Marshall County Republican. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1856-1878, 1860-02-02
FROM WASHINGTON.
Disappointing PiedJe Smoked O"f-1He 'edy Col
far got them-NOrfhiresfern Democrats IN 1tgh
Piace-Frt- Eaters Discouraged.
rsoccial corrcsDondcnce Of the Press & Tribune
WAsmINcroS, Jan. 90, 1860.

teriiy ola most damaging character to the dlsor-
ranizcrs After long and provoking wrangle on
'.pont no point of order Colfax in an innocent In
sinuating way mildly asked Barksdale whether the
common report was true that the Democrats had
entered into an agreement in writing, pedging
themselves that the plurality rule should not be
ted on till the first OF March 1861 Barksdale dodg
ed the question and launched out in an invcctive
against the everlasting Helper book. Colfix ap
neaed to tie rcntleman's we'll known candOr( = to
answer the question, yes or no. Barksdaie could
only speak for himself, that he would resist the a
,lopion of the plurality rule to the bitter end and
then he broke out on the s'lIelpcr crisis again
A third time Colfax repeated his inquiry: Are Won
ignorant of the existence of such written pledge?
Again Dlrksdalc equiv vocated and attempted to es
cane ria Helpers COmpcnd. But the cat was now
out of the bag. The refusal to answer was confes-
sion that such pledge had been made to keep the
House unorganized. II was amusing to see the
groups of fire eaters earnestly whispering and rap
idly ecsticuatng; they were discussing among
themselves i'm undertones what had better be done.
There stood Coftx with n mschevous smile on his
face, pausing for response, refusing to yield the
floor or to proceed with his speech until his queS-
ton was answered. After a painful suspense of
two or treee minutes. Burnett of Kentucky. blunt
rough and tumble, impulSvc fire. eater. said hewoud
answer the question. There was written agree
ment signed by members who pledged themselves
to resist the adoption of the plurality rule, by allie
gal and parliamentary means. For one he believed
il TO be unconstitutional, asit cmpowereda minori-
ty to elect Speaker
Gnv Pennington observed that whatever South
crn Democrats iisliked was sure to be unconstitu-
tional. fLaughtcr.l
Colfax asked whether IL two-thirls of the House
desired to vote upon tho plurality rule-for or a.
rainst-ths resistance would be persisted in!-
Burnett said the persons who signed that agreement
intended 10 stand by il regardless of numbers op-
posed to them. Colfax asked ifthey would resort
to those parliamentary tactics TO prevent the Clerk
from submitting the vote to the House7
Burnett replied that they would exhaust every
strata.em by raising points of order, calls of the
House, motions to adjourn long speeches on any
and every subject, until their term of office should
expire before they would let the House take vote
on the rule. the adoption Of which equivalent
to the election of Sherman Speaker, who refused
either to affirm or disavow the doctrines OF The
Helper book.
COlfax wanted the country TO understand that gen
tlcmen on the Democratic side. though contending
that the Helper book would ncite rapne, insurrec-
ton. and scrvile and civil war, had been embody
in its most extreme doctrines in their speeches, and
spreading them broadca=t throughout the South,
sowing the seed, if they believed their rn argu-
ments, Of servie ilsurrection and civil war. They
have circulated thousands of copies where Helper
and the New York committee could not have cir
culated ono. rn. Ioa
Ut is fact, that the Southern Democrats have
bought and ranked to their constituents, thous-
ands Of copies Of Helpers book)
Mcqueen of South Carolina--the ranlcst dis
unonist in the IIouse-sad that he was the author
of the written pledge, and had circulated it for sig
natures. He tn, brinched off on 'Potatc Clark's'
favorite ihcme--the Helper book. tpi
Colfax blandly asked now many signaturcs were
to it. and whether the list included ANYBODY from
the Northwest He merely inquired for informa-
ton.
Lamar fire cater ofaIississippi) did not remcm
Der how many names were appended to it
thought none of the Western Democrats had signed
it.
! Pendlcton and Vallandigham said they had re-
fused to sign il. They were opposed to the plural
itv rule, but whenever it could be brought egit-
mately before the House they prepared to vote
upon it Logan and McClerland sat silent. 1t is
suspected that both of them signed il, as they act
with the firc-caters on all questions and motions,
and are looked upon rs Southern and not Western
men in principle and sympathy. Cox and Howard
denied that they had signed the infamous pledge.
| NOEL OF Mo, had not signed il. Some others also
denied the soft impeachment. ~
Mr. Lamar wanted to know if Cotfax endorsed
certain sentiments in Helpers book.
Mr.. Colfax replied that he was not responsible to
| Southern Democrats on that floor for what books
he read or recommended others to read. After
/ the House a as organized he would make such ex-
PLANTATION as he saw fit His constituents alone
had n righ. to intcrrogate him on that subject and
it for them alone say whether his explanation
was satisfactory. He demanded the same rights
and independence he conceedd to others, and il
Mr.. Sherman or himself should sec fit to rise here
and make any explanation it would not be upon
compulsion and demand. but voluntary. For the
first time in the American Congress members had
been unwilling confne themselves to orderly leg
slation and to debate and vote upon proposition.
| but in the extremity of tieir opposition they had
seen fit to draw up and present awriten agreement,
in order to prevent majority of the House from
pressing themselves upon matter ofvital concern
/ to the House.
| Keitt (of s. c. reminded the House that when a
resolution was pending to expel from the House
John Quincy Adams, of Massachusetts,, which wo'd
have passed, Mr.. Adams took the floor and spoke
| for twenty one days, and declared that he would
not Yield for avote upon that resolution if he died
speaking against it, and he did prevent it. 80 81.
! Mr.. Colfax said the Old Man Eloquent was vim
dicating the constitutional rights Of his constitu-
ents on this floor. That an attempt was made by
! the South to cxpe him because he had offered pc
titon praying for the dissolution of the Union.-
But men had wonderfully changed since then. The
same South would now try to expei member who
should offer petition dyainst issoluton of the
Union. Laughfer.] - htna' .taA sweees clN
| Mr.. Cox, of Ohio, asked why the Republicans
could not select some other member of their party
They could elect either Mr.. Coiwin Of Chic, Mr..
Pennington, OF New Jersey .or Mr.. Morris, of Penn
sylvania, by n majority vote. fnsii .aivInua
| i Colfax asked which of those respectable conscr-
vatve gentlemen, he orany ofhis side of the House,
would vote for7 ~'
Cox-Ncnc ofhis side would vote for any of
them! f.F sflfHtsa rs ogsavaal s-roff
Colfax wouM then respectfully submit to his col
league, as an endorscr of the Kansas Nebraska
bill, that he ought to leave them to settle their own
domestic affairs in their own way. Laughter. r.
He said they supported Sherman because he receives
the largest number of votes they could probably
conccntrate on any man. He could be elected on
any ballot if all those who this hall
to Republican votes would support him. as thercon-
stituents undoubtedly desired them to do, Adrian,
Briggs, Riggs, Davis and Clark remained silent,
but looked guilty.. As to the constitutiOnality OF
the plurality rule il was notorious fact that every
member on this floor (with half dozen cxccptions)
was elected himself under the plurality rule, and it
was farfetched argument on the part of those who
drew their salaries from the federal treasury, and
held their seats Under plurality elections, to con-
tend that the same rule was unconstitutional He
did rot regard the objection as amounting to the
dignity of legal quibbIe, and every lawyer in the
United States woald regard it not worthy ofres-
pectabie contempt. There was the precedent of
the election oftwo Spcakcrs--Banhs and Cobb
and the motion to elect in each case was put and
sustained by the Democrats. These technical
gentlemen would dc well to consult those Demo-
cratic precedcnts in order to find relief from this
dead lock, unless they openly confessed their pur
rf,so IN, N orxroo fbov