East Saginaw courier., 1865-08-30

eccentric and indomitable genius for
politics, was Emerson Ethridgo the
clearest heads for politiacal economy,
metaphysical refinement and historic
research were WIN. NJ. Boyce and j.
N. Nilsson.
If we go TO the Republican side of
the House, we find Corwin Of Ohio,
incompatible for his fun, his pathos
and his soul stirring eloquepce CT.
Adams, with no readiness as a speak
er, but profound thinker; Eli Thay-
er, as pract cable as steam engine,
but with oil his vast motive power oc-
casionally getting out Of order; Nor
rill, of Vermont, whose skill in tariff
calculations never failed during tho
lin, with rare gifts Of ready dGffnf aid fGh pafo
elocution; John Hickman of Ponnsyl-
vania, straightforward and dashing,
with a scholars taste hidden under
.oga; Thaddeus Stevens the Meter
Mich of Republicanism; Galusha A.
Grow, quick in the manual and saney
in bravago towards his opponents -
Stanton, Sherman and Bingham, from
Ohio, all men Of experience in legisln-
tion and leaders Of the then rising
party Colfax, Of Indiana, who like
Grow, rose to prominence by his
championing with much hueucy and
energy the pietistic humanitarianism
of his party; Lovejoy, Of Illinois,
who cultivated dn ignorance Of parli-
n entary law in order to say the most
indrcorus things, and whose ragged
vehemence, if not oratory, was taken
for it by those who looked more TO
the manner than the substance
These, with the afiiable speaker, Pen
dleton, made up the phalanx upon
which the Southern cohort hurled IL
self in debate. t
As / recall the sceno which took
place at my desk between Keitt and
Grow during the preceding Congress
after the hour of midnight, when tho
passions of the time were incarnate i'll
that Congress, and at that hour; as I
repicture the fierce clutch and the
elaring eye, and the struggle between
these heavy champions, there came
trooping down the aisles Of memory.
as there came trooping down the az
tual aisles of the House, the beliger-
ent members, with Washburne of Ilh-
nois, and Potter, Of Wisconsin leading
the one extreme, and Barsdale and
Lamar leading the other; then comes
the melee the struggle, the pale face
of the Speaker calling TO order, the
Seargeant-at-Arms rushing into the
area before the Clerks desk, the mace
as his sombol of authority, with its sill
yer eagle moving up and down on the
wave of passion and conflict; then tho
dead hush of the hot heart, and tho
glare of defiance across the hall ! As
this scene is rcvivifed, looking at il
through the red storm Of war; ] cannot
but think that then and there was ep-
itomized all that has made that war
bloody and desperate. Then, too, RI
ses up the forms of those who wero
accounted moderate and middle men,
like Davis and Holman Of Indiana.
McClerman and Logan of Illinois,
Mallory and Stevenson of Kentucky,
Pendleton and Vallandigham of Ohio,
Florence and Montgomery of Pennsyl-
vania, Sickles and Cochrane of Now
York, who steod like Douglass, Bigler.
Latham, Pugh, Johnson, and Critten-
den, in the Senate, as the breakwater
against the contending tides.
From these disjecta mes.6ra of this
remarkable Congress, the reader may
gather some idea Of the fcrce and en-
ergy, tact and cloquence, passion and
predjudice which composed it. re
Some of the great que stions which
arose were foreshadowed in the Pres
ident's Message; for instance, the
power to coerce q State. But there
were other questions, concerning tho
acquisition of territory, and tho gov
ernment Of Territories; the etfee. Of
the decisions of the Supreme Court;
various amendments to the Constitu-
ton SO as to prohibit Congress and
the people from impairing the right
of property in slaves, etc; the Fugitive
slave law fugitives from justice tho
right Of transit in free States with per-
sons with slavos, the nullifying acts Of
State Legislatures the abolition Of
slavery and the internal slave trade;
changes by Constitutional amend
ments in the Executive Office and veto
power; the restoration of tho equilib-
rum between the Slave and the FREQ
States; voluntary division of slave
States into two or more States; giving
the slave States a vote on all ques-
tons concerning slavery; making tho
amendments proposed unanlendable;
granting to the States power to al-
point the Federal officers in their
midst; the peaceable withdrawal ss
States and the apport:onmcnt of tho
public debt; dual Senate and dual Ex-
ecutive; the organization at once Of
tho remaining Territories; the for
eign slave trade; the acquisition Of
foreign territory by vote Of two
thirds; questions as TO ordinances os
secession and their effect preventing
Africans from becoming citizens; a
constitutional convention; these and
many other questions we've lebated and
aud referred TO the Committee Of Thir-
ten in the Senate aud Thirty-three in
the House. ~
They were the result Of anxious cog :
itation on the problem which threat
ened to dispart the country. They re-
main upon the records TO illustrate
the variety and magnitude Of the in
terests springing out of the institution
Of slavery and the duplex character of
our State aud Federal Governments.
They were for the last time, thrust
into tho legislative tribunal for trau-.
quill solution before tho conflict in tho
forum Of reason should be replaced by
- the init s,ine shock III