Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1859-12-16
1S49-lS59,

suggests some of the incidents of the struggle
of lS49. and illustrates the extraordinary
change which ten years has wrought both in
public opinion, and in the status of political
parties.
The Thirty-First Congress assembled on
the Cd of December, 1919. The public mind
was agitated by no questions of startling con-
Germ. The Wing Administration had been
inaugurated less than year, and was in the
full tide of experiment, though not altogether
successful. The democratic party controlled
the Senate, as they control it now, and entered
the House with a plurality of seven votes.
The slavery question was touched tenderly,
neither party having any settled policy for its
treatment. The free soil party, called into
existence by the necessities of the previous
year, had two of its champions in the Senate,
John P. Hale of New Hampshire and Salmon
P Chase of Ohio,) and thirteen of its repres:
entatives in the House-sufiicient upon full
vote to hold the balance of power.
The difficulties in the way of electing
speaker were apparent at the outset. No COM
bination was thought to be feasible, and, with
single exception, none was seriously thought
of at all. In that case, it appeared that some
assurances had been made to Mr.. Wilmot by
VIM ]. Brown of Indiana, who was, at one
stage of the balloting, the democratic candidate
for Speaker, that, if elected the committees
on territories, and on the judiciary, would be-
made satisfactory to him (Wilmot) and his
friends. AT the beginning, however, Howell
Cobb of Georgia was the caucus candidate of
the Democrats, and Robert c. Winthrop of
Massachusetts, of the Wings, the Free Soil
members chiefly voting for David Wilmot of
Pennsylvania. Sixty three ballots were taken
during the twenty days which the contest last
ed, Mr.. Cobb being finally elected under the
plurality rule. On the final ballot, the Free
Soil members divided as follows:
For Mr.. Wimot.-Charles Allen of Massachusetts,
Walter Booth of Connecticut Charles Durkee of
Wisconsin, Joshua K. Giddings of Ohio, John w
Howe of Pennsylvania, Geo. w. Julian of Indiana
Preston King of New York, and Joseph NJ Root of
Ohio.
For Mr.. Winthrop.-Horace Mann of Massachu-
setts VIM. T. Hunter of Ohio Amos Tuck of New
Hampshire, and William Sprague of Michigan.
For Mr.. Durkee.-David Wilmot of Pennsylva-
mia.
The alleged policy of both the great parties
The spirit of disunion, which is now so reck-
less and audacious in either branch of the
Federal Legislature, did not trouble them in
their deliberations. If any individual member
anticipating the development of the ''irrepres-
sible conflict" gave utterance to his thought,
he fell at once into very small minority. His
counsel was discredited. His prophesies were
unheard. Once or twice Mr.. Toombs of Ca,
ventured to pronounce his judgement against
the "optimists and quietists" who constituted
the great majority of that Congress. "The
difficulties" said he, sin the way of the or
ganization of this house are apparent and well
understood by the whole country. A great
sectional question lies at the foundation of all
these troubles" And again, in the temper
which has become familiar to us during the
last few days, "Give me securities that the
power of the organization which you seek will
not be used to the injury of my constituents,
then you may have my cooperation, not till
then. Refuse them, then, as far as l am con-
cerned, Let Discord reign foreverv"
Ten years of grave political changes have
passed away. The Democratic party has be-
come the great sectional agitator in behalf of
oppression. The Wing party has no life but
in history-not single champion left upon
the floor of either branch of Congress. An
other party, with infinite pretensions, and some
momentary power, which it used for bad
purpose, has been born, and died-may it rest
forever The Republican party has taken
the field, is already victorious in nearly halt
the states, and prepared to assume the gov
eminent of the country just as soon as it is
worthy of it. Many of the statesmen who
have guided the steps of this young republic
to its early maturity, the luminaries who have
given it whatever of luster and glory it can
boast of, have gone to their reward. Of the
members who engaged in the struggle of 1S49,
only ten are members of the present Congress
The rest have either paid the debt of nature
or been snatched away by that swift mortality
which SO often waits on political ambition.
But, though all the externals are changed,
the conflict remains unchanged. Mr.. Toombs'
prophecy is VERIFIED great sectional question
lies at the foundation Of all these troubles. The
peace-makers of 1849 are the agitators of to-
day. The "Union-savers" of that time are
our patrons of sedition and treason. Threats
of dissolution are not now the exception, but
the rule with the advocates and defenders of
slavery. Seek among them for a sincere re-
spect for our form Of government, or decent
regard for their oaths, and you will not find it.
The malignant hatred of free institutions. spo-
ken without reservation by every southern
Democrat who has spoken at all, covers every
other obligation like cloud. And if we had
not abundant historical evidence of the mex
pressible cowardice of slavery, it would seem
as if the knell of the Union had been sounded.
and nothing was left for us but parracde and
murder
Fortunately, the world moves, and God
reigns, while the infidels are in the midst of
their orgies. The sentiment which is in the
ascendant in the present House of Representa-
tives does not stand there alone, but as the
representative of the sentiment which is in the
ascendant in the country and is sustained by
moral power abundantly ample for its preserya-
ton. The election of its candidates Is simply
question Of time. Its friends can afford 10
wait, as long as its enemies present to the world
such sorry spectaces of weakness in adyersi-
ty as they have during the present session.
The CALL FOR NATIONAL CONVENTION.
dispatches from Washington state that the
Congressional Delegations from New Jersev