The Jeffersonian. [volume] (Stroudsburg, Pa.) 1853-1911, 1859-03-03
Washington, Feb. 81, 1859.

Washington, Feb. 81, 1859.
Great changes will take place in tt
next House of Representises. Som
members OF the present Congress will re
), tire wholly from public life at the clos
5 OF this session. Others may re-appea
upon the scene. A few who led in th
memorable conflicts of the last sessio
have been called to other tbeaters of ac
ton. while two or three have gone to tbei
fnal repose. OF these a few had bee
long in Congress. and here and there on
has played conspicuous part in the af
fairs. We may instance Giddings, Ste
phens, Quitman, Campbell, Orr, Cling
man, Harris, and Letcher.
AT the head of the list stands the ven
cradle member from Ohio. Mr.. Gliding,
is historic character. He has sat TWEEN
ty years in the House; he is the connec
ting link between the large body of able
and faithful representatives who now bear
up the Republican standard, and the
su all band who aroused and maiDtaine d
the same principles when he entered the
hall.
The leading members at that time were
Clifford and Evans of Maine, Adams,
Gushing aud Lawrence of Massachusetts,,
Truman Smith of Connecticut, Bernard,
Fillmore, Granger and Grinnell of New.
York, Sergeant of Pennsy ylvsnia, Bolts,
Dromgoole, Goggin, Hopkins, Hunter,
and Wise of Virginia, Stauly of North
Carolina, Piekens, Rhett. and Waddy
Thompson OF South Caroline, King of Geor
gia, Bell, aud 4. Y. Brown of Tenues-
see, Lewis of Alabama, A. g Brown, and
ThomP'Ou of Mississippi, and Tom. Cor.
win of Ohio. OF these only Mr. Hopkins
is in the present House, aud be has been
a member but portion of the interven-
ing time. Messrs. Hunter, Bell, aud A
g. Brown are in the Senate. Mr.. Cliff
ford is on the Supreme Bench; Messrs. A.
V. Brown, and acob Thompson are 10
the Cabinet. OF the then bers of
the Senate, Mr.. Cri,tenden only is now
in that body. Mr.. Buchanan was then
also Senator.
Thus our friend has outived nearly
whole generation of public men. 1t would
be lesson for those who DOW "fret their
brief hour" in the marble pile on the hill
yonGer to run their eyes over the journals
of the two Houses and scaG the lists of
members fer the last twenty years, and
see bow large proportion have utterly
perished from buDan recollection, leaving
not the slightest trace of their greatness
or their littleness behind.
ODe OF Mr.. Gidding's first acts in Con-
cress was to vote, with all the Wings, for
Robert NJ. I. Hunter for Speaker Bolts,
Goggin and Wise voting with Giddings
for Hunter! GoggiDg DOW runs for Gov
ernOr of Virginia. Hunter and Wise op-
pose him. and so would Giddings if be
could. Bolts supports bin. And yet
Giddings and Bolts dwell in the same po-
litical hemisphere, while Hunter and Cid
dings are wide as the poles asunder-
The complications which the negro has
Infused into American politics are sore
macy than the widest measures of
Strauss. |
Mr. Giddings entered Congress in the
midst of the contest about the Right of
Petition. IL followed the lead of Adams
in his championship of this right He
shared with him in the perils of the fight,
and the glories of the triumph. He bore
a distinguished part in the subsequent
conflicts over the Annexation of Texas,
;hc Oregon Joint Occupation, and the
Wilmot Proviso.
The country recollects the agitation
which sprung from the acknowledgements
of the negroes Of the brig Creole, by the
British authorities in Bermuda, when
driven into one of its ports By stress of
weather, while voyagiug from Virginia te
New Orleans, with cargo of slaves. In
March, le42, Mr.. GiddiDgs offered, 10 the
House. nine resolutions toucning this case.
and sfirming that all attempts to regain
possession of, or TO reenslave these me-
eroes, were unauthorized by the Consti-
tuition and laws OF tie United States, and
compatible with our national honor
On reading the resolutions, a wild storm
broke out, raging nearly all day. iu the
midst of which he withdrew the obnoxious
paper. Mr.. Bolts drafted, and endeav-
ored to offer resolution with a wordy
preamble) declaring that "this House hold
the conduct of the said member TGid- Z
1ings1 uuwarranted and unwarrantable,
and deserving the severe condemn alton
of the people of this country, and of this {
BODY 10 particular" The State of Vir-
,iDia having been passed u the call for
resolutions, Mr.. Bolts could not offer it, $
md be handed it TO John B. Weller of
Ohio for that purpose. The tempest,
which had Iulled on the withdrawal of
he paper, now burst forth afresh on this
-esolutiou of ceusure. 1t raved with un-
governable fury for two days. Though
he previous question was peDding, the :
Speaker, Mr. White of Kentucky, lib.
sral-winded man, ruled that Giddings
could be heard in bis defense as matter
IF privilege" The House, insane with
passion. overruled the Speaker. Giddings
tood dumb before his accusers. After a I