Western sentinel. [volume] (Winston [i.e. Winston-Salem], N.C.) 1856-1886, 1858-07-02

absence when I spoke.
For considerable time after the pub
ication of his speech, whenever the House
went into Committee of the Whole, it was
for the consideration of special order, it
which, as you are aware and as my col
league, presume, knows, excludes gener
al debate, SO that, as many OF my friends
know, was unable to obtain the floor for
the purpose I had in view, until the time
[ made my reply. But my colleague says
that the gentleman from Virginia Mr..
LETCuER7 obtained the floor soon after he
made his speech, and replied to portion
Of it. That isxery true but my colleague
knows it occurred before his speech was
printed, and | was unwilling to reply to
him until | had seen his speech in print,
for, I was determined to do him no injus-
tice.
My colleague saw fit to apply to me in
furious terms and offensive epithets. [
shall not enter into any such contest with
him; he is proficient in an accomplish
ment which my tastes never led me to
cultivate. If | have personal grievance
to redress l will seek a proper opportuni-
ty to doit, and a more appropriate arena
than this Hall. Moreover, when my col
league was called to account for offensive
language which he applied to me, he de-
CltECu llldt 1lC N1O ilOt IILCIlNl W NC pCiSCii-
ally offensive and vet, sir, he suffered his
the official paper Of this House, without
any correction Or qualification of the often
sive terms! Was that fair, was it manly,
was it iust2 Mr., Chairman, [ will not I'M
dertake here properly to characterize such
an act; but [ will undertake to say that
whenever [ make speech upon this floor
and pronounce another, made by any col
league Of mine, or any one else, to be I'M
just and untrue, prevaricating, and unwor
thy the gentleman who made it, [ never
Will go out of this Hall and say that did
not mean TO be personally offensive. Nev-
er, sir! And if, in the heat OF debate and
the excitement Of discussion, / should use
language toward q gentleman which upon
cool reflection / was forced to consider un-
Just to him, never would [ be found guilty
of the injustice, the gross injustice to him,
the Injustice to myself, OF sending that
speech abroad to the world without re-
traction or qualification. And yet, sir,
with all his prakiag abeah aiirness and jus
tice, that IS WlsIt my csaffaag did, after
having made the retraction to which have
alluded, and made it in his own hand
writing, and over his own signature!
Sir, the gentleman has applied to me a
number Of anecdotes by way Of disparage-
ment and ridicule This, too, is a favor
ite mode Of warfare with my colleague.-
Where a lawyer or Il statesman would use
an argument, my colleague applies an an
ecdote; one gentleman on the other side
was so deeply impressed with his ability
in that way that he declared, (as [ was in
formed,l during the delivery Of my col
leagues first speech, that lie was ''a8 g6od
Gs a comic oZman0c," lie has already ac-
quired for himself the sou5riquet Of the
''funny Representative from North Caro-
lima" and is fairly entitled to that Of ''tHc
little .j0ytcr." Let my colleague cultivate
his talent and increase his fund of anec
dote, and he may look forward with con
tidence to the time when he will be able
to obtain an engagement as chief buffoon
in some strolling circus. But, sir, I shall
not follow his example in this regard eth
er; if, however, my tastes and my sense of
propriety led me 20 do so, instead of treat
ing this enlightened assenblage Of thepeo-
pies Representative to the stale anecdotes
and coarse jokes which my colleague has
INDUCED in, would procure a copy of
Joe Miller and read from its pages such as
would be vastly more amusing, though
hundred times repeated, than any that my
colleague has SO far entertained the com
mittee with.
Now, sir, my colleague charges against
me that took the ground in my speech,
that he voted in favor Of the Green amend
ment, which was attached to the Senate
bill when it came to this House, while I,
at the same time, was found advocating
the views of the Executive in regard to
the principle of that amendment. He
goes on further, and denies that the gen
tleman from Mississippi Mr.. QUEMANl
moved to striketout that amendment. He
denies emphatically that he voted against
striking it out. Now, sir, what a;e the
facts? First, does the Green amendment
embody the doctrine which my colleague
says is containedsin the special message
of the Executives Does that amendment
declare, as understand the President to
have said in his message, that the people
of Kansas would have.a right to alter and
amend their constitution after they had
been admitted into the Confederacy, with
out regard to the restrictions contained in
that instrument itse1f2 I ask the House
if the Green amendment elnbodios that
doctrinea / say it does not. The most
that can be said of the first branch of the
proposition contained in.thesGreen amend
ment is, that it is a negative pregnant
while the second@branch absolutely and
unqualifedly asserts that,the Congress of
the United States has fright to- declare
the construction Of the constitution of
State. Buthave Isustained, many speech
which I1haTa anade, here or elsewhere, the