Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-01-24

this Union-rather than MS own state anu sec
ton should be dishonored by the election of
Mr.. Sherman, he would repeat the declaration
off Mr.. Pugh of Alabama-"Let dscord reign
here forever" He proceeded to give history
of the origin. progress and present aspect Of
the slavery question, which prevents the or
ganization OF the House.
Mr.. CoRwIS was called out by remark of
Mr.. Barksdale. He said he knew of 10 Re
publican who would go so tar as to say that if
slaveholding territory should be acquired by
treaty, as in the case of Louisiana, and provi-
sion be made therein that the people thus
transferred should be admitted into the Union
with all their rights of property which they
then held, he knew OF no Republican who
would say that such e treaty was not the SUI
preme law of the land, and should not be car
ned into effect.
Mr. BARKsDALE-Is there a Republican
who favors the acquisition of saveholding
territory 1 would like TO ask whether Mr..
Sherman tavors such measure.
Mr. CURTIS replied that at this time he
would be opposed to the acquisition of slave
holding territory, because we had great deal
too much of it now. The question however
might arise, whether we should acquire a por-
ton of Mexico or Cuba but the question does
not now exist, and may not for a long period
of time.
Mr.. BARKsDALE-The gentleman from Iowa
is not a fit representative of the Republican
party. (Laughter.)
Mr.. CURTIs-I beg the gentleman not to
to read me out of the Republican party.
Laughter
Mr.. BARKsDALE-Let Mr.. Lovejoy speak.
Let him be put on the stand, or Mr.. DAVIS, or
Mr.. Hutchns, or Mr.. Gooch. will take Mr..
Tappan. Let him speak for the Republican
party Some say elect Mr.. Hickman but he
can't speak for any party Laughter.
Scared and blistered as he is is, could not
strike him. The Republicans do not intend to
vote for the acquisition of any more slavehold-
ing territory They can elect you Ito Mr..
Corwin) speaker, but they refuse to do it, and
you are hostile enough to slavery in all con-
science. (Laughter.) In the course of his
remarks he said he would resist the Inaugural
ton of Republican President. The south
know what their rights are under the constitu-
ton, and are resolved, at all hazards and to
the last extremity, to defend them. In case of
a dissolution the south would have nothing to
fear, and would have the sympathy Of the
world, because they would be in the right.
Mr.. CoRwIN humorously said his object
was to move that the House proceed to a bal
lot. They had done such things before with,
he admitted, very little success. If ever the
House was organized it must be done by vot-
ing. (Laughter.) If the gentleman from
secession in the event OF the election Of a Re-
publican President, should be elected Speaker,
he (Corwin) promised to stay i'll the union.
Laughter This farce, which has been act
ing here for seven weeks, very much to the
amusement of the members themselves, and
sometimes to the disturbance of the temper Of
gentlemen, had begun to be, in the minds Of
the people, rather serious matter. Every
gentleman should therefore conscientiousIy
begin to think what ne shall do. He was re-
minded by friend the other day, that there
was something i'll the election of Speaker
more than they supposed, namely, that in a
certain event, the Speaker might become
President. He confessed he was puzzled a
little by the suggestion. 1t might be so, but
he did not think that this should be incorpo-
rated into their thoughts as one of the
contingencies. 1t was not probable that either
the President or Vice President would be
amable enough TO die, that the speaker might
succeed to his place. (Laughter) He did not
know, however, what Providence has in store
for us. He did not know why the Helper
book should be driven into their line Of
thought. 1t might be the product of the ber-
ty of the press which has been called in classic
language the palladium of our liberties. No
free government in modern times has existed
without free press. So we must be content
to take the freedom Of the press as we have it,
with all its abuses as well as the blessings
which flow from its use. He thought the ex-
element growing out, of the consequence of
that book, had been greatly over-rated. He
knew it had been, said that the book shows the
disposition of the north to interfere with the
south How Was it not written by man
who was reared in North Carolina, where he
resided till he came north? Who is to blame
if we trace back effect to cause 1t was said
Mr. Seward had made certain speeches the
effect of which was tie Helper book, and the
invasion of Virginia by twenty-three men,
headed by John Brown? But, he repeated if
North Carolina had not buoyed up this man,
Helper, we should not have the Helper book.
No northern man had written such book, and,
if he had, is it possible any institution of the
SOUTH in such an enlightened country, could
be overthrow by it? If gentlemen met here
on the fifth of December, all interested in
some joint stock company, with capital of
ten millions, and they could not proceed to
business till they had appointed chairman, did
any one think slavery would have entered in
to these deliberations at all The question
would have been whose is the dividend
Show us the books. This is our business
Now, then, let gentlemen consider how to BIZ
GIN Suppose they 90 about the business
which interests them all. Let them admins
ter the rich estate bequeathed by their fathers
He did not despair of setting such an example
of happiness as the most of the world might
enjoy The political blessings we enjoy are
not to be weighed in the balance with the
speakership. He contended that the Repub-
cans, in excluding slavery from the territories
acquired free, were doing exactly what the
men of 1884 did when they excluded it from
the north west Territories Adjourned.