Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1857-1865, 1859-07-01
Who elected Banks, Speaker 7

The persistent uufarness with which the Union
and Ame7con asserts that Banks was elecsei Speak
er, as Know Nothing, and by Know Nothings,
makes il proper that we should give the facts in
order TO remove any false impressions that may have
been created by the unsupported assertions of that
sheet. All well informed politicians know that an
American Convention was held in Philadelphia, in
ton of Che 18th section of the platforms a large
portion of the Northern members seeded from the
party II is true they claimed tll to belong to the
American party, but were repudated by the party
proper, because of the sectional anti-savery dogma
engrafted upon their creed. They afterwards held
a Convention in Cincinnati and by their proceed
ings on that occasion, sundered all ties between
them and the national American organization
This is brief but true history of the whole mat
ter and If the Union and american is ignorant of
it. it had better "close out and give place to poll
tcians that posted up in the current events of
the last four or five years.
That N. p Banks was a member of the Ameri-
can party at the time of the Philadelphia Conven-
ton, we have never denied; that he seeded, is
equally true and his secession followed by
a formal admission into the Black Republican ranks.
But that the reader may have something more than
our statement to rely upon, we shall proceed to give
few of the facts which incontestibly establish the
truth of the statement. When a candidate for the
Speakershp, in 1856, Mr. Barksdale, of Mississippi,
asked Mr.. Banks if he belonged to the Know
Nnthtnor fo ,vbi bo tba fnl1 mo
anwser:
'In regard to my position as connected with the
parties of the country, / wish to make my state
ment in my own way, inasmuch as it is a matter
which particularly concerns myself | will state
the facts, and the gentleman from Mississippi, (Mr
Barksdale,) and other gentlemen, will draw theil
own differences. What they may be, it is not fol
me to say When l was elected to the House as &
member from the State of Massachusetts, | wa:
elected on the nomination of the regular Democratic
party and of the American party of that District
See Globe, 1856, page 227.
Not only was he nominated as a democrat, b,
that party, but, as Banks said in the same speech
after he had time and again, expressed his view
publicly and fully on the issues which suggested tn
question propounded to him. Then if he wa
nominated and elected in part, by democrats, afte
the ayowal of his opinions, the sin Of his election
lies at their door, and the charge we are investga
ting, comes with bad grace from locofoco. Blu
as farther evidence that Banks had abandoned tn
| American party and gone over to the Republican
prior to taking his seat in Congress, at the scssio
when he was elected Speaker we cite the fact, tina
he actively opposed Gardiner, the nominee of tn
Americans proper and supported Rockwell
seceder from the Philadelphia platfom-all sue
seceders being then, as now, Black Republicans
But we have other testimony During the wrang
ling in Congress about the relative positions of tn
candidates for Speaker, Mr. Smith, of Virginia. use
this emphatic language in the presence of Bank
on the floor of Congress
~ suppose however, it is true, and | want til
; House to understand it. that Mr.. Banks elected
a Know Nothing, and the only man. believe,
the last Congress who had the nerve TO avow ii
, fact that he was a Know Nothing, went home an
, disconnected himself from that party which Ina
given him his seat upon this floor" See Glob
1885, page, As.
And during the delivery of Smiths speech, NJ
Letcher, now Governor of yrginia-both DEM
crats-took occasion to say-"As ! understand
, Mr. Banks does not belong to the American party
See same authority, page "A.
Having now shown that Banks was elected
\ Congress as the nominee of the regular democrat
party, and that he was never recognized as
American, by the national party, after the secessiC
5 from the Philadelphia platform, we will now pr
coed to show that he was elected Speaker if not
deny that the plurality rule adopted after tie 1919
4 ballot, was Immediately fowed by the election
9 Banks whose friends, the democrats knew, Won
stick to him, and that his chances for plurali
vote amounted almost to certainty of his electio
Well Sam Smith, of this State, Offered the plural
o words:
/. "RcsolUed, That the House will proceed immed
ately to the election of Speaker, ezra Uoee.
after the roll shall have been called three times
member shall have received a majority of all 4
/ votes cast the roll shall gain be called, and d
h member who shall then receive the largest numb
of votes, provided it be a majority of a quoru
shall be declared duly elected Speaker of the Hou
: of Representatives of the the Thirty-Fourth Co
d gress.
: This resolution having been adopted, Riehardsc
e of Illinois, was withdrawn, and Aiken, of Sou
Is Carolina, without the formaty of nominate
became the democratic candidate, and on the la
+ and one hundred thirty-thiTd ballot Banks W
Is elected the vote standing thus;
Banks. 1903.
Aiken. 100.
Fuller g.
t. Campbell. E. 80. e.. A..
al Nchs. ].
The whole number of votes cast was two hun
70 red and fourteen-twenty members being abse
- The vote of Banks was three or four less than
If. had received on previous ballots; twenty-eig
>, Americans, if we have counted right voted
,,I Aiken, and six for Fuller-ther nominee. Y