Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-01-14
sPEAkERsHIP CONTEST
When Senator Sherman Was . Candidate
in the Thirty Sixth Congress.
The BalIOting Continued for Eight
ed-Withdrawal of Mr.. Sherman.

Mr.. Shermsn's ''Recollections of Forty
Years in the House, Senate and Cabinet fur
IRISH a valuable contribution to the history
of those stirring times. In the early part
Of that period the country was In the throes
of 2 great political revolution-the greatest
that it has experienced since independence
was declared in 1716 1t involved the fate
Of slavery. One of the great parties had
been broken in pieces by the fierce sectional
struggle, and two new ones had sprung into
being, each ambitions of taking the place of
the vanishing organization. The new par
ties took the names American" and RE
publican" The American party had no sub
stantial, enduring reason of being. 1t was
founded In antagoniSmS and antipa thies,
rather than in devotion to a great principle
or theory of government.
1t fiourished like Jonah's gourd for a short
season, and was dropping and dying at the
time here spoken of. The republican party
was inspired by great principle. 1t repre-
scented the spontaneous irrepressible repug
rance and opposition of the people Of all the
northern states to the idea of extending and
perpetuating slavery. A series Of events
running through several years had served
to arouse and animate this sentiment. The
repeal of the Missouri compromise, which
had restricted slavery to the territories lying
south of 30 degrees and 80 minutes OF north
latitude, was regarded as an open declara-
ton on the part of the dominant democratic
party in favor of that institution, and of its
extension and perpetuation. One presiden-
tfal struggle had taken place upon that is
sue, in which the young party of freedom.
though unsuccessful, had shown vitality
and high spirit which gave promise of a
great career in the near future.
Following up the repeal of the compro-
mise, was the attempt Of Mssourians and
ether southerners to introduce slavery into
Kansas. This effort greatly infiamed the
passions of men, north and south. The John
Brown raid into Virginia was one of its
exasperating fruits. This last event oc-
CURED in 1859. few months before the
meeting of the Thirty-sixth Congress: and
Brown was hung early in November, only
month before the meeting of that body.
Mr.. Sherman had been elected to and
served in tho Thirty-fourth and Th.rty-fifth
Congresses and had rapidly advanced to
the front ranks as debater and parliament
tartan. He had also developed a talent as
a party leader. and now In the Thirty-sixth
Congress he received the nomination of his
party for the highly responsible office of
Speaker. Congress met on the 9Th OF De-
cember. 1850 There were In the body 100
republicans. 1O1 democrats and twenty-sev-
en- Americans.
AS neither party had a majority, a long
struggle was anticipated. Mr.. Sherman and
AIR. Ga1usha A. Grow of Pennsylvania were
the republican candidates for the nomina-
ton, and 1t was agreed between them that
he who should receive a majority of the re-
publican vote on the first ballot should be
the nominee, and that the other would with
draw. The recult WAS that Mr.. Sherman re-
oeived G8 votes and Mr.. Grow 43. Mr..
| Bocock. democrat, of Virginia. received s6
votes, and was the nominee Of that party.
There were 81 scattering votes also. All
the republicans voted for Messrs. Sherman
| and Grow. but Mr.. Bocock failed to receive
| the full democratic vote. The q scattering
votes may have been for Americans.
| Mr.. John B. Clark Of Missouri. democrat,
at this point threw bombshell into the re-
publican ranks in the shape Of the following
resolution:
Whereas Certain members of this House
| now in nomination for Speaker did indorse
and recommend the book hereinafter men,
tioned.
Resolved, That the doctrine and senti-
! ments of certain book called The I'M
pending Crisis of the eouth-How to Meet
1t, purporting to have been written by one
Hinton R. Helper, are irsurrectionary and
hostile to the peace and tranquility of the
country, and that no member of this House
who has Endorsed and recommended 1t, or
| the compeRd from it, is fit to be Speaker of
| this House."
Received the Nomination.
Mr.. Sherman said he had no recollection
of having recommended the book, for he
had not read it nor seen it. He afterward
| ascertained and stated that IT did not sign
the paper; but it seems that the Hon. E.
D. Morgan, a member of the last Congress
| and a friend of mine, came to me when
was in my place and asked me to sign a
| recommendation for the circulation of a
| political pamphlet to be compiled by a
| committee of which Mr.. Blair. slave
| holder of Missouri was one, from large
| book by Helper, North Carolinian. I said
| to him that had not time to examine the
| book, but if there was nothing offensive in
1t he might use my name Thereupon this
| gentleman attached my name to that paper.
| This information did not have at the time
| the gentleman from Virginia CMr. Millson)
addressed me-"
4 Letter From F. p. Blair.
| Mr.. Sherman sent to the clerks desk to
be read the following letter, addressed to
him, from Francis P. Blair, dated Wash
ington, December 6, 1859, in further expla-
| nation of the matter:
'T perceive that debate has arisen in
Congress in which Mr.. Helpers book, The
Impending Crisis is brought up as an ex-
| ponent of republican principles As the
| names of many leading republicans are
| presented as recommending a compendium
| Of the volume, 1t is proper that / should
| explain how those names were obtained in
| advance of the publication. Mr.. Helper
| brought his book to me at Silver Spring to
| examine and recommend, If 1 thought well
| of it, as a work to be encouraged by re-
| publicans. I had never seen 1t before.
| After its perusal 1 either wrote to Mr..
| Helper or told him that it was objection
| able in many particulars, to which i adj
| verted: and he promised me- in writing.
! that he would obviate the objections by
| emitting entirely altering the matter OBJ
| jected to. / understand that it was in con-
! sequence Of this assurance to me that the
| obnoxious matter in the original pubica-
| ton would be expurgated that members
| of Congress and other influential men
among the republicans were induced to give
| their countenance to the circulation of the
| edition so to be expurgated."
BallOtfns for a Month.
But this explanation, which would have
| satisfied fair-minded men whose passions
were rot irf1amed by intense political
| hatred, had no effect upon the minds of
his enemies, who determined to defeat him
If possible. The balloting proceeded for n
month without result. Mr.. Sherman con-
| tinued to gain votes, and at length he
| came within three votes Of an election.
On the thirty-nfnth ballot, Mr.. Sherman
states that Robert Mallory, an American
of Kentucky, appealed to the democrats to
! vote for VIM. n. H. Smith of North Caro-.
lima. an American, which would have elect
ed him. Nj. Sherman says he then votei
for the first time casting his vote for MIR
| Corwin, his colleague. Three other members
who had voted for Mr.. Smith changed
their votes, and he was defeated aftel