The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-01-17

laughter would nave Deen called upon to re-
spond to any questions. He was outside of the
triangle, and copy OF the Undergraduates had
not even been served upon him. Renewed
laughter.
He would, however, avail himself of the op-
portunity to define his own position in this con.
test. The position which he had been made to
occupy in regard to it had been for some time
past extremely irksome to him. and in some
degree involuntary. Though apparently can
didate, it was well known to his more intimate
friends, as it was to many, if not most of the
members of the House, that in reality he was
not such in any proper sense of the term. He
had had from the first no aspirations whatever
for the Speakership, but had shrunk with self
distrust from the responsibility of that position
He had not allowed the use of his name in con-
nection with it, for the purpose of delaying or
obstructing the organization of the House and
if he supposed that it had any such tendency.
he would withdraw it without a moments hest.
tation. But some gentlemen had thought it
proper to use his name as the olive branch of
peace and harmony, and he would be recreant
to every principle of honor, and feel that he was
not entitled to the respect of any member of the
House, if under such circumstances he should
refuse them the liberty.
He most respectfully declined to make any re-
ply, under the circumstances in which he now
stood, to the interrogatories that had been pre-
scented to the various candidates. When it
should be seriously contemplated by the House
to use his name in connection with the Office of
Speaker, it would be time enough for him Sc
riously to consider the propriety of answering
any interrogatories that might be submitted to
him. He had voted against the resolution and
was therefore in no measure responsible for its
| adoption, or committed to the line of conduct
WI Ha 1aA ,o1l,
to the principle which was asserted in the reso-
luton, but in his view it had no applicability
whatever to the contest now going on in the
House. The Speaker of the House was placed
in the Chair to preserve order and decorum-
| functions which In no respect involved any po
litical principle, but which alone involved the
principles of integrity and impartiality.
Mr.. Barksdale, of Mississippi, submitted the
following interrogatories, stating that he expect
ed each candidate to answer them:
81. Are you now member of the American
or Know Nothing party?
80. Are you in favor of abolishing Slavery
in the District of Columbia and in the United
States dock-yards, &C.?
80. Do you believe in the equality of the
black and white races in the United States, and
DO you wish to promote that equality by legis-
| lation?
81. Are you in favor of the entire exclusion
of adopted citizens and Roman Catholics from
| office
.. Do you favor the same modification of
the tariff now, that you did at the last session of
| Congress2
Mr.. Kennett, of Missouri, desired to put one
or two interrogatories to the gentlemen who
had been voted for as Speaker. He wished TO
know of each of the candidates, including his
friend from New Jersey, Mr.. Pennington, |
whether or not he believed in future state ?
| Great laughter And, if that question should
be answered affirmativey, whether they belev.
ed it would be free or slave State? Renew
ed laughter.
Mr.. Barksdale, of Mississippi. If the gentle
man intends by those interrogatories to cast
any reflection upon my interrogatories, loud
cries of "no, no" then / hurl it back upon
him with scorn and indignation. Loud shouts
| of =" order, order"
Mr.. Kennett. | have only to say, in reply,
that the tenor of my remarks could not have
been misunderstood by the House. They were
| intended by me good naturally. No gentleman,
in the House or out of it, need expect to intim-
idate me by insulting me in this manner. L
have made all the apology intend to make,
and it is to the House. L did not intend my
remarks to be anything more than jocular ones !;
but at the same time | consider that the re-
marks made about the American party, fully
justified my putting such interrogatories. Cries
of" good"
Mr.. Richardson had examined the inquiries
propounded by the gentleman from Ohio, Mr..
Bingham, and thought that he had answered
all of them substantially, with the exception of
the first and fifth.
In reply to the first question, he would state
that, in his opinion, the Constitution of the
| United States did extend over the Territories,
SO far as it was applicable to their condition
In reply to the fifth question, he had to say,
that by the express terms of the bills organi-
ziDg the Territories that had been established
subsequently to the passage of the Fugitive
Slave Law, that law was in operation in such
Territories.
AS to the inquiries of the gentleman from
Mississippi, Mr.. Barksdale, he would state
that he belonged to no American or Know
Nothing party, nor to any secret political or
ganization. He was opposed to the abolition
of or interference with Slavery in the District
of Columbia, and to any interference with it
by Congress in the dock-yards or any other
place. He believed that the Almighty had
made the negro inferior to the white man, and
he did not think that they could be placed on
an equality, unless the white should be dragged
down to level with the other.
In answer to the jocuar questions Of his
friend from Missouri, Mr.. Kenneth, he must
confess that he sometimes feared that in that
future state in which he believed, he and some
of his associates would not be free. Laugh
ter.
Mr.. Kennett was glad to hear that his friend
was little anxious about his own condition as
well as that of other members of the House,
and thought he had great cause. Laughter
Mr.. Richardson was not only anxious about
himself, but his friends. Laughter. He had
overlooked one of the questions of the gentle
man from Mssssippi-that in relation to Cath
oics and foreigners. He did not care what
mans religious opinions might be. He would
as soon support a Catholic for Office as mem
Der of any other denomination, provided he was
qualified for the place, and his political senti-
ments correspondent with his own. He thought
that the onlysafety in a Government like ours
was to keep religion out Of politics, and that we
should never carry our religion to the polls, or
our politics to church.
Mr.. Bingham, of Ohio, desired to know wheth-
er the gentleman from Illinois had affirmed or
denied the right of the people of the Territories
to make any law depriving any person therein
of life or liberty, "except as punishment for
crime, upon due conviction?"
MIR. Richardson desired to conceal nothing
He had, in the remarks he had submitted this
morning, expressed the belief that the people
of the Territories of Kansas and Nebraska had
the right either to establish or prohibit African
Slavery.
Mr.. Bingham insisted on an answer to his
interrogatory.
Mr.. Cobb, of Georgia, said that the answers
which had been given by the various candi-
dates to the interrogatories that had been put
to them would 60 to the country, and the coun-
try would determine whether the questions had
L e Il III II Al II