The weekly Mississippian. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1859-1864, 1860-02-22
The Infamous Combination at the Fed
eral Capital.

eral Capital.
The record throughout, in the election o
Speaker and other officers Of the House shows
if not conspiracy, a combination in part o
the South Americans and Black Republicans
aided by the outsiders calling themselves An
ti-Lecompton Democrats, to break down thu
Democratic party regardless of the best inter
ests of the country.
The affiliations and sympathies Of the South
| Americans were more with the Black Repub
licans than with the Democrats, and they
determined from the beginning. if either par
ty was defeated in the organization of the
House, it should be the Democrats.
First, Thirteen Of the Black Republicans,
Thad. Stevens at their head, bid for the South
Americans by voting for Gilmer, knowing
that he was so pear in his sympathies with
them, and both his record and political status
so odious to the South, that the Democrats
could never vote for him. and if they had,
most of the Black Republicans intended to
withdraw their votes from him, the under
standing being that he was not to be elected.
This was their first combination, which was
afterwards repeated by the thirteen Black Re-
publicans voting second time for Gilmer to
hold the Black Republicans in sympathy with
them.
econd, The Republicans bid for the South
Americans, by five Of them voting for Smith,
of North Carolina, with the understanding
that he was not to be elected, and that the
Democrats would be put in the position of re-
fasing to vote for Southern Old Line Wing,
diselaiming Knownothingism, to defeat Black
Republican.
This was their second combination. But
the Democrats going over to the support Of
of these Black Republican trieksters (and the
other was ready to do so if necessary with
drew their votes from him and defeated his
election.
In the mean time, while these combinations
were going on, Briggs, the only American
from the North, makes speech bidding for
Black Republican sympathy, by announcing
that he would vote for Corwin or Pennington,
Black Republicans; and Hickman, Haskins,
and Schwartz, outsiders calling themselves
Anti Lecompton Democrats, but really Black
went boldly over to the Black
Republican ranks. And Reynolds, one of
heir number, absents himself without pair
or the benefit of the Republicans, with the
he is to vote with them when |
ais vote is necessary to their success-Adrian, |
mother outsider Anti-Lecomptonite, being al
Ways ready to go. Etheridge, an American
rom Tennessee, bids for Clarke, of New York,
mother outsider calling himself an Anti-Le-
COMPTON Democrat, by making fiattering
peech, and nominating Clark for Speaker of
he House to hold him to American sympa-
hies and afiliation. In few days Clarke
esponds and agrees to go with the Americans
Or Etheridge as Speaker!
4 snort -.ssl Ks iisflss
speech, and at the close of it eu-
'gizes Clarke, and says, suppose we elect him
peaker This was to Undue him with Re-
ublican sympathieS, not expecting to get his
ote for Speaker, Briggs and Winter Dayis
eing sufficient for that, but for Forney for
lerk
So went on the sanpathies, and then fol-
,wed, as natural consequence, the atfilia-
OaS.
At no time could one half of the Americans
E brought to the support of Democrat for
peaker, though several shades of what they
all conservatism were presented to them in
he candidates. Even after the Democrats
ad voted for Smith, of their side, in the last
esort to prevent the election Of Black Re-
ublican, more than one half the Americans,
to their lasting disgrace be it proclaimed) re-
lsed to vote for Democrat, who they admit
ID themselves had nobly voted with them
,r Smith. And why? Because they knew
nat two Of their own number were to blng
bout the election of a Black Republican
peaker.
In the last act of the drama for the election
I Speaker in the first scene, Winter Davis,
oted with the Black Republicans. In the
losing scene, when it was tie, Briggs, N.
I. American, changed and gave the casting
ote with the Black Republicans, when the
ark curtain fell and the House Of Represen-
atiyes was stranded in the black pail of Re-
Itoo A4aericans accomplished
he result In the election of Clerk, Clark of
Sew York, voted with the Black Republicans
Or Forney, and he was elected by one vote,
which included in this case all the Americans.
In the election of Seargant-at-Arms, six
Americans yo.ei with the Black Republicans
Cor Hoffman-Adams and Anderson, of KY,
Briggs Winter Davis, Etheridge and Gilmer.
Such have been the combinations of these
parties, and such their affiliations and sympa-
thies, inthe black republican organization Of the
House-the Americans never once reciprocal
ing for any Office the vote of the Democrats
for Smith, but uniting in all combinations to
break down the Democratic party, though the
result was to place the control of the pop
ular branch of the National Legislature inthe
hands of The sworn and perjured enemies Of
the South. Let the facts 60 to the people, |
and let patriotic men of all parties condemn
the traitors to the infamy which they have SO
richly meritea.