Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1856-01-17
correspondence of the State Sentinei.l

" nShA'uAONg -
EDIroRs SENTINEL.-To-day commences
the sixth week of the session oil Congress,
and yet, to all appearances, there is no more
prospect of an organization of the House than
on the first day Of their meeting. The over.
whelming vote by which Mr.. Dunn's resolu-
ton to effect a compromise by clecting Mr..
Letter. of Ohio, a full blooded anti Nebraska
man, Speaker of the House, was rejected,
show that the Fusionists have no idea of
leaving Mr.. Banks, for any other man even
though that man occupied precisely the same
position on the slavery question, and could
be elected. Rule or ruin is their motto. Banks,
Banks, and nobody but Banks can receive
their votes. 1t is just as Mr.. Dunn remark
ed caesar had a party, and Pompey had a
party, but the country has no party in their
ranks" Mr.. Dunn'S resolution was offered
as an olive branch TO heal the dissensions in
their own ranks, and concentrate their votes
on one man, of their own sentiment on the
slavery question. He made a stirring appeal
to his brother Fusionist to come together, and
organize the House by the election OF Mr..
Letter, who had steadily voted for Mr.. Banks.
He showed that Massachusetts ought to give
. something for harmony; her sons had fill
ed the Presidential and Vice Presidential,
and the Speakers chair, while no son of Ohio
had ever filed the two last. He quoted
scripture too Throwing pearls before swineD
in proof of his position, but The mountain
would not go to Mohamet.
-
slavery question between Mr.. Letter and Mr..
4suks; that, in point of qualification, they
are equal, yet on the motion to lay the reso-
luton on the table-always a test vote-we
find Messrs. Barbour, Colfax, Cumback, Mace,
and Petit, of Indiana, voting in the affirma,
tive, thus indicating not only their preference
for a Massachusetts, Ab9litionist, over a Vest
ern man of the same stripe, but also their
logged and stubborn determination to stave
off to an indefinite time the election OF Spea-
ker, to the great detriment of the public
business, and at the expense OF hundreds oil
thousands of dollars of the peoples money
Let the constituents of these gentlemen mark
well their course on this matter. The vote
on LAYING the resolution on the table shows
hat if the gentlemen voting for Mr.. Banks
had given Mr.. Letter their support he would
nave been elected and this struggle ended
OF the scattering votes that nave not, and
tciU not, go for Mr. Banks, Messrs. Hayer
and Walk, of New York, Harrison and Moore
of Ohio, and Dunn and Scott, OF Indiana, in
dictated their desire to vote for the resolution
add these to the 107 votes given to Mr.
Banks, and it makes l13-four more thar
necessary to have elected OH that day. Ye
though Mr.. Letter occupies precisely tht
same ground with Mr.. Banks, on the slavery
question, with this recommendation that he
is a Western man, we find FIVE Representa-,
tives from Indiana voting in effect that they
preferred that the public business should g
to ruin-that the peoples time and the reo
pies money should be wasted and squander
ed rather than that their choice should no
be elected, and this too when, at the com
mencement of the session, they voted fo
another maj in preference to him.
Let the country remember that these mel
could have organized the House, and saved
all further struggle if they had been ST. dis
posed, without the Abandonment of a single
principle in their creed, but they p~referreJ
neutrality-suspicious. to waste the time which
should be devoted to the public business
preferred to squander the peoples money
and let disorganization, anarchy, snd confu
sion reign. This is the course they hav,
chosen to pursue, and they should be hel(
accountable for it before the country. The,
could have elected a man holding their owl
sentiments, and standing on their own plat
form, but they would not. Upon their head
rests the responsibility before the country.
The obstinate course pursued by the pecu
liar friends Of Mr.. Banks On this occasion
does not appear to be very palatable to som
men who have been giving him a steady sup
port. Mr.. BreLton, of Indiana, gave then
20 understand thrt he had voted long enough
for Mr.. Banks, and he did not feel himsel
bound to vote for him in future when Their,
was no prospect of his election. He iuten,
ded to cast about and see if there was no
some other gentlemen in their ranks wht
could be elected. L am much mistaken i
there are not others of those voting for Bank
of the sam way of thinking.
PINCKNEY.