Weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1858-1865, 1860-01-18
Congress-.

ries Messrs. Pugh, Green, Douglas, Davis, and
others participated.
Mr.. Douglas reiterated his opinions as heretofore
He said he had always held them;
that they were announced when the Kansas-Nebras
ka bill was under discussion, and that he had held
them as well before as after his removal from the
Craftsmanship of the Committee on Territories
With reference to the Presidency he said:
III have but a word more to say now, and that is /
on another point. The Senator from Alabama tells
me that if he did not suppose that had changed
my opinions he would never have extended to me
the right hard of fellowship as Democrat Well,
Sir, do not know that my Democracy would have
suffered much if he never had. l am willing to
compare records with him Democrat l never
make speeches proclaming to the world that will
bolt convention if | cannot get my man nominated
and threatening to break up the Democratic party
II the little faction to which the speaker belongs
cannot control it; and then talk about the right
hand of Democratic fellowship! Sir, that Senator
has placed himself beyond the pale of Democratic
fellowship by the pronuncamento that he will not
abide the decision of the national convention, if the
speeches which see attributed to him in the news
papers are true. do not understand this thing of
belonging to an organization, going into conven-
ton, abiding the result if you win and boiling if
you lose. l never thought that was deemed fair
III Profession. ii you look the winnings
when you gained l always thought you had to pay
your bets when yon lose. A man who tells me and
the world that he only goes into conventions to
abide the result in the event of their deciding his
favor has right to talk about extending the hand
of Democratic fellowship.
| am not seeking a nomination. am willing to
take provided can assume it on principles that
| believe to be sound but in the event Of your
making platform that | could not conscentiously
nva utn in rood faith I I or
stand upon it and be a candidate. Why? l will
never be guilty of the act of being elected on
platform and kicking it over the moment am elect
Ell. can vote for one man choice OF evils be-
tween two, although do not agree with him in all
things. When there two presented to me,
with one of whom ! agree in all things, except on
one point, and differ from the other totally lean vote
for the with whom most nearly agree. | can
vote for nominee on platform upon which l
would not stand as candidate myself; for after
having elected him, far we differed, | would
continue to differ from him as President and far
as we agreed would sustain him as President.
When threats are made of not extending the hand
Of Democratic fellowship, l should like to under
stand who it is that has the right to say who is in
the party and who not. l believe that more than
two thirds of the Democracy of the United States
with me on this disputed point. James Buchanan
received about eighteen hundred thousand votes at
the last cection-twclye hundred thousand of them
i'll the free States, and something six hundred
thousand, believe, in the slaycholding States; and
you have heard it said by the Senator from Ohio,
and believe it, that nncty-nine out of every hun
dred Democrats in the northern States agree with
him and me on this question. Then one third of the
Democratic party is going to read out the remaining
two thirds. Your candidate will have good chance
of election if you shall have done it will he not.'
In the course of the debate he also empbatlcally
said:
At Frceport, in reply to a question: l did say
that slavery might be excluded from Territory by
non-action, and also by unfriend.y legislation.
had made the same remark in the Senate over and
over again. in 1850 and during every session of
Congress from that time to the period when | was
removed from the craftsmanship of the Committee
on Territories. Every member of the Senate during
that whole period knew that held those sentiments
had been eleven times appointed chairman of the
Committee on Territories by the unanimous vote of
this body, after | had repeated those remarks over
and over again. gentlemen desire to make an issue
this point, will show the fact from the record"
Senator Clingnan who had been confined to his
room for some days by ndSpostion, was we'll enough
Saturday to leave his lodgings, and was expected
to speak at length in the course of day two, on
the slavery question
The House engaged for the most part on
Thursday in discussing the results of conference
which had been held by representatives of the DEM
ocratic party the Americans and the anti-Lecomp-
the House The following resolution, it appears,
was agreed upon substitute for Mr. Clark's and
Mr.. Gil!ncrs resolutions:
"WuEREAs, the agitation of the slavery question
is productive Of no good but solely Of evil to the
whole country and its further discussion ought to
be discounenanccd by all parties: therefore,
Lryofrcd, That no man who has recommended,
still insists upon and does not now dSclaim the doc
trnes contained in the extracts from the work called
The Impending Crisis of the South by one Hell
per, as read from the Clerks desk, and who is not
opposed to the further agitation of the slavery ques
ton, is fit to be Speaker of this House"
Mr. WinsIow, in sending this resolution to the
Clerks table, said: 81 desire that this resolution
may be read; and must confess that it now meets my
appreciation, with The exception of perhaps single
word" Much discussion hut no action was had
The Senate not in session OH Friday.
In the House quite an animated debate took place
between Mr.. Smith, Dem. of Virginia. and Mr.. Bng-
ham, black Republican, of Ohio. Mr. Smith remem-
bered that
"There were two propositions in the resolution o.
Mr. Clark, of Missouri. The first that the doctrines
of the Helper book are insurrectionary and hostile
to the peace of the country Was not this true to the
very letter? He would put this question to every
reasonable man. The other proposition was, that
no member of this House who endorsed or recon-
mended the sentiments and doctrines therein con.
tanned is fit to be Speaker of the House. Was not
this also true to the letter? lie wanted an answer
| to this.
Mr.. Bingham wished only to say to the gentleman,
to the House, and to the country that the gentleman
from Virginia denounces the Helper book, without
any limitation qualification, as an ncendiary pub
lcation. In doing he denounces the last will and
testament of Washington, which is contained in that
book The resolution denounces the unanimous de-
claratons of the Virginia convention in l774; 1t de-
nounces the truthful words of the distinguished
governor of Virginia, (AIcDowell) viz: "You may
yoke your slave to labor as an OK; you may compel
| him to live to work and work to live, and yet the
| ifos ho frna will al,da with him,