans,
voted in the negative, and therefore in what
ever light the adoption Of this rule may be re-
garded, whether it be approved or condemned,
the Southern Americans arc entitled neither to
| praise nor censure, for its adoption. IL, then,
the election Of Mr.. Banks TO the Speakership,
which resulted from the adoption ofthis plurali-
| ty rule, shall prove advantageous to thenterests
of the American party, the Southern Ameri-
cans can claim no thanks for it. and if his Gle
walton should injuriously affect this party, they
are subject to no blame for such result
We may indeed say, that if Mr. Banks'e ole
walton shall prove in any sense injurious to the
South or to the country, the administration
party are wholly responsible for the conse-
he
cd by the efforts and votes of those admins
tration men, who held the power, and who OK
ercised it, to put an end to the contest. And
yet if the elevation of Mr.. Banks shall prove
advantageous to the country, those administra-
ton Democrats who decided the contest, can
claim no credit therefor, for the simple reason
that their purpose in fayoring the plurality rule
was not to elect Mr.. Banks but to place the
Hon. Mr.. Aiken in the Speakers chair
Perhaps our readers may conclude that we
mean to place those administration Democrats
who voted for the plurality rule, and who thus
contributed to the election Of Mr.. Banks, in a
condition that, if good flows from his elevation,
they can claim no credit for it, and if eUit flows
from it. they will be entitled to all the censure.
This is precisely where we place them, and
there is no virtue in logical deductions if shis
be not their true position. 1t is undeniably
true, that they attempted and actually expected
to elect Mr.. Aiken on the plurality rule, and it
is equally undeniable that in this they commit
ted a political blunder and found it out too
late
If then, it be true, that in politics Ga blum
der is worse than crime" those gentlemen
who committed this blunder have serious ac-
count to settle with their constituents. New
ertheless, they have this consolation, that the
priests of their fayorite church, are all power
full in saving sinners, and can grant them alb
solution, or even pray them out of purgatory
/" on reasonable terms"
Now, we confess that we are not altogether
devoid of sympathy for the immortal seventy
four" who resolved and re-resotped to adhere
| to their caucus nominations, and who have re-
ceived 80 many compliments from the presses
of their party for their bold firm, fearless, and
compact adherence to their party organization!
Poor fellows, they first earned consideration
for their great fidelity to party resolves, and
success which soon vanished into thin air,
leaving them minus their fame for consistency,
with defeat to increase their modification!
They not only abandoned an organization in
which they had gloried, but permitted their
last leader TO confsss himself almost an Amer-
ican, threw themselves upon the mercy Of
the Southern Americans, whose principles
they had denounced, and even after all this,
they were unsuccessful! We would most
| deeply commiserate this faithful band of sew
| enty four" if 400 thought they DESCRIBED
It'll But when we look at the resolution adopt
ed by the administration caucus, insulting the
| American party,--when we remember that
they had once an opportunity given them to
take Gov. Smith, of Virginia, and refused it,
when we remember that they had pledged
themselves in caucus, once, twice, and again,
not to accept the plurality rule, and when we
remember that they sacrificed all the positions
they had thus professedly taken upon princi-
pie, on no other ground than that they could
probably succeed by ignoring their positions,
we have but little sympathy to express in their
behalf
1t has been the practice Of the present Dem
ocratc party to take positions and hold them
just as long as, and no longer than, they
seemed likely to secure the spoils of office.
| The faithful seventy -four" have been ''faith-
full to this practice, and they hare met its just
rewards. They will learn wisdom from their
late experiment and not hereafter abuse those