Southern shield., 1860-02-04
from the Memphis Appeal. of Tuest
 THE SPEAkERSHEP.

Il # Every item relative to the election o
 Epeaker of the House of Representative
 5 now sought for with great avidity. Or
 his point we give below the specia
 Washington dispatches to the Cincinnati
 Enqa,irer and the Cincinnati Gazette, tn,
 htter Republican journal:
 How SMITH WAS DEFEATED FOR SPEAK
 ER-REPUBLICANs ALARMED.
 WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.-One of thc causes of the failure to elect Smith thi
 Evening was the time spent by severa
 xentlemen, who voted for him, in giving neir reasons, which enabled the Repub Hcans to recover from the surprise ant terror into which they were at first throwr
 by the defection from their own ranks and to bring such influence to bear upor the recreants as made five of them with draw their votes from him, reducing hin From a majority to within three votes ot
 an election.
 The Republicans who voted for hin were Morris, MiIward, Scranton, Julien and Wood, of Pennsylvania, and Nixon Eof New Jersey; Milward alone allowed his name to be recorded for Smith, but 1t is said he too would have changed fl 1t had been necessary to prevent an cleo tion. Every American voted for Smith, and every Democrat with the exception of Allen, of Ohio, Holman, of Indiana, sAdrain, Of New Jersey, and Davis, of Indiana, Anti-Leeomptonites, who refus- ed to vote for him.
 # There was tremendous effort l-ade to induce these gentlemen to lend ch6ir Support to effect a conservative organi- zation but 1t was unavailing, and the House finally adjourned over until Mon- day, to the great relief of the Republi- cans, who felt themselves on the brink of a precipice. Although Smith was not elected, the moral effect of the vote for him is so great as to make speedy Organization certain. Thus the Helper ties fell, and in order to prepare for a renewal of the struggle on Monday, Sherman immediately, on the adjourn ment, called conference of his friends to-morrow, at F o'clock, when it IS probable he will withdraw in favor of Bennington, of New Jersey.
 # The Republicans who voted for Smith declare that they had no idea that their votes would elect him, and that they were merely leading the support to Americans, as they had done before on Gilmer, in order to make record against the Dem ocrats. If this is true 1t has proved a seriouS joke for them, as it has disgraced Them and their party in the eyes of the eountry-the sequel proving that they preferred revolution to organization, peace and harmony in the Government. N CLEVELAND.
 SECOND DISPATCH.
 It is within one week of the time con- sumed in the great struggle of 1856, when you will remember that the House remained until the Sd of February, when the struggle was terminated by the plu- rality rule. The Republicans admit that the Administration will permit them to elect Pennington, of New Jersey, but insist on adhering to their candidate to the bitter end.
 1 hear that certain Administration Democrats from Pennsylvania have de- clared their willingness to remain out of the House if they adopt Pennington as their candidate, but they refuse to place Themselves under obligations to the White House, or accept any man of their own party named by James Buchanan.
 Their last effort has been to steal march on general scattering, by obtain ing pledges first of one of the Indepen- dents, and then another, that if Sherman on any ballot only lacked one Vote of an clection, the vote should not be wanting. It Is said that they obtained their pledg- l;;;t tho 9iaio''i4v iy, '' -a-- ,ae aas.ry- a Wlli n9s 99 ssssss. 1T - plan has been the inI, sssi- )ility of obtaining the two votes neces- sary to bring them within one of an cleo ion.
 Do you know that this has been the ' yreatest stratagem of this great party hiring tho seven weeks campaign to secure success? Their rage at its failure aas been poured on the devoted head of Briggs, of New York, who, voting with | ahem, they say, would have brought over 5wo more yotes-probably Clark, of New York, followed by Adrian or Riggs, of New Jersey.
 Briggs, of New York, defiant, holds ut, Notwithstanding he is reminded | syery minute in the day that he is i1l- 1ebted to the IIelperites for his se.4t in the House, and that every mail brings him bushel of letters from his constit- tents trying to force the conviction upon | him, against his will, that he is Black | 
 Tine Sergeant-at-Arms, who is pay master of the House, continues to allow lnembers to draw their salaries in Jeff | ;tnce of law. The report that he had refused to advance them any more money was thrown out to pacify mail contrac- tors, who are suffering for morey long due them by the Government, and who are submitting to the most en5rmous slaves in order to find means to continue their contracts, and begin to express opinions, loud enough to be heard by the country, and awaken inquiry, that if the members pay was stopped, they would be as anxious for organization as themselves.
 The Sergeant-at-Arns, who has been Iong enough in the office to appreciate its value, managed to secure his re-elec- tion in 1856, from a Republican, House, by advancing money to memb3s before the organization. He was theR the only Democrat who secured an office in the House, and no matter what complexion the organization may finally take now, it is said he will be safe. If these terri ble convulsions in the popular branch of Congress, incident to its organization by d majority vote which are becoming alarmingly frequent, are to be prevented in the future, it can only be done by taking ont of his hands this power, which he uses for his own sel6sA end.
 By the way, vixen Congress does go