Washington, Decr. 17, 1849.
My Dear Hamlin,
I have just comedown from the Capitol. In the Senate we had a brief Executive
Session — nothing done. Today we were to have elected Committees but the Old
Line Caucus had not arranged matters to suit them, & the elections
were put off till tomorrow. You know that in the Senate the Majority party
selects in Caucus the majorities of such committees as they think fit so to
organize & minorities on the others, & the minority party in caucus
selects the balance. The committees thus selected have been hitherto adopted by
common consent. What will be done tomorrow I cannot say. There was trouble
yesterday between the friends of Benton & Calhoun in Caucus. I have not
been invited to the Democratic Caucus. I do not think I should attend, as
matters now stand, if I was: but it is not impossible that both Hale and I
shall go in before the session closes. To a democratic Senator who spoke to me
on the subject I answered that I thought that having been elected exclusively
by Democratic & free democratic votes I ought to be invited; but whether I
wd. attend or not I was not prepared to say. There was a discussion or
conversation about inviting me; but of what character I dont know.
In the House they have been balloting, or rather voting for
Speaker. Since the menaces of the Southern men the other day and their insolent
proscription of every man, as unfit to receive their votes, except slavery
extensionists the northern democrats have got their backs up and so many of
them now refuse to vote for any extensionist that it seems impossible to elect
any man whom the slaveholding democrats' will support, except by a coalition
between these last, aided by the doughfaced democrats & the
slaveholding Whigs. Rumors
of such a coalition have been rife for a day or two; but the candidate of the
extensionists, Lynn Boyd, has not yet received votes enough to enable those
Southern Whigs who are willing to go for him, to effect his election. I am glad
to be able to say that the Ohio delegation is firm on the side of the Free
States, with two exceptions Miller & Hoagland. Until today I hoped that
Col. Hoagland would abide with the body of the Ohio democrats; but he gave way
today & voted for Boyd. This is the more to be regretted as Boyd was, as I
hear, one of the foremost in clapping & applauding Toombs's insolent
disunion speech the other day; and after he had closed his harrangue went to
him & clapped him on the back in the most fraternizing manner.
Who, then, can be speaker? you will ask. To which I can only
reply, I really cannot say. At present it seems as if the contest must be
determined final by the Extensionists against the Anti Extensionists without
reference to old party lines. An attempt was made today at a bargain between
the Hunker Whigs & Hunker Democrats. A Kentucky member offered a resolution
that Withrop should be Speaker; Forney, Clerk; & somebody, I can not
say who, Sargeant at arms. The democrats voted almost unanimously to lay this
resolution on the table — the Whigs, in great numbers, voted against this
disposition of it. This looks well for those Hunkers who affect such a holy
horror of bargains.
With these facts before you, you can form, better than I
can, an idea of the probable shape of things in the future. To me it seems as
if the process of reorganization was going on pretty rapidly in the northern
democracy. I am much mistaken, if any candidate who will not take the ground
assumed in my letter to Breslin, can obtain the support of the Democracy of the
North or of the Country.
We are all looking with much interest to Ohio. Mr. Carter
has received several letters urging him to be a candidate for Governor: but he
will not consent except as a matter of necessity. He is a true man here, and so,
above most, is Amos E. Wood. Judge Myers would be a very acceptable candidate
to the Free Democracy:— so, also, I
should think would be Dimmock. My own regard for Dimmock is very strong. Judge
Wood would encounter, I learn, some opposition from the friends of Tod, and his
decisions in some slavery cases would be brought up against him especially with
Beaver for an opponent. Still, in many respects, he wd. be a very strong man.
After all it is chiefly important that the resolutions of the Convention should
be of the right stamp & that the candidate should place himself
unreservedly upon them.
As to the Free Democratic State Convention, — I think it
desirable on many accounts that one should be held; and that it be known soon
that one is to be held. I do not think it expedient to call it expressly to
nominate, but rather to consider the expediency of nomination & promote,
generally the cause of Free Democracy.
I have written to Pugh urging the adoption by the House, if
the Senate is not organized, of resolutions sustaining their members in
Congress. I think much good would be done by resolutions to this effect.
Resolved, That the determination evinced by many
slave state members of Congress, claiming to be Whigs & Democrats, to
support for the office of Speaker no known & decided opponent of Slavery
Extension, and indeed no man who will not, in the exercise of his official
powers, constitute the Committees of the House of Representatives so as to
promote actively or by inaction the extension of slavery, is an affront &
indignity to the whole people of the Free States, nearly unanimous in
opposition to such extension.
Resolved, That we cordially approve of the conduct of those
representatives from Ohio who have, since the manifestation of this
determination on the part of members for the Slave States, steadily refused to
vote for any Slavery Extensionists; and pledge to them, on behalf of the State
of Ohio, an earnest support & adequate maintenance.
I give these resolutions merely as specimens. They are not
so strong as I would introduce. Perhaps, indeed, it will be thought best to
introduce a resolution appropriating a specific sum to be applied to the
support of the members here in case the continued failure to organize the House
shall leave them without other resources.
The bare introduction of such resolutions into our
Legislature would have the happiest effect. Can't you help this thing forward?
I dont want these sample resolutions used in any way except as mere specimens
& suggestions.
So far as developments have yet been made the Administration
has no settled policy. In the present state of the country I confess I do not
much fear Cuban annexation.
Write me often.
[SALMON P. CHASE.]
SOURCE: Annual Report of the American Historical
Association for the Year 1902, Vol. 2, p. 189-92
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