Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1856-01-26
Giddings Detected in Iiejno

!" 'no oou'eo VI WIS DEBATE In congress, d
January 18th 1856, Giddings of Ohio, the in
famous abol.ionisi, charged, that the Democra,
ic caucus, in 1s40, when Howell Cobb, o
Georgia, was elected Speaker, adopted the rlu
rality principle and quoted from wha. he sal,
was the recorded speech Of Mr. Stanton. to prov,
his assertion, whereupon The following debat
ensued between, MIR. Letcher OF Virginia, all,
Glddings: -
MIR. Le.cher. shall bring 10 the stand d wi,
ness, about whose testimony on this subject
there can be no controversy in this House. Up
on what day o! December was that resolution
adopted
| Mr. Cobb. Twenty. second.
Mr. Letcher. Well, on the 9Th day of De-
cembsf, live days aflerwards,) he gentleman
from Ohio M. GiDpINas himself made q
speech in regard 10 the plurality rule. Now, lei
US see what party he sSys adopted it:
| "He desired 10 say to the House and to the
country, lhatihe present occupant Of the chair
held his offlce as u necessary result of the plu-
ralty rule. That rule had been forced upof
us by the Wing party, aided by some small
portion OF the members from the other side oil
| the House."
! Now, sir, submit that, whatever NAV have
1 !
| come the gentleman from Ohio to rise he re- in
his place and undertake 20 charge thai The Dem.
ocratie party adopted that rule. s..er be mac son,
out TO the country and published speech, re-.
Viseo ana prlh'eI in pamphlet form, in which
1876. 0N -
| Well, sir here is another portion oil the speech,
| to which it nay, perhaps, be well 10 refer, since
the gentleman Is IT, favor Of the plurality rule
| noW. Here ii is:
'But the vote Of a plurality of this body
| would, under the Constitution, confer no tight
whatever 10 the office OF Speaker This was
well understood by the House, The vote mere
| ly operated as a domination, while the election
was made by adopting the resolution of the
gentleman from North Carolina, [Mr. Stany !
| That resolution reads as follows:
Resolved, That the Hon. Howell Cobb, q
Representative from the State OF Georgia, BE,
| and he IS hereby, declared duly elected Speaker
Of Ibis House for o. lie Thirty Fra. Congress-
This resolution gave HIM the office-consti-
| tuled him Speaker. Without it. be would have
had no claim to the Speakership."
Mr.. Glddings. You had better read the whole
speech.
MIR. Letcher. Well will read a little fur
Their, since the gentleman wishes it:
"Ihls was adopted, and the Speaker elected by
the united vote OF nearly the entire Wing aud
Democratic parties, aud was clearly part of
the original agressaen by which the plurality
Iule was adopted. The Wing press now turn
round and charge Eree-Soilers with electing the
present Speaker"
Now, sir, all that have TO say in regard TO
this matter IS lhls: nut il to The gentleman
from Ohio 10 say, whether, if he could adopt the
plurality rule in ,hi. body, he could ever elect
Mr., Banks. according TO the principle which he
declared was Indispensable to constitute him
Speaker! Sir, principles are immutable and
ncchangeable' 1.-THE plurality mode OF election
WIG an unsouud principle hen,-and the gen.
tlemanlis always for strict adherence to prin.
e,-what has induced him TO believe that
t.:g.l which was wrong in lS49 is right in 1856 2
Why, cir, ask again, if he now enterains the
opinions that he then entertained, does he com.
plain Of this side Of tie House, OF OF any men,
bers OF this House, for opposing the plurality
rule? Does hs believe now q put the question
10 hm) that majority upon this floor will, De-.
| tween this and the sound Of the last trump, ever
agree that MIR. Banks shall be Speaker Of this
House
Mr.. Gddings. Do you want an answer
Mr.. Lelchcr. Yes, sir.
Mr. Gitidings. We.l, MIR. Clerk, will pro.
coed TO answer tie gsulleman's interrogaioTy.
| ! shall want to .oply 10 you.
Mr. Giddngs. | will then give the gentle
man an answer Whenever can get the floor
Mr.. Letcher. Then l understand the gen.
| te,nan 10 say .hat MIR tanks cannot be- elected !;
and knowing that he cannot receive a majority,
yet for the purpose OF carrying out the very de-
sign which my friend from Georgia MIR. Com
impuies 10 the other side that it must be Banks
and an election, or Reorganization without. his
eieclion-he stands by il, and insists in forcing
him upon thia body. Now, sir, what is ,he rea-
son OF IL Is II because the gentleman from
Ohio endorses the senlimen, announced here the
other day, Of the social and political equality OF
| The black and the white races2 Is II because
he desires to see the proislem worked cut by prac.
lical amalgamsiion?
Mr.. Banks, (interrup.ing Do undersrand
the gentleman from Virginia as saying thai
have made any such assertion
MIR. fletcher. | said the gentleman said that
the problem Of superiority was to be worked out
by seeing which Of the Two races should absorb
the other.
Mr.. Banks. have made no such declara-
tion-no such declaration as he has imputed 10
me. Criesof "Read whalhe said (" | have
expressed no opinion upon either of the ques.
lions which the gentleman has alluded to-
have moi declared what Will be the result
declared that should wait before gave de-
clslve answer Upon that question. | say that,
according to my understanding of the doctrine
OF The superiority OF races, as then announced
| as having been declared by me are not 10 be
drawn BY any just Interpretation of the lam
guage used. utterly dlscamed them: when
imputed to me by the gentleman from North
Carolina, the other day. know perfectly well,
that there is an inequality in the capacity and
condition OF The races TO which the gentleman
has referred. | have never asserted their equal
ity.
With regard to the sentiment imputed to me
by the gentleman from North Carolina, MIR.
CLlEGMAN, and as now declared by the gentle.
man from Virginia, Mr.. Leicher,] have to
say never entertained, or even contemplated,
any such result, or proposed any such idea as
| that; and, so far as | was enabled TO gather his
idea from the language used by him, amalga-
nation is as neffably repugnanl to- my MUD as
| it can be 10 the gentleman from Virginia or
| Moth Carolina, or ANY other member Of the
House.
Mr.. Letcher. Let me read the language
employed BY the gentleman in The discus.
sion referred to; aud let me preface it with
tIs single remark: here arc his remarks deib-
era,ely corrected by himself, prepared for pub.
LEGATION, and stamped with all the solemni,y
hicf can be given 10 them by the most caeiuI
and deliberate reflection. The gentleman said:
81 have TO say, in this matter, that accept
the doctrine of the Declaration Of Independence,