New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1860-04-11
THE RECENT ROW IN THE HOUSE
OF REPRESENTATIVES,.

The tendency of events at Washington, under tue
rule of the present Administration, is to demorallze
every branch of the Government Not content
with the monopoly of power in the Executive and
Judicial departments and in the upper house Of the
Legislative the Administration, vengeful because it
has lest control of the House of Representatives,
seeks to undermine all semblance of authority in
that body by setting its rules and its officers at de-
fiance The Constitution, the organ of the party in
power, justified tie unprecedented and unbroken
series of insults offered by the Southern Democracy,
and their Northern pmps, to the Republican members
of the House during the contest for the Speakershp
Throughout that long struggle, it held Sherman and
his supporters up to Reproduction ssympathzers with
thieves, murderers traitors, and nsurrectionsts BY
incendary appeals to brutal passions, it stimulated
the armed DULLES who daily congregated in the gal
leres and Hobbies of the Representative Chamber to
take vengeance upon the Republicans on the floor.
Since the organization of the House, the same
journal has applauded Davis for iuterruptiDg Van
Wyck in the midst of q speech that he might call
him liar and scoundrel. 1t has stigmatized
Hickman as q coward because lie spurned the in
cult when called liar in debate, and because he
was overpOwered by the bludgeon of an assassin in
the grounds of the Capitol 1t has called the
Speaker Of the House ga bufroon," "an ignorant
I" imbecile," "the plant tool of an INSCRIPTIONS
" faction" and ga disgrace to the chair of repre-
" sentative body"
Thus stimulated and applauded, is it wonderful
that scenes are constantly occurring in Congress
which excite the indignation of all respectable per-
SONS in our own country, and elicit the severe
comments of the statesmen and journals Of
foreign nations And these outrages upon law
type, as the session wears away. The insulting
resolution of Missouri Clark, kept before the House
eight weeks; the proclamation of Billy Smith and
Houston, that the election Of Sherman to the chair
would be disgrace, TO which the House ought not
to submit; the mad rush of Crawford and his armed
followers upon Thaddeus Stevens, when calmly
stating simple point Of order the Round Robin
of some sixty members, who conspred to prevent
ard by force if necessary-the election of Speaker
in mode sanctioned by usage; Pryor calling Hick
man liar; Davis denouncing Van Wyck as a liar
and sccundre; with other freshly-remembered
instances of bullying and blackgusrdism, would
seem to suffice for ole session of the House Of
Representatives.
But no Doubtless the most repusiye scene in
this series of dsgraceful exhibitions was that Of
last Thursday, when Mr.. Lovejoy was addressing
the Committee of the Whole en- the question of
Slavery OF course he did not select the daihtiest
words when deEneatiDg the salient features Of this
relic of barbarism." But his language was not
sharper, his pictures more graphic his anathemas
more terrible, than those of Jefferson, Wythe,
Henry, Mcdowell, Paxton, Breckenridge, and
other Southern statesmen and diyines who spoke
and wrote on this theme, long anterior to the or.
ganization of the Republican party, or to the rise
even of modern Abolitionsm. At all events his
language was parliamentary, as is conclusiyely
proved by the fact that, though eager to silence
him, the Negrocracy did not claim that his line of
remark was out Of order. And as to the tone of
bis speech, it was calm and moderate compared
with the TRADE of personal abuse poured out upon
him and his political associates throughout the
whole Of the first two months of the session.
Yet although Mr.. Lovejoy was in order, and was
simply repelliDg a series of bitter attacks upon
him and his side of the Chamber, some half
dozen members, during the delivery of his speech
we now refer t, the period after he took his stand
in the erksdesk-kept pouring upon him steady
stream Of insults, which not only violated all parlia-
mentary rules but outraged all the canons of pro-
priety recognized among decent men. The persons
who, according to the published report, seem to
have figured most cOnspcuously In this scandalous
proceeding, we're Ohio X. Singleton of Mississippi
VITO called LOyejoy negro thief John D. Ash