The Cass County Republican. [volume] (Dowagiac, Mich.) 18??-1880, 1859-01-20

4
Gov. Bingham voted for the applica
ton of that principle to the bill organ
izing the Territory of Oregon, and
repeatedly voted for the same principle
to be applied to the organization o.
the acquisitions from Mexico. Early
during the session of Congress of '4s
the Nicholson letter of Gen. Cass made
its appearance, declaring that a great
cbangen had come over the mind o.
that Statesman, from the sentiments
and reasoning of which Gov. Bingham
utterly dissented, and took prompt oc
casion to make known his views, and
as he believed, those of his constitu
ents, in an able speech, delivered in his
place i'm June, 1S4S. In that speech
the positions of the Nicholson letter
were upset, by following the action ot
Government, as well in its Legislature
as in its Administrative and Judicial
functions, forming the passage of the
ordinance of 1887, down almost to the
day of the delivery of the speech. The
right and duty of Congress to prohibit
Slavery in the Territories, formed a
prominent feature of the canvass OF
ls4s, in which Gov. Bingham took an
active share upon the stump, as can
didate for Congress, while Gen. Cass
was running for the Presidency.
Throughout the canvass, Gov. Bingham
urged that duty, and upheld that right
before the people, Notwithstanding the
sentiment of the Nicholson letter, and
the presence of the name of its author
in the same canvass, and upon the same
ticket.
During the protracted struggle in
the Thirty-First Congress. upon the
Compromise Bill, Gov. Bingham took
a prominent part in the debates, and
with zeal, power and great ability,
enforced the same views upon the at
tention of Congress, which his con-
science, his constituents, and three
successive Legislations of his own
State, united in recommending to him
as wise, humane, and expedient. His
vote was against that bill.
During the four years of Governor
Bingham's Congressional service, he
was member Of the committe on
Commerce, and obtained appropria-
tions for many of the most important
Lighthouses upon the coast of Michi-
gan.
The farmers of Michigan have never
forgotten the great service done them
by Gov. Bingham, by the defeat of the
Jethro Wood bill, so called. This bill
had passed the Senate, giving to the
heirs of Jethro Wood, fifty cents upon
every cast iron plow manufactured in
the United States. Gov. Bingham saw
at glance the manifest injustice of
the bill, as we'll as the great burden
which it was about to impose, and
when the bill made its appearance in
the House after its passage in the
Senate, it found him fully prepared,
with we'll authenticated facts to show
up the entire emptiness Of the claim of
Wood, as the inventor of the cast iron
plow. The speech of Gov. Bingham
upon this bill was one of the best and
mostforcible in his entire Congressional
career, and by its strength, study, and
ripe preparation in facts, bill which
had cost an immense investment of
money, an almost unexampled amount
of lobby influence, and a large effort in
Congress, was defeated, as by one
gigantic blow.
On the 4th March, 1851, Governor
Bingham returned from Washington,
to receive the reproaches, and expert
ence the hostility of his old political
associates, because he had dared to act
and speak upon the floor of Congress-,
according to his own views of duty,
according to the repeated advice of
thepeople's Representatives of his own
according to the dictation of
his immediate constituents, but not ac-
cording to the new views of Gen. Cass,
as illustrated by the bright sun of pre-
sidential hope, shining from the South.
The retirement of Gov. Bingham,
would doubtless have been permanent,
had not public duty again called him
forth. In the month of May, 1854, the
Missouri Compromise was repealed
the time honored barrier against the
aggression of Slavery, which had ex-
isted for more than a generation, was
broken down-a free people were stung
into action, they arose in their power,
and in their wrath, and upon the sixth
of July, just two months subsequent to
the outrage, the Republicans of Michi-
gan, then a tumultnary force, drawn
together by apprehension of great pub
lie danger, forced the first nomination
upon Gov. Bingham, as the fittest ex-
ponent of the active, earnest, fearless
advocacy of Free Labor. He responded
to that unexpected call, was elected
over Gov. Barry, the strongest Demo-
crat in the State, by five thousand ma
iority, and in 1857, over Felch, the next
strongest man, by nearly twenty thous-
and majority, and for four years, has
wisely, prudently and uprightly welded
the power thus committed, and now, at
the age of fifty years, he is again called
upon for six coming years OF public
service, in the high position OF United
States Senator.
sW A gentleman recently inquired
of Gov. Harris at Tennessee, when he
intended to appoint a day of Thanks
giving. "I'd like to know what the
ID the democrats have got to be