The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1859-12-22
No ORGANIZATION Yet.

No Organization Yet. fa-,
Every fash over the wires, and ever,
scrap of intelligence from Washinaton is nov
looked for with intense interest in all part
of the country. The nearly impending
Presidential election; the peculiar compos'
ton and temper of parties, added to the eS
element in the public mind tend to inves
the proceedings of the present Congress wit
greater degree of interest than any othe
has possessed since the organization of tn
Government. , e..--.r, .a..r,a.h -fDau
The third week Of the session is now ha
spent, and not only is the House unorganlze
but only thirteen ballots have been taken ft
Speaker. The balance of the time has bee
monopoiized by the Democracy in talk o
the slavery question, threatening dissolution
aud motions to adjourn-the Republicans q
the time abstaining from the discussion, an
urging an organization and proceeding wit
the business of the session. The Democra
in the House have had the talk pretty mus
to themselves, almost entirely So so far
the Republicans are concerned. Sewers
the Anti-Lecompton Opposition. A. OF
Clarke and Haskin, of N. Y; pa, have
Pa; Nelson, (American,) ceches, IN re-
made able manly and teln Cor"'h only OF
ply to the Fire Eaters set speech.
the Republicans :, the first day, Mason,
In the sep.;solution ofinquiry into the
osya moy affair, to which Trumbull of
H.rnar,a s an amendment, an inquiry into |
IN .ag of the Arsenal at Liberty, No,
ing the Kansas war. A general discus
sion of these questions occupied the Senate
until a few days ago, when the amendment
was voted down by % to 80, after which the
resolution passed 55 to 0.
In the House there are three parties, or
perhaps four, the Republicans, Adininistra-
ton Democrats, Anti Lecompton Democrats
and Americans. Neither of them has a ma
jority. For Sherman the Republicans have
poled from 107 70 112, the latter including
the Anti Lecompton votes, Haskins, Hick
man and Sc lwartz. They have lacked from
9 to votes most of the ballots Bocock. of
Va, was the caucus candidate of the AID
ministration Democrats up to Monday, whel
he withdrew, and Boiler of Va, American
and Disunionist, was nominated. The thir-
teenth ballot Monday, stood, whole number
of votes 226, "a full House is 237,) necessa-
ry to choice, 2l4; Sherman 2l2, Boteler 81,
Barksdale 90, Bocock12, Mills Taylor Z the
rest, A, scattering. Eight Anti-Lecompton
Democrats stand aloof from the Administra-
ton party; the five Illinois Douglas men act
and vote with the Administration Three
Of the former have voted for Sherman on
several of the last ballots. The four other
being indebted to considerable extent to
the Republicans, for their election, have been
counted upon to 60 the same way, but have
this far stood out. They are, Clark and
Reynolds Of N. Y, Adrian and Riggs of N.
j., and Davis of Ind. The last named there
is no hope Of There seems to be more
probability of the adoption of the plurality
rule, which would elect Sherman, than of his
getting m jority. The Administration
needs money badly ~
The Administration faction in the House,
composed mainly of Southern Disunionists,
assisted by so many Northern Democrats as
Douglas could influence, have been filiibus-
tering the whole time thus far, using for an
excuse the fact of Mr. Sherman having sign
ed a recommendation ola compend of sta
tistical work published some years ago, by
Helper of North Carolina, the main design
of which was to show the influence of slavery
on the South, Clark of Mo-. moved early in
the session a resolution that man who
signed such a recommendation was not fit
for Speaker The talk thus far has been
about this matter, and slavery in general.
We thus see that the Democracy intro
.duced the niger question into both branch
es of Congress at the commencement OF this
session, and have persistently kept it there.
The Republicans have sternly refused to dis
cuss it at least until after organizing, and
supplying the urgent needs of the govern
ment. The conduct of the Republicans us
been admirable, and has strengthened the
cause greatly.