The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-02-07
Wednesday, January 80, 1856.
HOTSE

Mr.. Crawford, of Georgia, in pursuance of
notice given yesterday, submitted the following
resolution:
BE 1t resolved, That the House of Representa-
tives donow proceed to the election of Speak,
er IN the same way and manner as is provided
by the Constitution of the United States for the
election of the President thereof, whenever the
same shall devolve upon the House. That is
to say the Clerk shall call the roll by States.
and each State cast one vote, as the same shall
be called and the person having a majority of
the States shall be the Speaker of the House
OF Representatives for the Thirty. fourth Con
gress.
Mr.. Todd, of Pennsylvania, trusted that no
such proposition as that submitted by the gen.
tleman from Georgia would prevail They were
here to represent the people, and not the States;
to represent their Individual constituencies and
the people as a mass, and not as independent
sovereignties. The resolution was applicable
to the Senate, but not to the House of Repre-
sentatives. If it should be adopted, it would
enable the House to organize by minority
vote; and if any gentleman would examine the
statistics upon this subject he would at once
perceive that under the resolution the majority
would be controlled by the minority. The
adoption of any proposition that would place in
the hands of the minority the power to organ
spirit of our institutions, and subversive of the
true nature and power of the body. He moved
to lay the resolution on the table; and, the
question being taken, the resolution was laid
upon the table-yeas 1885, nays ~.
Mr.. Clingman, of North Carolina, submitted
the following resolution:
Resotred, That the House will proceed i'm
mediately to the election of Speaker Dioo race
and if, after the roll shall have been called three
times, no member shall have received a major.
ity of the whole number of votes, the roll shall
again be called, and the member who shall
then receive the largest number Of votes, pro-
Wded 1t be majority of quorum shall be de-
clared to be chosen Speaker.
Mr.. Chngman held that, as two months of
the session had now elapsed, it was necessary
shat tney should make an organization. They
mad tried numerous expedients and, as he did
not see that any other mode was likely TO be
presented, he had offered the one now before
the House. No man could be elected under
the plurality rule who was not the choice of
majority, as against his opponent In other
words, when the gentleman from South Caro-
lima and the gentleman from Massachusetts
were the two highest in vote, any gentleman
who allowed the one TO be elected whom his
vote would defeat of course preferred him to
the other; and therefore majority must con-
cur in the election. In fact, he supposed that
the third party composed of the gentlemen who
were supporting Mr.. Fuller, would determine
the contest If they should vote for Mr.. Orr,
they could elect him. but if they should decline
to do SO, Mr.. Banks might be elected. It was
we'll understood that the American and Demo.
cratic parties agreed upon the Slavery cues
ton, and it remained to be seen whether the
former would consider that issue of less import
snce than legislation upon the naturalization