The Washington bee., 1888-04-14

candidates for other offices. Mr..
Sherman's speech on that occasion
put him in the front rank in oppo-
sition to slavery extension. On
July 10th, at ratification meeting
at Mansfield, he offered resolutions,
which were adopted, indorsing the
platform and candidates and made
a speech which rang through the
nation, as terse, as far reaching in
purpose, and more grand and
eloquent even than Lord Mans
feld's immortal decision in the
Somerset case, whose terms in
prose have been translated into
the fervid exclamation of Cowper:
sSlavcs can not breathe in England; if
their lungs
Receive our air, that moment they are free:
Ttiey touch out country, and their shack
les tall
That's noble! and bespeaks a Nation
proud"
Then followed the contest in
Congress, whether slavery should
secure the fruits of repeal.
Mr.. Sherman first took his seat
in the House of Representatives at
the opening Of its session in Dec.
1855, when there was a fierce aud
protracted struggle attending the
election ofspeaker. On the ninety.
ninth ballot he gave his reason for
voting for General Banks, as fol
lows:
Il care not whether he is a mem
Der of the American party or not.
[ have been informed that he is,
and believe that he is; but [ re-
peat, care not to what party be
belongs. / understand him to take
this position, that the repeal of the
Missouri Compromise Was an act
of great dishonor, and that, under
no circumstances whatever, will he,
if he have the power, allow the
institution Of human slavery to
derive any benefit from that repeal.
That is my position. l have been
ii Wing, but | will yeaid all party
preferences, and will act in con-
cert with men Of all parties and
opinions who will steadily aid in
pres 'rving our Western territories
for free labor; and l say now that
| never will vote for man for
Speaker of this House uuless he
convinces me by his conduct and
by his views that be never will. if
he has the power to prevent it,
allow the institution Of slavery to
derive any advantage from repeal
ing the compromise of 1920.
A variety of resolutions were
introduced, as the balloting for
Speaker was continued, propound-
ing interrogatOres as to tht pollti-
cal opinions of the several can..ida
ties. Mr.. Sherman finally introduced
one which read thus:
"Resolved, That the only tests
of the opinions of any candidate
for public office are his votes and
acts and that no man ought to
occupy the high position of Speaker
of this House whose opinions upon
important political questions are so
unknown that it is necessary to
! examine him as a witness"
Kansas had meanwhile become a
bai tie. ground between the advocat.
es of slavery from the SOnth and
the opponents of it from the free
States, each faction hoping to Sc
cure the ascendancy. A state of
violence, amounting to actual civil
war, ensued, and numbers were
killed in guerrilla contests. Rival
State Governments were establish.
ed, each with its Constitution,
Governor, and Legislature, while
acts horrible atroclty were COM
mitted by organized bands of "Bor
der Ruffians," who roamed about
the country plundering and often
numbering peacable and unoffend-
ing settlers. The matter became
SO serious that the House of Rep
resentatives passed a resolution,
Oh the 10Th of March, authorizing
the appointment of I. committee of
three by the Speaker to enquire
into and collect evidence in regard
to the troubles in Kansas generally,
and particularly in regard to any
fraud or force attempted or prac-
tlced in relation to any of the elec,
tiOns which had taken place in that
Territory.
Mr.. Sherman, in his first term
in Congress, was placed on the
committee, and though he was not
chairman, yet he wrote the elabor-
ate, exhaustive, and able report
which was submitted to the House
July l, 1856. This, the first great
document OH the subject ever sub.
mitted to Congress by any states
man of the Republican party,
secured in its varied results free
dom to Kansas, and gave such
impetus to the Republican cause
tn ito