Wichita eagle., 1888-11-15
THE LONG CONGRESS.
SKETCH OF THE LONGEST PRE-
WOuS SESSION, 1849-5o.


Was Debated-Clay. Webster. Calhoun.
The longest session Of congress ever held
under the constitution has just closed, senate
and house having slowly dwindled for weeks,
until there were barely members enough
present to go through the formal motions.
The session held some two weeks longer than
the ever memorable session OF lSl9-oO, the
longest previously held; but In brllliancy OF
talent, In popular interest and in the i'm
portance Of the subjects discussed there is no
comparison The congress OF 1880 was
the most important in American history, not
yielding place to any during the war; and
for the number of talented men who took
part in its discussions there Is probably none
other to equal it
In that congress the venerable and silver
tongued Clay, the massive Webster, the sehol-
arly Calhoun and the rugged Benton had
their last mutual struggle, the last OF earth
for the first three In the house there was
galaxy of greatness, almost every name OF
which has since become famous Nearly all
the old and worn political issues were laid
aside by that congress; nearly all the new
questions, to be fought over for the next
twenty years, were started there; the terri
torial system received its final shape, Cali
fornia became state, the Texas boundary
question was settled, the fugitive slave law
passed, and after long and heated debate the
slavery question was settled by compromise
which both the great parties indorsed, and
which, it was fondly hoped, would endure Tor
a century. The Union was nearer to dlsso-
luton then than it ever again was before the
war began. President Taylor died IN the
hottest stage Of the controversy, and Vlce
President Fillmore succeeded.
1t appears in the retrospect as II every
possible event to excite or embarrass the
government and the people was crowded into
the time of that one session Kossuth fired
the American people to frenzied sympathy
with the Hungarians Lopez invaded Cuba,
was driven away, and returned in 1851 with
band Of American fillibusters. They were
captured and condemned-those who were
not shot-to life Of labor in the mines; and
this led to peculiar complications, till Queen
Isabella pardoned all the survivors. There
were constant rumors Of other expeditions
against Cuba, Mexico and South America.
A convention Of ''fire eaters" met at Nash
vile and discussed dissolution Of the Union.
Atlantic states withdrawing from the Unioh,
combining with the countries south Of them,
and thus forming "golden circle" around
the Gull of Mexico And while congress de-
bated what to do with California rush of
gold seekers took the matter out of their
hands. The region jumped at once from a
conquered province to state, with no terri
torial childhood, and Senators w. NJ. Gwinn
III, ~ tIo,,. .aa, .,o1e
but a few days before the close Of session
which had opened ten months before with al
inquiry as to whether California had gov
ernInent.
The first session of the Thirty first congrers
began Dec. 3, l649, and ended Sept. 80, 1856,
and, except in the few closing weeks, was
one continuous and angry storm Of debate.
The Twenty-ninth and Thirtieth congresses
had been stormy enough; for the first dealt
with the Mexican war, and the second with
the close of it and resulting complications.
President and senate were Democratic, but
tho house, elected in 1916, was Wing, and
chose Robert C. Winthrop speaker over
Linn Boyd, of Kentucky. Owing to the d
vision between the houses, the whole terri
torial question was passed over TO the Thirty
first congress, and the whole Of 1S49 previous
to its assembling was distracted with news
paper articles and popular discussions on the
Wilmot proviso, the old Missouri compro-
mise line and kindred matters.
In this temper the Thirty-frst congress
met, and was at once preciDitated into an
angry contest over the speakeTship. The par-
ties stood: Democrats, LIZ; Wings, 105; Free
Soilers, Is. For three weeks the members
balloted once dag or oftener, and devoted
the rest Of the time to furioUsly sectional
speeches. The Wings supported the last
speaker, Mr.. Winthrop; the Democrats,
Howell Cobb, of Georgia; but neither had a
majority On the 22d of December the MEN,
bers decided to allow plurality to elect, and
Ir. Cobb was at once chosen. On the 9th
President Taylor's message was received, and
ustonishcd the nation. 1t not only evinced
far higher talent than the country had given
him credit for, and familiar knowledge Of
the disputed questions not exceeded by that
of any congressman, but was very short and
plain, containing affecting appeals for tho
Union, and on the slavery question went
almost far enough to satisfy the Free Sellers
1t was plain that ho would favor the early
admission of California as free state
A months debate followed, with many
propositions Of q novel nature-one by Sena-
tor Henry Foote, of Mississippi, to form the
state Of Jacinto out OF part of Texas. Jan
%, 1850, Henry Clay brought in his noted
'eight resolutions" the first form of the
celebrated omnibus bll' and foreshadowing
the compromise which finally became law.
Ills speech of Feb on these resolutions
read to the people like gospel of peace and
union, and popular opinion soon showed
Itself strong in his favor. On the 18th OF
February the president sent III the constitu-
ton adopted by California, which was de-
bated with unusual acrimony. On the 14th
Of March John G. Calhoun rose in the senate
for his last speech, but was SO weak that he
had it read by Senator James n. Mason, OF
Virginia 1t clearly indicated dissolution
of the Union as the only hope for peace TO
the south; but ere the angry denunciations Of
the people reached Washington he was too
feeble to hear them. He died on the 3lst OF
March, after nearly forty years OF continuous
political service.
On the -th Of March Daniel Webster rnade
tn. memorable speech which. the anu-siavery
men used TO say, ruined his fame forever.
This was the speech that drew from John
G. Whittier that curious poem called "IchA-
bod" Yet history has fully justified all that
MI Webster said about Utah and New
Mexico The list of young members who
took part in that debate reads now like ron
OF prophecy Stephen A Douglas was but
thirty-six while William Il Seward was
forty-nine and Salmon P Chase forty -four.
The venerable Lewis Cas- represented Nichi-
gan in the senate Ny Clay, in the same
body, was in MS seventy third year. Gen
James Shields was the colleague OF Douglas,
IA J-fra r. 49, fi1acr
s. Foose John Bell represented reonessee,