The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-31
DEFINING ITIoNs-sATURDAYs PRO
CEEDINGS.

CEED1NGS
Saturday, the 9th, the members of the
House occupied themselves in defining thei
positions. There was no voting for Speaker
but the yeas and nays were called on five reso
lutions, with some curious results.
The first assumes that, as the political senti
ment of the House indicates that the sentiment
of large majority of the People of the United
States is adverse to the repeal of the Missouri
Compromise, no man ought to be elected
Speaker, who does not fully harmonic with
that sentiment Or who will hesitate to exert
himself earnestly for the restoration of tie re
strictive clause in that Compromise. Th:s was
lost-yeas 100, nays lO2-the Richardson and
Fuller men, including Haven, Walk, Wbeeler
Whitney, and Williams, voting nay. Faver
and Wheeler were elected as Anti -NetS aska
men, and their votes decided the qu >stion
against the friends of Freedom.
The second resolution afirms that tie re-
strictive clause ought to be restored mere
abstract, unmeaning expression of opiD on
and this was carried-l0l to 100. Have and
Williams voted in the affirmative, as the reso-
luton commits them to nothing pra' teal
Wells, of Wisconsin, who had voted ~ on
the first resolution, did not vote on this fear
full of offending his Southern friends by even
an abstraction, and his constituency, by r cord
ing his name against what he knows arestheir
sentiments.
The third resolution declares that useless
an foc nf
in or out of Congress, is unwise, unjust to a
portion of the American People, and to some
extent injurious to every section of the coun-
try; but that agitation, with a view to the res
toration of the restrictive clause of the Mis-
souri, Compromise, is duty, &c. Yeas 100,
nays lO3. Poor Mr.. Wells, being in strait
again, refused to vote. The Richardson and
Fuller men again combined, including Haven,
Wheeler, Whitney, Williams, and Walk, and
gave lO3 negative votes, defeating the resolu-
tiou. But Mr.. Fuller of Pennsylvania, anxious
to demonstrate his loyalty to Slavery immedi-
ately moved that useless and factious aeita-
ton of the Slavery question, in or out of Con-
gress, is unwise, unjust to a portion of the
American People, injurious to every section OF
our country, and therefore should not be coun.
tenanced! !"
Such resolution would have passed with
wonderful unanimity Mr. Fuller means Well
to Slavery, but he lacks training. Accordingly,
one of the wise men of the South requested
him to erase the words useless and factious,'
and he did SO, making the resolution read
"any agitation of the Slavery question" This
Baltimore Platform resolve was then adopted
lOl to lOO-Wells again declining to vote.
The lOl negatives were cast by the Richard
son and Fuller men, including Haven Wheeler,
Whitney, Williams, and Walk.
1t will be noticed throughout that the deci-
sion against the Anti-Nebraska men is deter
mined by the votes of Haven and Wheeler.
elected as Anti-Nebraska men by Anti-Nebras-
ka votes, on the urgent appeal of the New York
Tribune and other Anti Nebraska newspapers
not, however, of the National Era.
Mr.. Meacham introduced the last resolution.
declaring the repeal of the Missouri Compro-
mise to be san example of useless and factious
agitation of the Slavery question, unwise, and
unjust to the American People," and this was
readily passed, as it embraced simply rebuke
to the Administration, and not the assertion of
any Anti-Slavery principle; and, moreover, pro-
posed no redress. Its passage, however, seem
ed to subdue the Administration Party and
remind it that, after all, it is still meager mi
pority of the House of Representatives.
BY analyzing the votes, the reader will see
| hat fhOaa rlzahl
Messrs. Haven and Wheeler, determined the
vote on each resolution-and then, BY compar-
ing the resolutions, he will come to the coaclu
sion that the opinions Of those gentlep,en seem
to be somewhat confused.
First, they vote that the political sentiment
OF the House does not indicate an adverse sen
timent to the repeal Of the Compromise on the
part of a large majority of the People of the
| United States, when, as the record of that very
session shows, l08 members recorded their
votes against SO, in support of a resolution de-
nOuncing the repeal as "unwise and unjust"
The next moment they vote that the repeal
ought to be repealed-that the restrictive
clause of the Compromise ought to be restored,
as an act Of justice to the People of The Uaited
States Then they vote that it is not our duty
to persist in our efforts to restore that restric-
ton, fully and completely, in fact or in sub
stance! u Then, that any agitation Of the Sla-
very question, in Congress out, is unwise,
unjust, and In udicious, and should be discoun-
| tenanced, although Just half an hour before
they had voted that the restriction in the Com
promise prohibiting Slavery north of 360 30,
ought to be restored-as if its restoration could
be effected without agitstion!ll
Messrs. Haven and Wheeler will have to
prepare some volumes of commentaries, to
explain to their constituents votes SO ridicu-
lousy inconsistent. On the whole, Satur-
days proceedings demonstrate, we fear, that
the good People of the Free States, bedeviled
by Know Nothingism, have sent to the House
of Representatives just enough Northern men
with Southern principles, to give the Slave
Power a majority, on every practical question
at issue between Slavery and Freedom.
We have now one word of counsel to the
Slavery Party of the House, with its two
wings-Administratio men and Know Moth
ings. You have passed your famous Balti-
more platform, no-Slavery-agitatioa resolution,
by majority of one. Select, Their, a man pre-
cisely representing that resolution, and, elect
him. Take any of your frierds>- Fuller,
Haven, or Wheeler-and you are safe. You
have just one majority, and if the House re-
main disorpanized II "a vour fan1t The record