Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1875-12-17
A SCRAP OF HasrORx.

RaD1zHHOn OF this House OF R9pre reD Ia
yes, until now, since the Thirty fifth
Congress, which net in 1857. James
J.. Orr. of South Carolina, was Speaker,
and James G. Allen. OF Illinois, was
Clerk. At the opening OF the Thirty
fourth, occurred the memorable con
tent for the Speakership, at the close
Of which N. P. Banks, of Massachu
setts was chosen. The House met or
Dec, 3. 1855, but it was not until Feb
2, 1856, that ,choice was affected
On that day The one hundred and thir
ty-third vote was taken. Banks haG
103, William NJ Aiken, of South Caro-
lima. had 100, and there were clever
scattering votes. The House had pr"
viously agreed to abide by the plurali
ty rule, and, amid tven eudous excite
ment, and strenuous opposition frotr
the Democratic side, Banks was for
p1ally declared to be Speaker of tie
House. He was the original candidate
of the Republicans, and had retained
their strength from the first ballot.
The Democrats had first presen ed
William A. Richardson, of Illinois. as
| their candidate, bat had divided their
vote with Lewis D. Canbell, Hum
phrey Marshall. and Others. This
struggle was watched all over the eoun-
'ry with great anxiety. It was the
first meeting, face to face, il the hall
of Congress, of two great parties measa
| uring their strength with each other.
A more memorable contest, because
the two parties felt that this was "the
beginning of the end" was that in
which John Sherman, then Repre-
sentative from Ohio, contended for
the Speakership of the Thirty sixth
Congress against Thomas 8. Bocock,
of Virginia, and several successive
Democratic nominees. This struggle
lasted almost exactly as long as that in
which Banks had been borne in by q
plurality vote. The House began bal
loting on Monday, Dec. 5, 1859. Ga
Feb, ], 1860, William Pennington, of
New Jersey, was elected Oh the forty
drawn his ame at the fortieth ballot,
aud the Democrats had latterfy voted
for John A. McClernand, of Illinois.
On the last ballot but one, Penningt ton
lacked ooe of the number necessary to
choice--117. George Btggs, of the
seventh DISTRICT of New York, elected
as a Knownothing, then cast his vote,
under a mild protest, for the Republi-
can candidate, who thus received III
votes, in a total of 233. In the wild
confusion which followed, Hlrdman,
of Arkansas, afterward a General in
the civil war, passionately declared
that the House had elected a Black
Republican with Knownothing votes.
Pennington took his seat as the repre-
sentative of the new party. He was
no; chosen for his abilities as parlia-
mentarian. He made very indiffer-
ent Speaker. From that time until
now TO Democrat has been chosen to
the Speakers chair.
Nothing can more clearly set before
our readers the rapid fight of political
events than the recoll, c.ion of these
two rem arkahie episodes in our com
paratively recent history. During the
Pennington contest, il 1890, the
Senate was discussing the John Brown
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the exciting questions which led up to
the political crisis of 1860. In that
! Senate New York was represented by
| W. 81. Seward and Preston King.
Iverson ank Toombs were there from
Georgia, Mason from Virginia, and
j jeff Davis from Mississippi. Hale,
Fcssenden, Symner, Wilson. Andrew
Johnson, Douglas, and many other
men who filed large space in the
history of their times, and are nov
dead. occupied seats in the Senate. In
the House, Charles Fraucls Adams.
| Arson Burlingame, aud Henry l..
| Dawes were among the massachusetts,
members Thadnous Stevens, Henry
Winter Davis, Roger 4. Pryor, Thom-
as Ruffin, John Covode, G. L. Vallen-
digham, Owen Lovejoy, and host of
other men, now dead or out of active
| service, were members of that fam Gus
Congress. The South Americans,
as the Southern Kpow-uothings were
calIsd, united on MoClernand, g
gentleman who did not hGve much to
lay during the hot debate which filed
mp the eight weeks of the contest. o.
Bss,lAa it was charged that he had said
IN "A speech il Maine, that be would
:'Iet the Union slide" in certain con
tingcncies. And Hinton Rowan Hip
er's book, The Impending Crisis, cu
all important figure in the discus sior
with which the House whiled away the
time between ballots for Sherma anC
Bocock. When the Republicans final
subsrituted Pennington after Sherman
withdrawal, Keitt, of South Oaroline a
sne red that they should "take down
4 man whose name had been in th'
Helper book. and put up a man in ia
vor of the Fugitive Slave law"
This reads like ancient history now
! So many of the actors III those excitin,
rcenes have passed away, SO many o
the survivors have disappear. d from
, public view. and 80 utterly have thos
issues faded, tnat it is difficult to real
ize that ali this was part Of America
, politics less than twenty years ag.J
The question of slavery has been thor
l onghly eliminated from our politics
and au exciting and swiftly-moving pc
riod of war has wrought great change
in every department of the nations
life. It is possible that we are glidin
into other transitions which will b
equally marked in their effects. Blu