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Congressional

Congressional image
Parent Issue
Day
16
Month
June
Year
1841
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

-The Twentventh Congress, convened under President Harrison's proclamation,on Monday, May 31. The business of organization went on like clock-work. Mr. Soutbard of N. Jersey, the first northern man that has been elected President pro. tem. of the Senate of a whole generation, called the Senate to order, and found sixty-four members present. After passing the asual resolutions of notice to the President and to the House of Representatives, the Sens ate adjourned. In the Houseof Representatives, every thing was cut and dried by a Whig eau cus of proceeding evening. The northern members, who, when they passed through New York, were so firmly resolved to have a speaker from a non-slaveholding State, and so confident in their ability to vote for such a man, fthose of the Eastgoing for Cushing, ana those of tho West ' for Filmore,) had all the stifiening taken out of them by the customary procesa. - ín consequence, the vote was so well concenirated in regard to Speaker, that the Hon. John White, of Kentucky, was chosen at the iirst ballot. He had 121 votes; Jones, of Va., had 84; Wise of Va., 8; Lawrence, of Pa., 5; and Clifford of Me., Briggs of Ms., and W. C. Johnson of Md., each one vote. Messrs. Borden, Slade, Giddings, Gates, and numerous other members who at home appear to have a deep abhorrence of slavery, and a íixed determination to resist the further enencroachments of the Slave Power, quietly succumbcd to its dictation. Whelher the executive rewards appropriate to the case are destined for the use of the candi dates who were withdrawn, Cushing and Fillmore, or to others, time will show. A characteristic development, however j took place in regard to the cluico of i Clerk. It had been agreed in the eau - cus that as the North so generously gave j up the Speaker, for the tenth time, a ncr thern man might, as a matier of grace, be chosen clerk,provided onc could be brought forward that had no taint of the spirit of liberty. Accordingly, Mr. F. O. J. SmithI of Portland, Me., was nominated, a man who, when member of Congress, had shown his dovotion to the great southern institution by voting for Pinckney'a and Hawes'gags. Bat when the matter came intothe House, theslaveholdershad taken the alarm; they knew that changes were [ going on among (he people of the North, theydoubted whether even a man who had voied forgags in 1836-7, eould bo do pended upon for all posstble services that j might berequired in 1841-3; and having gained all they could ask in the vote for Speaker, they coolly kicked doivn the caucus ladder on which tliey had mounted, and wave their votes for Mr. Mathew St. Ciair Clarke, of the District of Columbia therebydefeating the electionat that ballot. The second and third ballot resulted in no choice. On the 4th trial, the dough faces gave in, and Mr. Clarke was elected Perhaps Mr. Smith can be otherwise pro videtl for. {