New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-02-22

4
ration. Mr.. Doolittle has wisely seized upon the
present occasion to draw public attention to the
subject. j. = T.
RETIREMENT JOSHUA r. GIDDINGS FROM
CONGRESS.
"REMINISCENCES OP THIS VETERANS REPREsES.
TATIvE CAREER.
From a. OcessicrAl Correspondent.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 81, 1859.
Grent changes will take place in the next House
of Repre- senta.ives. Some members OF the present
Congress will retire wholly from public life az The
close Of this session. Others may reappear upon
the ,cene. A few who led ir the memorable con-
fcts of the last session have been called to other
theaters Of action, while two or three have gone
to their final repose. Of these few have been
lor in Congress, and here and there one has play
ed a conspicuous part in affairs. We may instance
Giddings, Stephens, Qnitman, Campbell Orr,
Clingman, Harris, and Letcher.
At the head of the list stands the venerable men,
Der from Ohio. Mr.. Giddings is historic charac-
ter. He has sat twenty years in the House, he is
the connecting link between The large body OF able
aud faithful representatives who now bear up the
Republican standard, and the small band who
aroused and maintained the same principles when
be entered the hall.
The leading members at that time were Clifford,
and Evans of Maine, Adams, Gushing and Law
renee of Massachusetts,, Truman Smith OF COnnec-
ticut Barnard, Fillmore, Granger and Grinnell Of
New.York, Sergeant of Pennsy lyania Bolts, Drom-
gooe, Goggi0, Hopkins, Hunter and Wise of
Virginia, Stanly of North Carolina, Pckens,
Rhett, and Waddy Thompson of South Carolina,
King of Georgia, Bell, and A. V. Brown of Ten
nessee, Lewis of Alabama, A. G. Brown and
og Nissiseinn sni Tam (nrkyin N
Ohio OF these only Mr. Hopkins is in the present
House, and be has been me nber but portion OF
the intervening time Messrs. Hunter, Bell, and
A. G. Brown are in the Senate. Mr.. Clifford is on
the Supreme Bench Messrs. A. V. Brown, and
Jacob Thompson are in the Cabinet. VI the then
members of the Senate, Mr. Crlttenden only is
row in that body. Dir. Buchanan was then also
Senator.
Thus our friend has outlived nearly whole gen.
Grafton of public men. II would be lesson for
those who new fret their brief hour" IN the mar
bic pile on the hill yOnder 10 run their eyes over
the journals Of the two Houses and scan the lists
of members for the last twenty years, and see how
| large o proportion have utterly persisted from
human recollection, leaving not the slightest trace
of their greatness or their ttieness behind.
! One of Mr. Giddings's first acts in Congress was
| 10 vote with all the Wings, for Robert NJ L.
Hunter for Speaker Botts, Goggin and Wise
voting with Giddngs for Hunter Goggin now
runs for Governor of Virginia. Hunter and Wise
oppose him, and go would Glddings If he
could. Bolts supports him. And yet Giddngs
ard Bolts dwell 10 the same political hemisphere,
while Hunter and Giddings are wide as the poles
ssunder. The complications which the negro has
infused into American politics are more may than
| the widest measures OF Strauss.
Mr. Giddipgs entered Congress in the midst OF
| the contest about the Right If Petition lie fol
lowed the lead of A iams in his championship of
| Al. II IN thar e fha
| fight, and the gOres of the triumph. He bore
distinguished part in the subse IueIt conflicts over
| the Annexation Of Texas, the Oregon Joint Occu-
patton, and the Wilmot Proyiso.
TIE country recOllects the agitation which
sprung from the enfranchsement of the negroes of
the brig Creole by the British authorities 10 Ber-
muds, when driven into one of its ports by stress
I of weather, while vOyaglng from Virginia to New
Orleans, with q cargo Of slaves. In March, loi2,
Mr.. GiddiDgs offered, in the House, moe resolu-
tons touching this case and affirming that all at
tempts to regain possession Of or to reenslaye these
negroes, were unauthorized by the Constitution
and laws of the United States, and incompatible
with our national honor. On reading the resOu-
/ tons wild storm broke out raging nearly all
day, in the midst of which he withdrew the obnox-
ious paper. Mr.. Bolts drafted, and endeayored to
| offer resolution with wOrdy preamble) declar-
ing that this House hold the conduct of the said
member [Giddings1 unwirranted and ungar-
rantable, and deserving the severe condemnation
/" of the people of this country, and OF this body
/" in particular" The State Of Virginia having
been passed in the call for resolutions, Mr.. Bolts
could not offer it, and he handed il to
John B. Weller of Ohio for that purpose.
The tempest, which had lulled on the withdrawal
of the paper, burst forth siresh on this reso-
luton of censure. 1t raved with ungoyernable
fury for two days. Though the previous question
was pending, the Speaker Mr. White of Ken
lucky, liberal. minded man, ruled that Giddings
could be heard in his defense, as matter OF
privilege" The House insane with passion,
cverrued the Speaker. Giddings stood dumb be-
fore his aocusers After a struggle, the resolution
was sdopted-l25 Yeas TO SO Nays. Among toe
NAYS are the names of John Quincy Adams, Caleb
Gushing, William Pitt Fessenden, Willard Fill
more, Frsncis Granger, Robert C.. Winthrop, aud
John McKeOn, all honor to him Giddings resigned
his seat returned to Ohio, and Was sent back BY a
splendid majority.
In the seventeen years that have passed since
this event TRANSFERRED the people of the North have
taught the House of Representatives some salutary
lessons concerning the discussion of Slavery within
its walls. Mr. John Minor Bolts Is older aud
wiser now than be was then. And Mr. Giddings
has sat in the Hall TILL so far from resolutions and
debate on the Slavery question being ruled out of
order, il has become almost disorderly and impOs-
able for members TO talk or act upon anything
| else 1t does move though" said Calico.
On the death Of Adams his Anti-Slavery mantle
fell upon the shoulders Of Giddings. His course
during the contest over the Compromise measures
Of 1850 and in all the phsses OF the Kansas contro-
versy from its irritation in the repeal of the Mis-
sour compact down 70 the browning infamy of the
Lec0mpton swindle, would have met the approba.