s JSf ' REMARKS 07 HON. J. SHERMAN, OF OHIO, ON THB ORGANIZATION OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, DELIVERED ON' THE 16TH OF JANUARY, 18o». WASHINGTON: PRINTED AT THE CONGRESSIONAL GLOBE OFFICE. 1856. t 43^ Q 5 . O ORGANIZATION OF THE HOUSE. The question was upon the adoption of the | following resolution, offered by Mr. Thorington, of Iowa: ;,', ■ '. Thai Lewis D. Campbeli be declared the Speafc r of the Home of Representatives for thfe Thirty , i |j ites. Mr. SHERMAN (when his name was called) said: The proposition of the gentleman from towa places me in a \ ry embarrassing situation, fjp to this time I have never had any doubt as. to how to cast my vote, but now 1 confess, in all candor, that I do hesitate. The result of my I reflection is to vote for this resolution. In doing so 1 a paratei, to some extent, from many of my own ■ .and from many of my frie 1 desire, therefore, to state the reasons why I shall so Vote. For twenty-three times I voted for Lewis D. Campbell, of Ohio. It was the desire of the people of* my district, and of the State which I in part represent, that Mr. Campbkll should be in- vested with the high honor of presiding over the delibi rations of this House. I voted for him in s;ood faith, and desired his election. For ninety- one times I have voted for the distinguished gen- tleman from Massachusetts, [Mr. B inks.] 1 have i ise voted for him in good faith, desiring on each ballot to secure his election. . But now, without the knowledg'e of my dis- tinguished colleague', and without consulting, so far as 1 know, any of the Represenl ttives of the State of Ohio, the gentleman from Iowa offers this resolution. If he belohgea to either of the ies in this House who do not b with us I n; ; hi 4to divide and dis- tract us; but 1 am satisfie 1 thai purpose of that gentleman. He is a friend, true to the principle which unites as, and his object wasCsimplyto show to the House and the country, that we w< re willing to orga dz ■ bj tin el of any reliable anti-Nebraska man a Such certainly is my desire, and therefore I shall vote for th.' resolution. Here, sir, I might end this explan the courtesy of 1 many dtii mbi i been allowed to express their opinion upon th" question seriousl; ; our constitu — who is responsible for our failure to ( Waiving for til the duty which, in my judgment, requires every one of us to vote for "the plurality rule, whoever it may elect, I d to say candidly that 1 think tie 1 gri at rcsoonsi- bility rests upon those gentlemen who, professing to lie, and no doubt being, opposed to the repeal of the Missouri compromise, and , : with us in our anti-Nebraska . have yet separated ''rm^ us, and have unifot I for lemen who have been voting either for .Mr. Campbell or Mr. Banks. Mr. DUNN. Will the gentleman allow rac to interrupt him ? Mr. SHERMAN. Yes, if the gentleman will not take much of my tine-. Mr. DUNN. 1 have' to state to the gentleman from Ohio and to the House, and, adopting the common parlance here, "to the country," that I >1 ans werable to the gent! man, nor to this- House, nor to any one outside of my own district, for any votes which I may give here for Speaker. There, sir, I can make this matter satisfactory; I can make it satisfactory upon the record I now hold in my hand. I will beheld to no responsi- bility here, and I will submit to no reflections on my - en-.-;" here. Mr. SHERMAN. The gentleman from Indiana i dy could nol he\ .1 that I intended to cast any personal reflection upon him; but the votes of tie 1 little party with which hi' acts are proper subjects for discussion. The responsi- bility for the org tnization of this Hi jus.' is a public matter. The people of the court /v tin- Looking to us and fixing'the responsibility here and there. 1 h ive a right to my own judgment as to where ponsibility rests, and 1 will express it freely and frankly. Having do ■. I say this, i i which those gentlemen who ing separately from us can justify rig to this lions i why .Mr. Banks is not fit to occupy that chair. If lie j idow of 3U t- picion upon him — if they can show that ho has ..I- promisi 9 m order ti ttion — u they can |ustly cloud him with hadowof d to leave him-. — ay, if they will give to tin- House any r i on th « ould satis \ men on that Mr. Banks is unfit for that '. I will leave him, and vote f man from Indiana, or for any' it since they have failed to give any such reason, I have f It myselfbound u il honestly to vote for the distinguished gentleman from Massachu- setts. If this resolution does not pass, I shall continue so to vote hereafter. I do not pin my faith to anywuwi- lam an inde- pendent Representative here , and I will vote for any one of a dozen — a}', of a score of those who have been acting with me upon this side of the House. I will vote for no supporter of this Administra- tion. I will not vote for the gentleman from Penn- sylvania, [Mr. Fuller.] If the sorry alternative should be presented to me, I would rather vote for the gentleman from Illinois, [Mr. Richard- son,] because we are told that the gentleman from Pennsylvania represents an anti-Nebraska constituency, and was elected, to some extent, upon that principle, and the memory of a confid- ing people, whose sentiments he does not express, rises up in judgment against him. Mr. FULLER, of Pennsylvania. As the charge now made by the gentleman from Ohio has been variously repeated, I will state a single fact: At the same election when I was returned a member of this House, ex-Governor Bigler, now United States Senator from Pennsylvania, was a candi- date for the office of Governor, standing upon the same platform with my competitor, addressing the people from the same stand, and advocating substantially the same measures. He carried the district by a handsome majority; I was elected by over two thousand majority. I would not have alluded to this fact but to correct a wrong impression, and to show that it was not the anti- Nebraska issue which determined that election. It is but just to say, that a strong feeling existed in my district adverse to the repeal of the Mis- souri compromise; but I feel assured that I am now representing the wishes of a large majority of my constituents in resisting further agitation. Mr. SHERMAN. I will take the ge ntleman 's declaration as true, as no doubt it is: but he has declared upon this floor, that, if he had been a member of the last Congress, he would have voted against the repeal of the Missouri compro- mise as an unwise and useless violation of public faith; and yet he tells us this paradox, that now, if he had the power, he would not reinstate that prohibition of slavery in the Territory north and west of Missouri. Mr. HOUSTON. He said that he would doit. Mr. SHERMAN. No, sir, 1 think he went far beyond that the other day. His position, at any rate, is known to the House and the country. He goes far beyond the gentleman from Illinois, and now tells us that Congress has no power to prohibit slavery in the Territories — and that the people who inhabit them can only do it when tin y are forming a State government. Whatever his constituents may say, an almost universal public opinion in the northern States has condemned him. A majority of his own friends and col- leagues, who supported him at the commence m< nl of the session. di rted him win n he d< fined his position; and now he is voted for by the very few anti-slavery men from the free Slates who are willing to bow with submission to an acknowl- edged wrong. Sir, however the fear of agitation may trouble the gentleman from Pennsylvania, it will not deter us from insisting upon the prohibition of slavi ry north and wist of Missouri. Nothing less than that will satisfy the country; and if it is not done, as it probably will not be, we will maintain our position of resisting the admission of Kansas as a slave State, under ail possible circumstances. The CLERK. The gentleman's time has ex- pired. Mr. SHERMAN. I vote ay. In the debate which followed the vote on the foregoing resolution, Mr. DUNN said: I wish to make another remark to some gentlemen upon this floor. Sev- eral gentlemen have announced this morning to the country — because it is the country which is interested in all these matters — that the whole responsibility of this want of organization rested upon those here who, professing to be anti-Nebras- ka men, would not give their support to the gen- tleman from Massachusetts, [Mr. Banks.] Let me tell those gentlemen, I am not only a professor of anti-Nebraskaism, but one fully in the faith and practice, and that I am almost as old upon that subject as some who are the most noisy and stmmy here now. Sir, I will not yield one inch from the front line of those who claim to be the old soldiers, or the neophytes, in this army, and when you, gentlemen, one or all of you, under- take to read me from the church, I imagine, before this trial is through, the church will be ready to turn you out. That is all I have to say upon that subject, save this: I do not permit any one of you to keep my judgment, my conscience, my politics, or my honor; nor will you control my vote upon any subject here against my own sense of right. They are in my own care, and I shall, in all cases, conform to what I regard just and proper. In reply to a question put by Mr. Giddings, of Ohio, Mr. DUNN resumed. I wish only to say to the gentleman from Ohio, as he has stated, that I came to the caucus, as he calls it, in pursuance of a call signed by myself and some others, on the occasion of the " informal meeting" of which he speaks — a call which some other gentlemen ■I to sign; but. instead of finding a full meet- ing I found but a partial meeting; and the gee tie - men who were there I found to be simply pre- pai (1 — as seemed necessary in the predicament of men who could not help themselves — to regis- ter the edict-of those who stayed away. There was no liberty of choice given them; their posi- tion was ridiculous. I was unwilling to submit as a slave to any such thing; and, sir, I never will. But I have said enough on this point here- tofore, and will not repeat it. I am not here to give reasons for my course, but simply to repeat that no one here hasjany right to call my vote in question. Mr. SHERMAN. I would state that I did not attend the meeting. spoken of; but if the gen- tleman [Mr. Dunn] thinks that even now he can give me any reason why, as an honorable man, 1 should withdraw my vote from Mr. Baxks, I would like to know it, and I now desire that he shall give it. Imputations have been thrown out on this floor long enough; and I now say that, if a charge can be proved against the candidate for whom I am voting which can reflect any dis- honor upon him, I shall abandon him; but if the imputations thrown out against him cannot be sustained by a direct charge, then they will only bind me to him with links of steel, and I will never abandon him. So I would; in all kind- desire his election should choose their own time noss and in all courtesy, ask the gentleman from to press his claims. But suppose that this request Indiana, for whom I have high ri spect, to let us have these charges and these proofs. [Here ti hammer fell.] Mr. DUNN resumed the floor, but wr.s re- minded by the Clerk thai his time had expired'. [Cries of" Let him go on!"] The CLERK. If there lie no objection, the gentleman from Indiana will proceed, Mr. DUNN. I may take this occasion to make an inquiry of the gentleman from Ohio, [Mr. Sherman,] as to a fa< t w hich has I .i n ported. If it is incorrect, he cannot object that I give him the friends of Mr. Banks was wrong, must it be followed by He' grave con: iquences that ■I? I submit this question to the candor of any man. on has been urged, — more plaus- :- : :. p ,i id that is, that Mr. Banks and hia friends w< re opposed to a caucus. Now, I say, o f the original frii ; of my honorable , .!' ui from Ohio, [Mr. < ivm i ,] sofaras my knowli dire extends, he, as one of the candi- dates, was not in favor of a cat Mr. CAMPBELL, (interrupting.) When I an opportunity to-set it right; and that is, whether came to Washington, at the i tent of he defeated Ins predecessor on this floor for the seat that he now occupies, among others, for the reason that he gave the very sain ! vote on the Kansas and Nebraska bill on account of which I make some objections to Mr. Banks? It may be useful to the public to know just what have been the views "f gentlemen and of tin ir constitu- ents in regard to that vote, before the zeal here to accomplish c rtain ends had sanctified all the delinquencies of the past. Mr. SHERMAN. When the gentleman is through with his explanations, I will answi r him thi ion, I confii I m al days it] h tel. I was called upon by various mem- bers who were oj po d to >'■ ■ Ni bra ka bill. Sum,' of them, who had been mei ibers of the Democratic party, said to me, that they would prefer to vote for a candidate for Speaker who had not a caucus nomination; that a caucus nom- ination would be a weight upon themathome. ids from tb Northwest who called upon -red me, if we went into a caucus, I robably rec< ive the nomination upon the first ballot. I said to them 1 uVsircd that no upon that point, as well as upon others which he course should be pursued, beneficial to nrn which would tend to prejudice any anti-N ka member before his constituents. I desired them to take a course by which to asi ertain who was the stron t, id, if they found if ne- cessary to resort to a caucus in order to ascertain that, J" was content to leavi the matter entirely with them. I made no serious opposition to a caucus, further than simply to say there < those who said they would prefer to cast their .bran anti-Nebr sr without the dity of acaucusli i I said further, that all 'I desired for myself was, that it should be ascerl ' ; " d in some fair and honesl way who could command, at. the outset, the greatest vote u] ,i this question, let me know the result, and hat man should n ■ • ive m\ i long as the emm si should last. That is v. hat I said. _ If my colh ague knows of my having said anything to the contrary, he is at liberty to make the cor- rection. I may as well say now, that I was disposed to I nary irote in the House prefer- . and jusl as tainmg the strongest man as a caucus could be, with barred 1 (. I uniformly di I we should as- has made Alter Mr. Dunn closed his remarks, Mr. SHERMAN said: Mr. Clerk, when I rose this morning :md stated that, in my judgment, the responsibility for the want of an organization of this House rested mainly upon those gentle- men who have been voting for Mr. Pennixgton, I did not anticipate that that remark would li ad to a general discussion by gentlemen upon all sides of the I louse. Sir, many opinions havi expressed with regard to where that responsibility re : d. The Administration party have ch urged it upon the anti-Nebraska men; those who I ■ ■■-. been voting for Mr. Fuller claim it rests upon both sides of the House; and the gentlemen with whom I vote have insisted that the only solu ion of our diificulty is the plurality rule, which we have repeatedly offered. I i xpr< ssi d the opinion — and I now entertain that opinion still more strongly — that those few gentlemen who have voted for \lr. BfeNNiNGTONfor some days | a I were responsible for the uon-organizi I i House. I did 1 not impugn their motives. 1 did not attempt to read them out of any party. I only alleged the fact, that those ..—any three of whom might, for a Whole week, have organized this certain who had the i .rally House— were responsible for our inability to do upon him, and all I desired of n was, S0- if they sh< aid come to th And now, Mr. Clerk, let me examine the rea- the man, after a fair test, they should stand by sons which have 1 by the distinguished me. This was all that 1 1 kedofany ■. man from Indiana [Mr. Dunn] for the course the tv have pursued. I appeal to evei bcr was thrown upon me; yet the rotes given tor of this House whether, with the grave fact be- other anti-Nebraska candidates would not f oreu , Lzed centrate upon mv i amefor r< asonsth&n unki for six weekg, while they haw hi 'to to mi . but v hich 1 now fully undi rs and. On close the controversy by the el < Mr. Banks the night of the fourth day soi friends at any moment, these reasons are uotridi What are they? One was, that the friends of Mr; Banks d sired that when my colleague with- drew as a candidate that, the vote should not be concentrated upon Mr. Banks. Admit this to be true, and what of it? Is it not right and proper that the friends of a candidate who sincerely came to me, :>nA advised me that 1 ought to with- draw from th A my OV n judg- ment I yieldi d. M , ue [Mr. Sh | ofthem. I discovered I was about to be abandoned by some of those who had pi I next day, notwithstanding that 1 had requested only at the outset that i should r> not be vol d for at all, unless I was to be sustained so long as I was in the lead of candidal s on one side, i therefore determined to Withdraw, and did withdraw from the canvass. Mr. SHERMAN. The remarks of my col- league, then, have sustained the ass irtion I made til, he, and indeed all the northern members of this body, whose opinions 'I :cid d the course of the anti-Nebraska members of this House, ad- vised against a mucus. Mr. CAMPBELL, (interrupting,) I wish to havi it dl nctlj understood thai an rem trks 1 raay have made in opposition to a.eaucus were not predicated upon a personal desire, but upon the idea that perhaps a caucus might prove inju- rious to the interests at home of some of those who came here expecting to vote for an anti-Ne- braska candidate. Mr. SHERMAN. My colleague has stated the reasons why he thought it unadvisahJe to have s - They are satisfactory, and commended th ••■ el . ! to the good sense of many of the ablest members on this side. Nevertheless, the fact stands out, that all the candidates who were spoken of were, for reasons satisfactory to them- selves, opposed to a caucus. My friend before me, [Mr. Leiter,] who was one of the leaders of the democratic party in Ohio, was always decidedly in favor of a caucus, and insisted that discipline was necessary to sucei I allude to this merely for the purpose of dis- posing nf one of the reasons mentioned by the gentleman from Indiana, [Mr. Dunn,] for his ositionto Mr. Banks. All the candidates are . ion; and, whether there is any force in it or not, it ought not to be urged : against Mr. B wits. But, sir, the it) in from Indiana lias called thi a.) :i, i of t] i House to another fact, which I suppose, from the tenor of his remarks, is a reason for the course he has taken. The gi ntle- man from Massachusetts [Mr. Banks] voted on thi first vote for the gentleman from New York, [Mr. Wheeler.] Well, sir, until that gentl< man deuped his position on this floor ,i supposed they both stood upon the same platform. I supposed that they were both anti-Nebraska Democrats. But my friend from New York, [Mr. Whi:ei.er,] it seems, stands solitary v and alp h i a ttiona! Democratic platform of his own making; but when we came here, at the beginning of the ses- sion, i certainly recognized him as a candidate, o C , j ing precisely tin s irw position as the gen- tleman from M ts [Mr. Banks] does. l would have vol I i [Mr. Wheeler] with the ■ tie readinei s « i '■ which I vol ' gentlem va from Massachusetts; therefore th tlei i i ' a ' con- demn d for voting for a m i i v. I least, agreed with him in all n The gentleman from opposed the Nebraska hil!, and his course had been highly, i d bj stituents, ' Sine s lefined his po Ltion he has received no Republican vote. These are the only reasons that h ivi been given by the gentleman from Indiana [Mr. ' m] tha now oc ;ur to me. It is true*he that In has others, but when called uj on in ! faith to state them, so thai they may influen • ■ the of others, he tell? us that he pohsible to this House For his reasons or his votes. Well, sir, until he enlightens us we can only grope in the dark, and form our opinions of the conse- quences of his votes from the glimmering light he yields us. These opinions I, as a m nriber of this House, have a right to declare, and that, too, whether I am an " old soldier " ora " neophyte." And, sir, since I have been drawn into this dis- cus-don by simply stating a fact, which in my judgmsntrhas been in the minds and on the lips of thousands, I appeal to every member of this House to judge of the truth of th- fact I have ; d, and v.!i 'ilea- the reasons that have been stated by the gentleman from Indiana can justify the grave consequences that have resulted from his course. Six weeks have been spent in futile efforts to elect a Speaker, civil war has been im- pending on our borders, and a breach of diplo- matic intercourse is threatened with Great Britain. Tie appropriation lulls and all the ordinary legis- lation of Congressare suspended. Tin; just hopes of the pe >ple have been disa] ind we are com i died to appeal to a defeated Administ -ation to adopt the plurality rule to avoid a difficulty- which, in my judgment, ought never to have arisen. While I have felt it my privilege and duty to speak thus frankly of the course pursued by the party to which the gentleman from Indiana be- longs ,*and to i imine the reason given hy we should abandon our candidate, 1 have ie i r impugned his motives, or attempted to read him out of any party. On the contrary, I have a high respect for his ability, and hope often tofol- low !. ml ts oh this door. I deeply regret thai In aow differs from the great body of his political friends in the selection of a :•' : alar. Yet truth and candor compel r»e I > '. . . that with all the rea ons that have been . t, and with all the £>ri< that are before the House,.the people of thig country j. North, South, . and West, will hold these anti-Nebraska men who have refused to v >te with us. wh a one hundred and seven members had concentrated i one man, and when three of them would have elected Air. Hanks Speaker of this House— 1 say public opinion throughout the country will n po'nsibli for the delay in ■.:'., oes nol this I [ouse distinctly n collect thai to the gentleman there, [Mr. Mea bam,] and to th gentlem i here, [Mr. Sherman,] 1 again and • ! that I would make no cba i - ? Thai was well un li ood stated. No man could have mis- understood me. li was too plainly tal I. Mr. COMINS. Will the gentleman fromOhio allow me to stati Mr.SHERMAN. Not now. I ttate this, that j the i : ;tion of the gentleman from Vermont [Mr. Meach im 1 wouli gi n- tleman from Indiana [Mr. Dcnn] to take his s, al -. and that th n was withdraw n for the purpose of giving the g ntleman from Fm time and opportunity to reasons why la- did not vote for Mr. Banks; and when objection was withdrawn by the gentli man from Vermont, that the gentli man from Indiana might proceed to state the reasons why he holds this House ^anized, he did proceed with his remarks, aad did si te reasons for nit voting for Mr. Banes. Thi sc reasons I have examined. 1 f he has ii"i stati d all, I have only to say, the 1 1 .-, i irtunity — the friends of Mr. tre, and we I ave thi right to inf r that we have now all th it has pre- :d him, and those who vol with him, froi • uniting in the support of Mr. IJ.wks. I now proceed to but one point mure, and then It is this Mr. PENNINGTON, (interrupting.) Will the gentleman from Ohio yield t'> me a moment for tin of ad( ng to him an inquiry? Mr. Si ; ERMAN. I yield with plea Mr. PENNINt iT< IN. 1 w ish to know- of the gentleman from Ohio, whether I am to under- to me any responsibility whatever for the delay in the organization of the House? Mr. SHERMAN. Most certainly not. Mr. PENNINGTON. I think I should have a nice little entertainment if I were to attempt to put a e of my friend from Indiana, [Mr. Di mr.] Mr. SJ I ERMAN. I am far from imputing to ■ ntleman fro n Ni w Ji rs -y any blam what- Every our must give him the highi si credit for his course here. I le has unifi d for Mr. Banes, whili t] jentlemen have been voting for him, [Mr. Pennington.]* Hen rub. 1' is upon no qui stain of prii i withhold their votes; and the man they have si lected of all other t in this i louse to fill that chair giv< s his gre >t Dame, hit l i and his v intly in favor of the gentleman from Mas tchus tts. Thi leader con- j demns his f. [lowers. but J .. ill pr to d now to a re myself, which has been drawn into I discus- sion by th.' gentleman from Indiana, [Mr. Dunn.] h has ' l on this floor— and Dei • jjapi i in th i tte in which 1 liv< I 1 that th : mal district in < H i i, against my n ral Lindsley, « ■ '1" ; chief opposition to him made, on the ground that he voted thi ty : a VI r. Q» ■ tci did on the Pacific railroad bill. Now, 1 to the Hoi wrong . ome, mi, I I dis- trict ..■ d : ■ tec ' mil ion, vt ich i adopted the rep a party m would en returned here without ! ■ jition from the ftepu! li san party, pn - his colleague [Mr. Ni< hols] has been. But, in- stead of this, he qui a in and allowi d : arse of this Admi He- wot L not pled mself to vote for the mri prohibition. I te oc- cupii d the ; taken by n Pi nnsylvania, [M r. Fi i i er,] in acqui icing in wh it he declared to b rong. ( In this point alone, wah in party ts, we went I of my dis- ti ict, he then if the Ad of theRi publican party. In the canvass I gave him lit for his \ . , [ii i ] I themanner in he had d his duty in Congrei speak- of him evi rywhere with ki d illuding I h I, but basing my opposition to him on fai t that he was u i I ''■][, and on c the institution of to bi idi d north and vi soui i. I di clared that I i would submit to the extensipn of slaverj i Territory, if my vi ' Id prevent it; and 1 now say, before Cad and m\ country, that I never will. 1 am no Abolitionist in the sense in which it is used. 1 bad always I" en a i i rvative Whig, until my i i bi rend ties that bound" us by aiding this \ ition in its attempt to i xtend slavery. A jority of e willing I dhcre to ail I ive roi ; they have bei n sham d upon them, t) i that, under no circumstanci . . Ldvs n from this breach of faith. Since my Whig bn tliren of that si ction I ;. ad them from their duty, win n they abandon the pos Henry Clay would and prpud achii ban- 1 ■ .. i not tn interrupl or disturb the h • hich ■ .,-. That, v by thi las I : We 'in!'. re t'i demand jut to demand compliance with condi I will and good fi eling thai pi when the wrong of We ask no more, and we will submit to Printed at the Congressional Globe • mi 011 89' 0I */ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 011 897 871 7