New Orleans daily crescent. [volume] ([New Orleans, La.]) 1851-1866, 1856-03-24
NJ gAsHING ToN coRREspoNDENcE,


S84 WAsHTNGToN, u 9th March, 1856.
The proceedings Of Congress for the past few days
have been exceedingly monotonous. In the House
the Kansas debate has been regularly continuedthe
proposition being to send for persons and papers to
establish the invalidty of Gen. Whitields election.
The Committee at first reported resolution asking
in general terms to be accorded this privilege On
motion Of Mr. Stephens of Georgia, they were re-
qured to report to the House what end they proposed
to attain by this sending for persons and papers In
reply, it said that they expected to prove Gen.
JWhtfelds eectioninyalid, by reason of the Legsla
iture, which ordered the election, being spurious
Legislature elected, not by the people Of Kansas,
but by the g border ruffians of Missouri. It has
been developed in the course Of the debate that the
Massachusetts, Emigrant Aid Society sent vast num-
bers Of into the Territory for the avowed purpose
Of controlling the elections that these men went in
and Voted and in week afterwards returned to the
East. This conduct aroused the Missourians on the
border They saw that citizens Of Massachusetts,
were unusty and nlawfully interfering in the affairs
of a neighboring Territory They knew that their
slave property on the border Of Kansas would be in
secure if these mlen-not citizens of the Territory
were allowed to control its internal policy; they
went into the Territory, the day of election and,
presume, some of them voted-though there is no
proof of it, If they did, they acted the defensive
altogether The hirelings Of the Aid Societies had
taken the initiative they had crowded into the Terri
tory for the purpose of controlling the election. I'm
der these circumstances, the Missourians may not
have acted right, abstractly consdered-but main
tain that their conduct is certainly ustifable Where
the law is Insufficient to prevent great wrong, it is
legitimate to oppose force to force. In fact there
was no law that was observed the bayonet and the
bowie knife are the only laws with which to meet
Shapes rifles and Colts revolvers. Inter legcs
| silent The laws had been virtually annulled by the
Aid Societies men, with their rifles and pistols. The
government of Kansas had been reduced 10 state Of
anarchy. Onone side they were overriding the laws
and multiplying the intent of Congress, in the organ
ization of the Terrtory-which was that the citizens
of the Territory, and others, should control its
legislation. The other side sought to prevent this,
| and to uphold the laws. That's all.
The Legislature was duly elected. Governor Reeder
granted certificates of election to the members He
officially recognised the body on its assembling, sent
it messages and called it to proceed to business.
Among other things this Legislature ordered cleo
ton for delegate to Congress. AT this election Whit
field was chosen-and yet this same Reeder has now
the unblushing impudence to claim that Whitfelds
election is invalid, because the Legislature which
dered it was Illegally elected by foreign voters who
came into the Territory
It was maintained by Mr.. Stephens of Georgia, in a
speech of great power that Congress had no right to
inquire into the election qualifications of the Legisla
ture which ordered the Congressional electon-that
all that Congress could do was to inquire into the
qualifications of the returned member. He made this
point clear that it is impossible to deny the justice
Of his conclusion or the impregnabity of his logic.
A great many speeches have been made on both
sides-some very good and some very bad The
Chairman Of the Election Committee, Waslbuln
of Maine, who looks more like baboon than hui
man being, after making wishy-washy speech on
Friday, called the previous question. The House
divided ordering the previous question with the
following result-yeas rs, nays Ga very decisive
Black Republican defeat The debate will therefore
go on, and the result will be daily weakening of the
ground held by the Black Republican committee
think therefore, that the proposition to send for
persons and papers will be defeated tits more likely
that the House will form committee of two three,
either Of its members of outsiders, to proceed
to Kansas and there investigate the whole affair ab
initio. This plan would involve less expense, and
would be far satisfactory than that proposed by
the committee. In either it is not probable that
Gen. Whitfield will be unseated, Or that the prepos
ferrous claim of Gov. Reeder will be recognized.
Ill Tie SelltLc lie ueDdLU Oh our ItlulullS VIII
Great Britain has been continued, with occasiona
deviation into Kansas affairs. On Friday the new
Senator from Illinois, Mr.. Trumbull made an elabo
rate Black Republican speech, its dcs being to fur
nish reply to the late report of the Committee OIL
Territories, ofwhich Judge Douglas is chairman rela
tive to the Kansas imbroglio 1t appears that Trum
bull took advantage of the absence of Judge Douga
from the Senate Chamber to make this attack upo
j,;r J1Ir iuSt1
! Trlmbull was finishing his speech, and reproache
him in harsh terms for taking him at this seemin
: disadvantage. Hereupon quite lively scene ensued
e and bitter personal discussion was carried fo
l. some time between the two Illinois Senators. Judg
Douglas having charged, in the of the debate
d that Know Nothingisn was identical with Abolition
ism; it was Indignantly denied by Mr.. Crittenden,
e Kentucky, whereupon Douglas explained that he II
l. ferred to Northern Know Nothngism, not Southern
u Subsequently alteration between Dough-
n and Sumner, winding up with each pronouncing til
II others statements untrue Probably as the war;
l. weather approaches we shall have still warmer time
l. in the Senate, and perhaps repetition of the Foot
n and Benton scene. Let the assassin fire.
The three million bill seems to be oversaughed #
~ the present. butwil come up again aftera while tt
Kansas controversy appears to be the absorbing que
= until that is disposed Of.
"a The American members of Congress held an info
Va NAL meeting a few evenings snce with a view
making arrangements for the Presidential campaig
j, They adjourned to meet again tomorrow night. Tho
- are going to work in earnest to reinstate in the pos
Il ton which he so well adorned and Illustrated Il
!. :" model President Willard Fillmore.
1t l observe that the Hon. Thomas T.. Clingman
he North Carolina renegade Wing, has written lor
re letter to his constituents urging them to vote the
o mocratc ticket in the next election. Probably, co
As sttuency which could elect Clingman to Congre
T. stands more in need of practical light than mo
RI others-but my idea Of this Government has alwa
s. been that freedom of action and of opinion were Il
ID chief beauties of our republican system. 1t is at lea
fair to suppose that the people of North Carolina
ID exercise the right of suffrage ntelligenty- althoue
es Mr.. Cngman does not appear to pay them that
in plinent. 1t to me that he might, with mo
ic propriety come before the pnblc to explain why
ID offered and voted for the plurality rule in the Ia
d. contest for Speaker-under the operation of viii,
ne rule Black Republican was elected. 1t appears til
- he is ambitious of notoriety, and he has now ia
~ chance to distinguish himself in explanation of IL
8: matter, without incorporating and tratucing
large u body of the people as the American party
the country.
The failure Of the Democracy to elect their &c