The Washington union., 1858-03-12
WASHINGTON CITY.
FRIDAY MORNING. MARCH IL. 1855
Yesterdays PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE

YESTERDAYS PROCEEDINGS IN THE HOUSE
The attentive reader Of congressional proceeding.
will be attracted by those of the House on yeste,
day. Mr.. Thomas l.. Harris endeayorsd to bring ,,s
proceedings of his committee of fifteen on KaDsa.
affairs before the House question Of privilege
II will be remembered that Mr.. Stephens ON tba
day before had endeayored to present the report, Of
the majority of the committee but that obiee6op
being made to receiving it on point of ordes its
presentation had been left to await the regular cou,s
of business in the House.
The question of privilege on which Mr.. Harris en-.
deavored TO obtain the action Of the House ysster
day, seemed to have been based upon the proposi-
ton that the committee had not executed the orde,
of the House for which il was raised The speale
decided that a question of privilege could not arise
such fact if il existed and from this decision
Mr.. Harris appealed. The test voting was on ri,
appeal
Upon the hypothesis that the committee had uot
executed the order of the House. the regular course
of proceeding certainly would have been to "a.
ceive the report proifered by the majoriy Of the
committee, Through which alone the House could
obtain any knowledge at all of the action Of the
comnlittee) and for the House to found what.
ever action il might see proper to take in the
promises upon that report and the accompanying
minutes of the committees proceedings The usual
course of proceeding, where parliamentary body
is of opinion that committee has not execnea
the order intrusted to it, u.s. to rocommit the sub
ject-mater either to new committee, dschargmg
the old one; or to the old committee or to the
old committee enlarged.
This was precisely the, course recommenAedL Lv
Mr.. Stephens "Wednesday last namely that the
the majority of it, and then either adopt the re-
port or recommt the suhject-matter originally refer
red as it might soc proper to order.
Mr.. llarrs's object, yesterday, was to procure a
virtual recommiial- -but to do it by indroctiopto
do il in irregular and unparliamentary manner
to do it in which should deny the right Of
the majority of the committee to speak for and IN
the name of committce--whch should deny tha, The
report Of the majority was a report at ALL The
whole clamor Of Mr.. IIarrs's party IN the House il
this Kansas controversy is founded on the suprep,
acy of the majority. But here is an effort to deny
to the majority of Legislative organ the right to
speak in ts Game. Here is an assault npon constiu
tiona law and the rules of parliamentary procedure,
by the party which have resisted for three
years the constitutional authorities in Kansas and re-
pudiatai the legal aud orderly Modos OF popular aud
governmental action.
The action proposed by Mr. Harris is repruhens-
ble ia Two particulars. 1t is so in the fact that il
seeks to repudiatc the majority Of the committee Of
the House as the legal organ OF the committee. II
is reprehensible moreover, in seeking to do IN am
irregular and nnparliamsnfary manner when per
fecy regular ana parliamentary mode il open for the
purpose. 1t is both wanton and revolutionary
But The most notifying feature Of these proceed
ings the fact that the test vote to lay on the
table Mr.. iiarriss appeal from tho decision Of the
Speaker denying that the action of the committee
created question Of privilege, several men.heIsd Of
the American party from the southern States voted
with the black.republican party.
1t is very plain that if The halfa dozen gentlemen
of the American party from the southern States, who
voted yesterday with the solid black-republican pha
any. continue to do to the end, the prompt admis
sion of Kansas will be seriously jeoparded. We can
not believe that it is the ultimate intention Of such
men Messrs. Marshall, Rcaud Harris Of Mary
llnd Gilmer, and others, to vote against this meas
urc on its final passage If they do not cherish
such an intention, and desire the speedy oonsunr
nation OF the measure, cannot refrain from
pressing the opinion, that they are jeopardzing
that object, nasmuch aA every vote they shall
now give ia the preliminary stagcs Of the struggle
in company with the enemies Of the measure, viii
render the struggle more and more ardnous it
progresses.
We have soon with surprise and regret angry
assault upon the great measure before Congress
on the part of leading opposition Journals in two %
three southern States. Wherever the peripatstic
lecturer of .he Louisville Journal has deposited the
spawn Of his premeditated wit at fifty cents head,
we have observed a speedy outbreak Of editorial
wrath from his editorial brethren against the Le-
compton constitution. The onslaught is levelled ~
the proposed feature of the Senate bill known 10
the Pngh amendment, and had supposed that
that amendment if it should become part OF the
bill would be the ostensiblc ground Of southern
know nothing opposition to the measure.
Bat the movement of Mr. Harris seems to have
flushed the oovey before the appointed time. The
proceedings Of yesterday would seem to indicate
thai she southern know nothing ontcry against the
Pugh amen lmcnt is only prctext and that those
southern know-nothngs who will vote with the
black-repubcana will do SO without any reference