The Evansville daily journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ia. [i.e. Ind.]) 1848-1862, 1859-01-13

"reminiscences of the old Senate
Chamber. 1l
The removal of the United States Senate
to its now Chamber, has awakened the in
teresting "reminiscences associated with the
old Chamber. \ correspondent of the New
York Tribune sketches some of the most
prominent scenes that have occurred in the
old Chamber in the following interesting
synopsis of political history:
The Senate entered its now deserted, but
then new Chamber, on the 9th of December,
1919. President Monroe congratulated
Congress on the recommencement of its du-
ties in the Capitol. Tompkins the Vice
President being absent, the Chair was filled
by the urbane John Gaillard, who officiated
as President prL. tenn. twelve successive
years, and held seat in that body longer
than any other member except Col. Benton
and William r. King. The most dis
tinguished members at that time were Har-
rison Gray Otis, Nathan Sanford, Rufus
King, Hahlen Dickersou, James Barbour,
Nathaniel Macon, William Smith, William
R. King, William Pinkney and Richard NJ
johnson. s1
Scarcely had they entered their chamber
before they commenced a discussion that
extended through two months, summoning
to the arena the highest forensic powers of
the body, and filling the whole country
with an agitation whose echoes have not
yet died away | allude to the " Missouri
question: The long and vehement debate
excited Unprecedented interest. The lebbies
and gallaries were thronged from day to day
"a not unfrequent occurrence now, but a
rare spectacle then. Mr. Macon, with more
than twenty years Congressional experience
remarking upon the circumstance, said !:
q The scene in this chamber excels any,
thing | have ever witnessed in the Senate
before"
In this first struggle between. Freedom
and Slavery, the North was beaten, and in
the Senate, by its own sons. On an
early test vote, Prescott of New Hampshire,
Palmer of Vermont, Taylor of Indiana, and
Edwards and Thomas of Illinois, went with
the South. We embrace this occasion to
rescue their names from oblivion Their
s0orks live On the night of March 2, 1890
the storm of wind and rain that beat upon
the Capitol being almost drowned by the
tumult within--the bill for the admission of
restricting clause passed both Houses The
next morning, the National Inteiligencer an
nounced the result in,,startling capitals, ''THE
QUESTION SETTLED! At the close of the
congratulatory editorial it said, "The few
days past have been a trying time in Con-
gress; l.ut the trial has passed, and we look
now only for harmony and conclliation on
both sides" The editors of that able journal
I AZ
nostication. The Goals of that controversy,
kept alive rather than extinguished. by a SUI
perficial I" compromise burst out, third of
a century thereafter, with a more glowing
flame than before .li
Until the Missouri struggle, the Senate
had never led the House in moulding public
measures. The exciting debates prelinin-.
airy to and at the declaration Of the war of
18l2-l5, it played a secondary part-the
Senate being quiet and dignifed, while the
discussions in the House were able and acri-
monious; Clay, Grundy, Calhoun, Porter,
Quincy, Randolph, Webster, being the lead
ing spirits. Indeed, when the war was
declared, the only men of mark in the Sem
ate were Varnum of Massachusetts German
of New York, Bayard of Delaware, Giles of
Virginia, Crawford Of Georgia, Smith of
Maryland, and Gaillard of South Carolina.
The lead in legislation assumed by the
Senate in 1920, was never afterwards who'll
ly relinquished. The next great question
that agitated its chamber, was the proposed
Panama Congress. The discussion on this
important and novel subject was congenial
to the commanding talents and lofty ambi-
ton of several men who had entered the Sem
ate, since the Missouri contest, among whom
Van Buren, Benton, Randolph, Holmes,
Hayne, Woodbury., Tazewell, and BARREN,
stood conspicuous. The debate, pretracted
and able, is an era in Congressional oratory.
When Jackson took the Presidential chair,
a galaxy of talent studded the Senate Cham
Der. Besides the names just mentioned
there were, on the Administration side, Ed
ward Livingston, Sanford, Dickerson, Grun-
dy, Forsyth, White and ". r. King; while
Webster, Clayton, Noble, Frelinghuysen,
Sprague and Robbins, were the chiefs Of the
Opposition. -
After a sharp skirmish over the power of
the President to remove from Office without
special cause the heads were falling by
scores into the basket), they entered upon a
contest which is still known as =" the great
debate in the Senate In January, 1890,
Mr. Foot introduced a resolution, rs harm
less as himself, about the public lands. The
" battle of the giants that followed almost
uninterruptedly for four months, will always
rescue the name of theanthor from oblivion.
This grand oratorcal contest will ever be
known, and quoted, and commented upon,
as the debate "on Foots resolution The
young academicans who in coming genera
tions, will declaim brilliant extracts from
Haynes speech, or majestic passages from
Websters, will remember that they were
delivered "on Foot's resolution The
statesmen and jurists who, in times remote,
will, quote the fiery logic Of Hayne, the
ponderous argument OF Benton, the profound
reasoning of Webster, the discriminating
projection of Livingston, to sustain favorite
theories of government, will cite them as
7 from the debate :. on Foot S resolution"
1t is unnecessary to say that the discus
sion soon dritted out of sight of the public
lands, and, like Columbus pushed boldly
out into wide sea, i'll search of new worlds
The Hotspur of the South was sustained by
Benton, Grundy, Rowan and Woodbury.
The Richmond of the North rallied around
him Holmes, Clayton, Robbins and Sprague.
Livingston pursued a middle line of argu-