Bradford reporter. [volume] (Towanda, Pa.) 1844-1884, 1859-11-24
THE MEETING OF CONGRESS.

Congress meets on Monday, December 5th.
The members of the house have all been chos-
en-, and that body will consist of SO regular
Democrats, eight who call themselves anti
Lecompton Democrats, ll3 Republicans, and
% South Americans The Senate is composed
of &c DemocI ats, "a Republicans, and 2
Americans There are four vacancies.
The first matter of interest will be the or
ganization of the House. Neither of the
parties having clear majority, the choice of
Speaker must be effected by combination.
The House consists of 237 members, of which
ll9 is majority. The Republicans lack six
votes of this number. Unless the plurality
rule should be adopted as in the memorable
contest which resulted in the election of BANKS
the Republicans will be unable to elect their
caucus nominee. Ifthey stand fru, however,
they must eventually triumph.
The prominent candidates for the Repubii-
can nomination for Speaker are Hon. JOHN
SHERMAN of Ohio, and Hon. GALrsHA A.
GROW, of Pennsylvania. The former is in
every way unexceptionable, and his election
will be an honor to the party. Mr.. GROW
was supported by the Republicans at the open
ing of the last session, for Speaker, when the
Democratic majority was decided and in all fair
ness and custom should now be entitled to the
nomination His long experience in the House,
his admitted qualifications and intimate &C
quaintance with the responsible and delicate
duties of the position are so marked and un,
derstood, that he will probably be selected as
the Republican nominee.
We notice in the PennsylUanian of the 10Th
inst, paragraph, which, though put forth by
such bad authority, demands some notice In
classifying the members, that paper puts down
all the Opposition members from Pennsylvania
except Mr.. GRow and THAnDEUs STEVENS, with
three New Jersey members, as belonging to
the " Peoples Party,"in contra distinction to
the Republicans, and proceeds to say,
We not of course prepared say that the whole
eighteen above classified will abstain from the
of the Republican party refuse to unite with them in
the choice of Speaker but have the authority Of at
least one Of them EDWARD j. NORRIS of this city. to
that effect and reasoning from the stand point of their
platform viz that of the American party and also
from the fact that the Republican party strictIy is un
known in this State, the organization being mixture
called the Peoples party, in which Amorcansm largely
their natural aation would be with the
Southern Opposition, more properly with the South
ern Americans" . -.
We do not know by what authority the
Pennsylranian speaks for the eighteen mem
bers thus named, nor why it is so positive
about the action of Mr.. MORRIS, but we do
not believe that any member of the Opposition
party will refuse to unite with the great body
Of that party in supporting Mr.. GROW or any
other sound and reliable man for Speaker
The members elected from Pennsylvania stand |
ipon common platform-they have uuted
n the support o. candidates for State Offices
nominated by Conventions which adopted res
1lutiOns satisfactory to the whole body of the |
Opposition and any refusal now to unite in the |
organization Of the House would be factious,
and productive of the most disastrous results. |
Should the course thus marked out by the
Pennsylvania, and foreshadowed by the DAILY
Ne10s be adopted, what would be the In
eVitable result The union of the Opposition
N Pennsylvania would be irremedably and
eternally broken-a Republican organization
would at once be effected-and the State would
be lost to those opposed to the policy and
measures of the National Administration. I'll
such men as Grow or SHERMAN cannot COM
nand the votes of a united Opposition, then
farewell to all attempts at harmonious action
because there must be wide and irrecon-
cileable difference in principle, which make all
such attempts worse than q mcckery.