Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1860-01-18
Congress.

RES. Messrs. Pugh, Green, Douglas, Davis and
others participated. ..--.
Mr.. Douglas reiterated his opinions as heretofore
announced. 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 after his removal from the
y Craftsmanship of the Committee on Territories
With reference to the Presidency he said:
81 have but 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 De nocrat. Well,
sir. do not know that my Democracy would have
suffered much if he never had. | am wiling to
compare records with him Democrat l never
make speeches proclaiming to the world that will
bolt 4 convention if cannot get my man nominated
and threatening to break up the Democratic party
if 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 pronunciamento 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 convcn-
ton, abiding the result if you win, and boiling if
you lose. l never thought that was deemed fair
dealing in any profession. If you took the winnings
when you gained / always thought you had to pay
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 nomination. | am willing to
take one provided can assume it on principles that
| believe to be sound but in the event Of your
making platform that could not conscentIously
execute in good faith if | were elected | will not
stand upon it and be candidate. Why? | will
never be guilty of the act of being elected on
pla form and kicking it over the moment elect
cd can vote for one man as a choice of evils be-
tween two, although do not agree with him in all
things. When there are two presented TO me,
with one of whom | agree in all things, except on
point and differ from the other totally, can vote
for the with whom | most nearly agree. | can
vote for nominee OH Il platform upon which L
would not stand candidate myself; for after
having elected him, far as we differed, | would
continue TO differ from him as President and so far
as we agreed, would sustain him as President
When threats arc made of not extending the hand
Of Democratic fellowship, | should like to under
stand who it that has the right to say who is in
| the party and who not | believe that more than
two thirds of the Democracy of the United States
with on this disputed point. James Buchanan
rcc,ived about eighteen hundred thousand votes at
the last clectiOn--twelve hundred thousand of them
in the free States, and something over six hundred
thousand believe, in the Slaycholding States; and
| you have heard it said by the Senator from Ohio,
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 empbatcally
said:
! At Frecport, in reply to a question, did say
that slavery might DC excluded from Territory by
non-aclion and also by unfricndy legislation.
al, 81, Il
! 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. Ifgcntemen desire to make an issue
on this point, | will show the fact from the record.
| Senator Cngman, who had been confined to his
room for days by ndisposition was well enough
Saturday TO leave his lodgings, and was expected
to speak at length in the course of day two,
! the slavery question.
The House was 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-
tontes with reference to some plan for organizing
the House. The following resolution, it appears,
was agreed upon a substitute for Mr. Clark's and
! Mr.. Gimcl'S resolutions:
"WmEREAs, 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 discountenanced by all parties: therefore,
RCs0ired, That no man who has recommended,
still insists upon, and does not now dlSCaim the doc
trncs contained in the extracts from the work called
1.-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
tion is fit to be Speaker of this House"
Mr. Winslow, in sending this resolution to the
Clerks table, said: IL desire that this resolution
may be read; and must confess that it meets my
appreciation, with The exception of perhaps single
word" Much discussion but no action was had
The Senate was not in session on Friday.
In the House quite an animated debate took place
between Mr.. Smith, Dem. of Virginia and Mr.. Bing-
ham, black Republican, of Ohio. Mr. Smith rcmcm-
bered that
There were two propositions in the resolution of
Mr.. Clark, of Missouri. The first that the doctrines
of the Helper book are nsurrectonary 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 denounccs the Helper book, without
any limitation qualification, an incendary pub
lication In so doing he denounccs the last will and
testament of Washington, which is contained in that
book. The resolution denounces the unanimous de-
carations of the Virginia convention in 1774 1t de-
nounces the truthful words of the distinguished
governor of Virginia. (McDowell) viz: "You may
yoke your slave to labor as OK; you may compel
him to live to work and work to live and yet the