Spirit of the age. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1849-1865, 1858-02-17
Congress-GeneralR Row.

miscuous fight and scufie, in the House of Ia
Representatives, under the following circum- la
stances: tie
The House was engaged for the greater U
part of Friday, and all night Of Friday, on Ii
Kansas affairs. Mr.. Harris, Of Illinois, who to
leads the anti-Lecomptonites in the House, til
offered a resolution proposing 10 refer the P
Presidents message to committee of fifteen, to
to be appointed by the Speaker-the commit .
tee to investigate the whole matter, and re- il
port whether the Lecompton Constitution is q
acceptable and satisfactory to a majority of n
the legal voters o fKansas. The friends ofthe e
administration opposed the resolution, and a s
parliamentary struggle was kept up during 2
Friday evening and Friday night n
AT about one o'clock on Saturday morning \
great confusion took place, growing out of a =
fight between Mr.. Keitt of S. c. and Mr.. Grow
of Pa. :
Some honorable made a motion. Mr.. Grow
objected. Mr.. Keitt said: go to yonr own
side of the House, sir, and make your objec-
tons there" Mr.. Grow promptly replied
that 'he would make his objections where be
pleased !" and indiscreetly followed up this
remark, by saying 'he wouldn't be governed
by a slave-driyer." Mr.. Keitt, struck the
member from Pennsylvania. Mr.. Grow re-
turned the blow, the parties clenched, and in
rushed members from all sides, hoping to end
this little row, but uncoasciously contributing
to commence a big one.
Some thirty or forty members got SO en-
tangled and jammed up that it was difficult to
see which was which, or which got the worst
or best of it. Blows were given and taken in
discriminatory.
Speaker Orr and the Sergeant-at-Arms,
Mr.. Glosbrenner, deserve credit and commen-
dation for the prompts energy with which they
succeeded in calming the tumult.
When all was calm again" the House fell
! back into the good humored ways, the little
brush having walked up some of the most
t unpatriotic, who dozed, unconscious of the
momentousness of the occasion The men,
bers went on resolving, and moving, and ia
n king the yea" and may" until after six
, o'clock Saturday morning, when Gen. Quit
y man introduced a resolution, suspending &C.
IS ton on all other motions, except the previous
!, question, Harris's motion to refer the whole
3 subject to the select committed which wa,
l. made by reclamation, the special order fol
10 Monday at l o'clock and the House adjourn
ed, as Burns says, up in the mornin' earle.
re On Monday the 9Th, the struggle was re
70 newed upon the motion to refer the Pres
err dents Kansas message to a select COMMITTEES
u The House was nearly fnll-227 members b
ing present-the galleries crowded with spes
IS tators, and the voting proceeded under in
n. tense feeling on all sides. The motion to r,
fer, was carried by one majority-114t to IL;
he MI. Bonham, offs C., (who was absento
of account of sickness, it is IS said been presents til
n vote would have been a tie, and Mr.. Speak.
ny Orr, would, ofcourse, have voted against sue
nd reference, and the motion would have bee
n lost Many papers seem to think that tn
- vote puts off the settlement Of this vexs
tn question further than ever, as this committe
ire who are to be invested with power to send 4
ng persons and papers, will not report at tn
wn session of Congress. On the contrary, a d
ISE NAASopOiucn VI bic Ect6FSDQTR Dem
at crat, takes a more hopeful view of the cas-
try and indeed predicts a different state of
in q few days.
He says: Considering the adverse temp
of the House a few days since, and the
dustrious efforts made to prejudice the pu
est lie sentiment of the North at the outset t
vote of yesterday may be regarded, and,
nile fact, is considered by the friends Of Lecou
the ton, as highly encouraging. We have C
Iers tainly gained strength in the last two weel
S of and the result a few days hence is hard
feet doubtful
1T; From this same Correspondent we lea
ed, that a similar motion to refer to a select Co
mitttee in the Senate, met with a differt
tof result. The Message was referred to =,
rsh regular committee on Territories by a vote
in 2s to %. This Correspondent says-aT
to committee, it is presumed, will report il
Gus few days, a bill admitting Kansas, which '
ing pass the Senate, and afterwards the Hou
nur- Such is the candid opinion of the best pos
too politicians ! meet with"
pc, A Geographic despatch, under date of F
are 9, says:
Mr.. Speaker Orr will not be prepared
announce the names of the committee of
by teen, as called for by the resolution of ]
lper Harris, until to-day. The majority will
rid men not opposed to the admission of Kan
a.. under the Lecompton Constitution. In fol
"e ing the committee, the speaker will be Q
r. erned by that rule of Parliamentary act
gov which requires that the ayowed enemies I
the measure should not be appointed to de-
mine upon its merits. The committee =,
AIRY be announced probably on Wednesday.
as Mr.. Hughes, of Indiana, will probably
chairman of the Select Committee, as be
,t;ce fered the original proposition for such 6,
mittee. The committee will be a fair ons
anne every respect.
up It is now generally believed that Cong,
heir NIL refuse 70 increase the army.
There is every probability that a prop
ton will be offered in the Senate from
Lecompton democratic side, at the bro
that time, emphatically andsdistinctly recognis
mn the right of the people of Kansas to a
N