a plan and purpose which, originating neighborhood, and two of the party in pride and self-conceit, they meant, at having been captured, the rest were any sacrifice of truth, honor and loyal- gradually driven within the arsenal ty, even if rivers of blood flowed from grounds. A few shots were fired their acts, to carry out to its fullest during the day on both sides, and the completion. mayor of the town was killed. Brown and his party finally entrenched themselves in the engine house, where they struggled to the last; but late in the night a body of United States marines, under Colonel Lee, invested the engine house, and early on the 18th, succeeded The bitterness and keenness of southern feeling on the subject of slavery and its issues, were greatly increased by a strange, wild attempt on the part of a man named John Brown, a native of New York, to produce a rising of the slaves in Virginia. Brown, it ap-in battering down the door and captur pears from his history, had become ex- ing the insurgents. Brown was se cited beyond all control on the slavery verely wounded, and thirteen of his question, and having been a sharer in companions had been killed; of the the difficulties and violent contentions citizens and soldiers seven were killed in Kansas, he seemed to think himself and a number wounded. The grand called upon to devote his life and ener- jury of Jefferson County, being in sesgies to the freeing of the slaves. Sev- sion, indicted Brown and all those with eral of his sons and a small body of him on the charge of inciting the slaves others (twenty-two in all, seventeen to insurrection, as well as of treason white, five black) joined him; arms and murder. The trial took place on and ammunition were collected; and the 26th of October, lasted three days, on the night of October 16th, he made and resulted in Brown's conviction. a descent upon Harper's Ferry, He was sentenced to be hung on the a town of about five thousand 2d of December; his companions were inhabitants, and containing the United tried subsequently and condemned to States arsenal with 100,000 stand of the same fate. Brown justified his acts arms. The buildings being unguarded, in all respects; avowed that his only were seized upon; prominent citizens object was to help the slaves to their were arrested; and the workmen con- freedom, not to incite revolt or commit nected with the armory, on going to murder; and was executed at the time their business in the morning, were appointed. also captured. About thirty prisoners Persistent efforts were made, by agiwere thus made. The alarm spread tators of various sorts, to use this John rapidly, and the exaggerated reports Brown affair to the injury of all those were speedily circulated of the ex- at the north who were opposed to slatent of the force, the objects had in very; and insinuations and charges view, the rising of the slaves, etc. were circulated as to the connection of About noon, on the 17th, some military prominent men with this wild expedi companies began to arrive from the tion. But little, however, was effected 1859. Cu. X.] OPENING OF THE THIRTY-SIXTH CONGRESS. 549 by such a course. Whatever might be Mr. Clark, of Missouri, that no memthought of Brown's motives, there was ber who had recommended or endorsed no man who believed in the supremacy Helper's "Impending Crisis at the of law and order but what repudiated South," was fit to be speaker. Mr. all such modes of obtaining freedom Sherman, of Ohio, was the republican for the blacks; and the conviction was candidate, and, on various occasions, universally entertained, that, however lacked only three or four votes of an severe the punishment, it was only such election. Mr. Bocock, of Virginia, was as acts like those of Brown must ever the democratic nominee; but neither expect to meet with.* The elections for Congress in the several states made it evident, that the republicans would fall short of a majority in the House by some half dozen votes, leaving the balance of power in the hands of opposition members from the south. The effect of this upon the organization of the House was marked, and by no means creditable to that body. 1859. On the 5th of December, the members of the Thirty-sixth Congress assembled in Washington. The Senate began its labors by appointing a committee to inquire into the attack on Harper's Ferry, and report upon the facts. In the House, two hundred and thirty out of two hundred and thirtyseven members were present; and the contest for the speakership immediately began. Day after day, a ballot was taken, and innumerable speeches were made on slavery in all its possible connections, based upon a resolution of * Mr. Seward, in his speech in the Senate (March, 1860), took occasion to say: "While generous and charitable natures will probably concede that John Brown and his associates acted on earnest though fa tally erroneous convictions, yet all good citizens will nevertheless agree, that this attempt to execute an unlawful purpose in Virginia by invasion, involving civil war, was an act of sedition and treason, and criminal to just the extent it affected the public peace, and he, nor any other who was tried, succeeded in obtaining a majority. Thus the struggle was kept up for two months; when, finally, Mr. Sherman withdrew his name, and on the forty. fourth ballot, taken on the 1st of February, 1860, Mr. Pennington, of New Jersey, was elected speaker of the House. 859. The president, finding that the House was engaged in an apparently interminable contest, resolved not to await the result. Accordingly, on the 27th of December, he sent his message to Congress, with the usual reports of the heads of departments. In regard to "the recent sad and bloody occurrences at Harper's Ferry," Mr. Buchanan looked upon them as "deriving their chief impor tance from the apprehension that they are but symptoms of an incurable disease in the public mind, which may break out in still more dangerous outrages, and terminate, at last, in an open war by the north to abolish slavery at the south." Speaking of himself as an old public functionary," he besought his countrymen to cultivate forbearance and good will towards each other, as in the days past, and he deprecated the dangers which seemed to threaten on every hand. But, he said: was destructive to human happiness and human life." "I indulge in no such gloomy forebod ings. On the contrary, I firmly believe tion; and the opportunity was not that the events at Harper's Ferry, by lost. Nearly all the prominent memcausing the people to pause and reflect bers of the Senate delivered elaborate upon the possible peril to their cher- harangues on the exciting topics of the ished institutions, will be the means, day; and the line of separation, as under Providence, of allaying the ex- well as the course of the struggle beisting excitement and preventing further tween, the contending parties, became outbreaks of a similar character. They more and more distinctly will resolve that the Constitution and marked. Mr. Seward, and the Union shall not be endangered by rash counsels, knowing that should 'the silver cord be loosed or the golden bowl be broken at the fountain,' human power could never reunite the scattered and hostile fragments." Congratulations were offered on the decision of the Supreme Court, that slavery was now protected in the territories; the African slave trade was discussed, against which, he said, the laws would be enforced; the foreign relations of the country were in their usual state;* Mexican affairs, however, were spoken of at large, as being in a peculiarly vexatious condition, and it was urged, that the United States ought to interfere for redress of grievances. The purchase of Cuba, the Pacific Railroad, increase of revenues, etc., were also presented as needing speedy attention. This being the first, or long session of Congress, there was abundant room for speech-making and political agita 1860 other republicans, advocated the views and policy of the opponents of slavery and its increase; and it was made clearly evident that, if the republicans prevailed in the coming presidential contest, southern supremacy in national affairs, and further extension of slavery, were at an end forever. Mr. Jefferson Davis offered a series of resolutions, strongly urging the extreme staterights views, as they are called, and the inviolability and excellence of the institution of slavery. Other Senators from the south, not only controverted the opinions and arguments of the republicans, but gave utterance to bitter denunciations and fierce threatenings of dissolution of the Union, in the event of their being in the minority at the ballot-box. Mr. Douglas argued with his usual energy in behalf of his favorite doctrine of popular sovereign ty; he took issue with Mr. Seward as to the latter's view of "capital" and "labor" (i. e. slave and free) States,* * Some difficulty having occurred during the year and was particularly severe upon the in regard to the northwest boundary line, according to the treaty of 1846, between the United States and Great Britain, and both Americans and Englishmen claiming | the Island of San Juan, between Vancouver's Island and Washington territory, as belonging to their respective countries, a serious collision was apprehended. The government dispatched Gen. Scott, in September, 1859, to the Pacifie coast, to look after the interests of the United States. Happily, this matter was settled without much difficulty. *This view of Mr. Seward's was set forth in an elaborate speech (Feb. 29th, 1860), on presenting the memorial of the legislature of Kansas, praying for admission into the Union. We may mention here, that the House, on the 17th of April, passed a bill to admit Kansas under the Wyandot constitution; but the bill was not acted on in the Senate. Kansas was finally, after her many trials and struggles, admitted into the Union, January 28th, 1861. Cu. X.] CONGRESSIONAL PROCEEDINGS. 551 republican party, charging them with and the consideration of the Pacific violating the entire spirit of the Consti- Railroad and the tariff was deferred till tution, and with refusing to obey its the next session. On motion of Mr. plain and time-honored provisions. Mr. Covode, of Pennsylvania, a committee Sumner, of Massachusetts, took the was appointed (March 5th), to inquire earliest opportunity after the brutal as into charges implicating the president sault upon him (see p. 518), to de- as having unduly interfered in obtainliver another pungent philippic against ing the passage of laws, or having slavery in all its connections; while, on neglected to execute the laws in any the other side, equally hard, contemptu- state or territory. This was aimed ous and vindictive words were freely directly at Mr. Buchanan's course with and frequently uttered.* The Harper's regard to Kansas, and, notwithstanding Ferry committee, after careful inquiry the president's earnest protest against into the subject committed to them, such a committee, as in violation of his concluded their labors just before the rights, the committee vigorously proend of the session; reports from the secuted their work. Towards the close majority and minority of the committee of the session a report was presented, were presented; but in substance they which, among other things, brought to agreed, that there was no evidence of light a letter from Mr. Buchanan to Mr. any complicity in John Brown's scheme Walker, in July, 1857 (see p. 535), fully on the part of other citizens at the justifying the latter's course in Kansas, north. and also unearthed various frauds and abuses for which the administration was severely censured by the House. 1860. In the House, there were more than the ordinary violence and disorder, which, indeed, at times, seemed calcu lated to render the national legislature a by-word and scorn in the eyes of all honest, decent men. Comparatively little business was accomplished. A homestead bill was agreed upon and passed, in June, but Mr. Buchanan vetoed it; a bill to admit Kansas into the Union passed in the House, but was not acted on in the Senate; so, also, the post-office appropriation bill was lost by want of agreement between the two houses; Congress adjourned on the 25th of June, and the members dispersed in various directions to take an active share in the political agitations at that time. prevailing throughout the country. way; in favor of internal improvements, of a homestead bill (such as had passed the House, p. 552), of the Pacific Rail road, etc. On the 18th of May, the convention went into a ballot; on the first, Mr. Seward, of New York, received 173 votes, and on the second, 184; but the list, 152 votes; others, 66, 42, etc. This not being two-thirds of the whole number, the convention gave up the attempt to agree upon a nomination, and adjourned to meet at Baltimore on the 18th of June. At that date the convention re-assembled. Great difficulty occurred as to filling the vacancies as 230 votes were necessary for a choice, caused by the withdrawal of the delegates mentioned above. A large portion of the members seceded, with Mr. Cushing at their head, and organized into a separate convention. The former of these two bodies proceeded to ballot, and on the 23d of June, Mr. Douglas was nominated for president, and Herschel V. Johnson, of Georgia, for vicepresident. The latter went through the same operation, when John C. Breckenridge, of Kentucky, and Joseph Lane, of Oregon, were nominated for president and vice-president. The constitutional union convention met at Baltimore, on the 10th of May. The setting forth of a "platform" was dispensed with, and the convention adopted as their candidates John Bell, of Tennessee, and Edward Everett, of Massachusetts.* it was evident that Mr. Seward could not obtain that number; so, on the third ballot, the convention gave Abraham Lincoln, of Illinois, 354 votes. Thus he became the republican candidate for the presidency; Hannibal Hamlin, of Maine, was also nominated for the vice-president's chair. As a variety, amidst the din of pre paration for the coming contest, we may make mention of the visits of some distinguished foreigners to our shores, we mean the ambassadors from Japan, and the Prince of Wales, from Eng. land. In respect to the Japanese embassy, it is worthy of note that it was the first ever sent to any "outside barbarians," and its being sent at all was mainly due to the efforts of Mr. Townsend Harris, United States minister to Ja 1860. The republican national convention pan. The princes and attenmet at Chicago, on the 16th of May. A dants composing the embassy crossed "platform" was agreed upon without the Pacific in the Powhatan; arrived difficulty, the substance of which consisted in the declaration of the party, strongly in favor of the Union; against the slave trade; against the further extension of slavery; in favor of the absolute and entire right of each state to manage its domestic affairs in its own * Of the several candidates for these high offices, Breckenridge and Bell joined the secessionists in the spring of 1881 at San Francisco on the 27th of March; thence, by way of the Isthmus, they proceeded to Washington, in May; visited Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York, in June; and re-embarked for home in the Niagara, on the 29th of June. They were every where treated with the highest distinction, and beneficial results were expected from their visit to the United States. |