The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1857-12-24

ticular manner in wl~ch the individual CON.
mittees are cast. With only two exceptions,
land compared with tbs others, they are sop,e-
what unimportant,) the great, the principal
committees, that reflect the Government. that
establish its policy abroad and at home are
all cast with msjoritie3 of Southern men. 1t
is significant fact il is fact pregnant with
mischief; it is fact Of which the country viii
not fail to take notice. I say, sir, that the sx.
ecutive and judicial departments of the Gov.
eminent are now at yhe foot of the sls.ve
power.
Here we have the Committee on Foreign Re-
lations, that shapes and directs the foreign
policy of the Government; we have the Com
mittee on Military Affairs, that looks to its
Army; we have the Committee on Naval
Affairs, that has charge of its Navy; we have
Committee on the Judiciary, which gives con-
structions TO laws and shapes the policy ESQ far
as the Legislature may) of the Government !;
We find them all con,tituted of majority of
men who represent tho slaveholding States. /
make no objection personally. want these
facts to 90 to the couEery, that they may know
the mode and manneS in which the legislative
business is prepared and shaped, and how il is
that it is perverted to the behests and to sub
serve the purpose of The slave interest in this
country. Who canno, see the objects to be &C.
complished plainly f.reshadowed? The ma
jority of the Senate, il Is frankly conceded, are
entitled to a control IA the organization of the
committees. But it IS this sectional manner
of which we have light to complain, and to
which we enter a prsAest; and from such On
organization we have i right to infer the object
to be effected.
Another fact / find that the Committee on
Commerce, with majority Of Southern me-, is
entirely without representative in all the far
Northwest, including Tie great lakes and ris ers.
With four Of its members from the South, (! ere
is not one man to represent the internal com
merce of the lakes, that is counted by its ,un-
dred millions. More, 1is would like very yell
indeed to know why the usual rule was de, art.
ed from in this case, .5pd why the Senator :om
Michigan, Mr.. Stuafs, who so ably and it'll
fully has represented the commercial intel ssts
of the Northwest, was made to give place, it
be not for the purpose of shaping the leg sla-
ton OF the country to PROSTATE the comm ,rce
of that section of tae Union? think we / ave
right-sll Senator'S have a right to their epin-
ions-to come to the conclusion that the ON
mittee was formed and instituted for that our.
pose, from the knosH public opinions Il at a
majority of the coRE,ittee, l think, have mi.
formly expressed agaaet internal improven snts
of all kinds. But single position ON hat
committee has been assigned to this side the
Chamber, and none for the large section en-
braced in the Northwestern lakes and the ON.
merce of the lakes aad rivers.
| Again, sir, l look at the Committee on Pat
ents and the Patent Office, apd find m ior-
ity of that committee constituted of Sout ,ern
Senators. They arezworthy men-I max 10
complaint of the Senators who occupy the ,csi-
| tions on these comR3ittees; but it is to heir
sectional cast that object, and the purr 3ses
which we have right to believe are desi ned
to flow from that organization. That con NIT.
tee is composed Of hsree gentlemen from the
Southern States andstgo from the North, q ring
to that section the coistrol of all its action.
While know that, if there is an honest nan
in this body who viii devote his energies aon-
estly to its purpose, .. say cheerfully it IL the
worthy Senator from South Carolina, Mr..
Evans still, wheu tre look at the fact, tn t of
the inventive genius and enterprise of the e,un.
try, more than fout ffths, if rot nine-te ,tha,
come from another eeetion of the Union, ask
if it were not right - st they might reasonably
have expected men who feel local and per-
sonal well as national interest in that de- art
ment OF our Government in what relates to arts
and inventive geniusr
Again, sir, look to the Committee on the
Library, and find there no representative hat
ever from the North. Is it because the N ,rth
are not qualified for the position2 Is it bee use
they have not as deep, as broad an interes in
whatever may relate 70 the affairs of our bra
ry, to the literature ,and learning of our pun
try, as Southern SeJ ators ? Why is it, u less
it be for the pu,fnse of taking care of Jour
library, 80 that it be rot tainted with those doc
trines Of the fathers. who formed the Con- ttu-
tuition of our counfy?
say that the waole form and shape of aese
committees mark and stamp them with Sec
tionslism which / had hoped never to iave
witnessed in this body. They come to Q in
that way and in such circumstances that can
not command my appreciation or my fote.
But l do not propose to take up the tin e of
the Senate in discussing them in detail. ] ,ave
only risen for the purpose of stating then OBJ
jectiops to the copmittees, and prese. ting
these facts as the reason why / shall wits aold
my vote from the resolution, and shall vote
against it on the question of its adoption.
Mr.. GWIN. Sir am very much aston she'd
at the complaint from the other side OF. the
Chamber, becausert is but recently in tbs his.
tory of the county that the party to which
those gentlemen belong obtained control q the
other House Of Co.. gress, though in a minority
there and how die they arrange its con init
tees? There neve& was more fragrant isarti
san character givep to the committees of a
legislative body, Esd they were never Saore
tory of the countrTvhen a minority, comm by
chance into the control of one of the legis alive
bodies of the Goveshment, exercised with >aore
severity the iron hsud of power in their pt sses
| sion.
| We have receivsi,threats from the other side
| Let them throw 6ewn the gauntlet; we, are
ready to take it ups IF they ever get &C itrol
| of this body, we know how they will rule not
| only US, but the country. We have had q spe
cimen of it in the bower House already. When
they we're in minority in that body, an5 oh
| tanned their Speaker by chance, never, is any
Legislative body ia this country. were cor init.
| tees formed with mere utter determination tven
| to block the whseis Of the Governmem-as
they did for the FIRST time in the history O the
| Government, by refusing to pass an appre pria
ton bill, because nst minority, thus orga stized
and controlling the committees of that 81 ,use
had their way in framing that appropriation
bill.
Mr.. WILSON. / believe the honorable Sen
ator from California said the committees we're
never more unfairsy constituted, than at th, last
| Congress, when the Republicans obtaine4 pos
session of the House by an accident. Sow,
sir, l hold in my hand an analysis of the com
mittees of the House Of last year. There~ere
| upon those thirty-seven committees one hun
dred and thirty one Republicans and one hun
dred and thirty three of the Opposition. !. The
committees were constituted almost invasably
of five Republicans to four Opposition. : The
Craftsmanship of several of these committees
was given to the supporters OF the Admin Jstra-
ton. The chairmapship of the Committee on
Military Affairs, certainly one of the MOT, i'm.
portant committees in either House, was iiven
to General Quitman, of Mississippi. No man
has right to complain of the organizati,t n of
the committees of the House of Repres snta-