Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1859-12-17
The Speaksrship-The Democracy.

Tho Speak6rship-The democracy.
It may not DO too late vet for the Democratic
members of the House of Representatives to pre-.
vent the election ofa Black Republican Speaker,
BY adopting the course indicated In the following
article from the Richmond Neses,
"If the Democracy in Congress-by that dosig
nation We mean the Southern mAjority-for. in
their sense Of the tsrm We discover no Northern
Denocracy-a tho Democracy in Congress had
desired to promptly organize the House, and pre-
sent unbroken front to the North upon tho
slavery question: the mode OF doing so was simple,
honorable, expedient, apparent. and would have
given better guarantee Of the wish, periodically,
to defeat the Black Republicans. and unto tho
South upon the position Of "non-iaterrention NTH
slapery." Its trasit would have savored of mag
nanimity; it woald have had the merit Of that high
and noble quality, and would have served to
vince their opponents ct home, and their enemies
al the North Of their stern sincerity and unse6sh
devotion to their purpose.
This simple thing waa gracefully to have ten
dered the Speakership to one Of the Southern OPP.
position. and united in placing him in tho Chair
Such an act, would have given earnest OF their
patriotism, and would have bcen n moral triumph
which could not fail to enurs to their future
good.
The strong can afford to DO liberal without liz
bilty to invidious comment. The stronger can,
by yielding to the weaker, gain moral position,
without hazard Of disparaging impu.ation.
Such an act would have done more to move the
hearts Of the Southern Opposition which is chiefly
unrepresented in Congress, than all tho previous
acts Of the Democracy. We should havesaid these
men are in earnest. They have risen above party.
They believe great interests are at stake. They
rise superior to more partisan considerations
They confde in their brethren Of the South, who,
upon general politics. do not concur with them,
but who, ON the social question involved in this
election have one hope and common fate. There
would have been something elevated in this pos
ture Of the Southern Democracy. 1t would have
covered them with graulatons and. as mere
party move. viewed in no better light. it would
have been better than Nspoleonic strategy.
On the other hand. the Opposition, small in
number, could not for tho very opposite reasons.
come to the support Of Democracy. Besides all
the other points Of difference. their popularity as
to numbers and position forbade it-by all that
would have 1t generous and lofty and free from i'm
putation or suspicion in the Democracy to go to
the opposite; by all that would have seemed timo-
rous and timeserving and feeble for the opposi
ton to have gone to the Democracy, they could
not Democracy hazarded nothing in the union
with the Opposition on the Spcakership; but the
Opposition hazarded everything with but little
chance Of credit 20 themselves with the GER
tainty OF being snubbcd as weak and yielding, in
going over to the Democracy. They ran the haz-
ard Of being absorbed without the remotest chance
of gaining credit for their true motive in the act
In an ethical point of sisw. it is no moro the du
ty Of minority to 81 to . majority than contrary
wise. If, now, the Democracy had chosen thu,
to act, their course would have illustrated the mo
tives by which they are actuatsd. and the countr,
would have applauded Them