Worcester daily spy., 1861-12-24

SECESSION IN 1637.-The venerable ex gov
ernor Thomas of Maryland, gives, through
the Baltimore Clipper, the following account
OF secession movement in 1887, by southern
members of congress, but which was thwarted
for the time by conceding their demands -
In February, 1887, the day next succeeding
that Oh which the votes for president and vice
president had been counted, as | entered the
hall OF the house Of representatives, | met
Gen. Mccoy, of North Carolina, who said to
me 60 Why are you not in the room Of the
committee Of claims 2" l inquired for what
purpose ought to be there? Gen Mccoy
said :-"TheFe is meeting of all the members
of the house from the slayeholding states"
Without knowing by whom, OR for what pur.
pose the meeting had been called, proposed
TO 20 and hear what was TO be done. When
we entered the room together, we found from
sixty TO seventy memhsrs .p-as-.,,f- G->---I
Chambers, OF Kentucky, being in the chair,
and MIR. Harrison, OF Missouri, acting as
secretary. Governor Pciens was speaking,
and was urging the adoption of resolu-
ton which had been submitted Soon af
ter he closed bis remarks, l made inquiry of
the chair as to the object Of the meeting, when
the resolution was read. | could now repeat,
word for word, the whole resolution, but re.
member very distinctly It's import. The reso-
luton, in substance, declared that no gentle
man, who represented in congress slavehold
ing constituents, ought again to take his seat
IN the house OF representatives until resoiu
tions, satisfactory TO the south on the subject
Of slavery, had been adopted. The instant
this resolution was read influenced by incl
dents that had prior to this come under my
observation, l saw, or at least thought saw,
one OF the objects OF the meeting, and asked
permission to take part in the proceedings,
which vs. granted.
To unnlass tire objects OF the meeting, in
quired whether, If the house di1 not crafty
oGr demands any one presss.I WAS prepared to
say what step Ras next TO be taken Were
We southern representative to retire from
congress and notlfg ogr constituents that the
government VAS a failure, and that a southern
convention ought 70 be called to form a new
constitutions Having asked these questions,
paused for replies, and as no one undertook
TO point out the path which we were to pur-
sue, beyond the adoption of the resolution be.
fore the meeting, protested against its adop-
tlon, with great earDestness, as a measure
leading, necessarily, 10 secession of the whole
southern representation-rem minded the meet
ing that we were seventy in number-if we de-
serted our seats in the house the remaining
members might not satisfy our demands on the
subject OF slavery, and we could not then,
without dishonor, return | spoke against
the authority of members Of congress to initi-
ate measures Of such revolutionary character
announced my determination to resume my
seat in the house and hold it to the end of my
term of service, and to leave to the people of
the United States themselves TO decide when
measures ought TO be adopted with view to
form
As no gentleman undertook either to answer
my interrogatories or reply TO my remon-
strance against the proposed proceeding, l
moved an adjournment, sine die, which mo-
ton was seconded by Mr.. Craig of Virginia
and the meeting was dissolved.
After adjourning the members of the meet
ing resumed their seats in the house. where
resolutions on the slavery question, which had
been prepared by Mr.. w. B. Shepherd OF
North Carolina, and Mr.. j. r. Ingersol of
Philadelphia, were offered, and were voted for
by every member of the house excepting
three or four of those who were then known as
nullifers.