The weekly Minnesotian. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. Territory) 1852-1858, 1857-05-23
Southern Tribute to Mr.. Banks.

The Editor of the Charleston Is. Co. Cour-
Ter, in letter from Cedar Grove, gives an
account of an interview with j. L. Seward
one of the representatives of Georgia, dur
ing which the conversation turned upon Gov
Aiken's course in moving the vote of thanks
to Mr.. Banks at the close of the session.
He says:-
"Mr. Seward strongly justified and vim
dicated Gov. Aiken's course in his converse
eion with me- as he had previously done. in
his place, in Congress. He said that the of.
flee, in courtesy and in accordance with
usage, properly devolved on Gov. Aiken. as
the chief competitor Of Mr.. Banks for the
Speakers chair, which Gov. A. came within
one vote of reaching; and shat, unless there
had been good or special cause. for depar.
ture from custom, time-Lonored in the OBJ
servance, it would have been churlish in
Gov. Aiken not to have prolfered the usual
tribute. That tribute, he said, was not only
due, in the case of Mr.. Banks, as matter OF
form, but richly deserved by him, as matter
of substance. Irrespective of and notwith-
standing his black republicanism, Mr. Banks,
most impartial Speakers that had ever filed
the chair. His position gave him opportu-
nifty. and his antec dents would seem to have
predisposed him, to make partiZan Speak
cr; but, on the contrary, in his anxiety, to
be fair, he was not only uniformly and point
edly courteous to Southern men, but went
so far, in frequently awarding them the floor,
in cases of doubt, as to incur the censure
Of his political friends or party. Tall and
erect in stature, it might be said Of him, as
was said of an eX-judge of our own State,
in his honorable anxiety to be right, in cases
where it might be thought that he had pro
clivity to one side or the other, 'he stood so
straight that lie leaned back
Such being the facts, Mr.. Seward thought
that there was not only nothing to prevent,
but everything to justify a true Southerner,
like Gov. Aiken, in protiering the usual cour,
tesy, and that he would have been incXcusa.
BILE in Withholding it; as it could not posi-
biz be tortured into completely with the late
Speakers politics, or be ascribed to any in
ttrested or sinister motive. 1t was simply
a gentlernaly courtesy to one who had per
somlly merited it, however obnoxious or
even odous his political creed and sectional
politics. by the able and impartial admins
tration of. an exceedingly difficult Office in
time of high party and political excitement.
and the courteous Southerner. who rendered
it, did so in compliance with usage and I'M
der circumstances repelng suspicion, he hav-
Ing voluntarily declined a reelection to Con-
gress, of which therefore finally ceased to BE-
a member, and having nothing to gain, from
the new administration, by compliment to
the Speaker OF a party, over whom that AL
ADMINISTRATION had just achieved signal, and.
for the country, most suspicious triumph
if n mission was in view, such step was
certainly ANYTHING but pro,notivc to its at
tainment. The vote Of the House. too said
Mr.. Seward, sustained our representative
the minority was bat %, in which, he said
there were as many NAL content black Re
pubcans, as there were Sorthcrners. /
have been told, too, that Gov Aiken had
conferred with the lamcnted Brooks, on the
step then contemplated, and had his concur
renee and appreciation in taking it, at the
prorer time"