HON. WM. BARKSDALE,· OF MISSISSIPPI, ON THE PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION. DELIVERED IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, JULY 23, 1856. WASHINGTON: HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY JUN 30 1915 CHARLES ELLIOTT PERKINS SPEECH. To the Committee of the Whole on the state of the Union, I propose to speak of the approaching Presidential election, on which I believe, more than on any former election, depends the fate of the Union, the hopes of our country, and Mr. Chairman, the hopes of constitutional liberty, as involved in the success of this our experiment in representative government. In past Presidential contests, parties have been divided upon questions, not affecting alike the interests of every section of the Union, it is true, but national in their character, and all felt that the triumph of the one did not necessarily involve the degradation or dishonor of the other. Now, however, an issue plainly local and sectional in its character has been boldly and defiantly forced upon the country. The coming conflict, then, sir, will be for the Constitution, for State-rights, and for everything, in fact, which is dear and sacred to one half of the confed eracy. Without attempting a discussion of the details of the different parties, I shall confine my remarks to the three principal ones, which are now seeking the confidence of the people and the control of the government the Know-nothing, Black Republican, and Democratic parties. The Know-nothing party is of but recent origin. It came upon the country at the hour of midnight, and has concealed its purposes from public scrutiny and investigation. In its beginning it had, and, so far as weare informed, it now has, its signs, grips, pass-words, oaths, and all the paraphernalia of a secret organization. These cabalistic characters may be useful in institutions purely social and benevolent, but in political organizations they must ever wield an influence for evil. A representative cannot suffer himself to be trammelled by them. He challenges the closest scrutiny into his political principles and conduct. In speaking of these parties, and the candidates under whose names they severally rally, I shall resort to facts and figures in the history of the country. I have already remarked that the designs of the Know-nothings were at first kept hid from public view, but time developed that they sought to extend or repeal the naturalization laws, and to exclude foreigners and Roman Catholics from office. Fruitful as these topics are for thought and reflection, it is not my purpose now, at length, to discuss them. The following is the oath which was administered to the initiates in many portions of Mississippi: "Oath-You do solemnly and unreservedly swear, without hesitation, evasion, or mental reservation, never to divulge any sign, password, or grip that you may receive, or expose, or cause to be exposed, any paper or papers of this order that may come into your possession, or the name of any person you may see here; and, furthermore, that you will never vote for any person but native-born citizens to all offices of honor, trust, or profit, to the exclusion of all aliens, foreigners, and Roman Catholics in particular; and, should you prove untrustworthy, you will submit to have your name published in all the different societies throughout the several States in the Union as one not worthy to be trusted, either in business or office: all this you swear, in the presence of God and on the fieg of your country." It will be observed that they were required to take this obligation, under a terrible penalty to vote for none but native-born citizens for all offices of honor, trust, or profit, to the exclusion of foreigners and Roman Catholics. In excluding foreigners and Roman Catholics from office, then, they are violating the spirit and genius of our institutions, and disregarding the most sacred guaranties of the constitution. But what has been the practical effect of this organization upon the country during the short period of its existence? The following table will show that it elected to this House ninety members, eighty-four of whom voted for Mr. BANKS for Speaker, and are now, with one or two exceptions, zealously co-operating with the Black Republican party; and that all the governors and senators elected by it in the northern States are enlisted under the banner of Fremont and Dayton. Mr. VALK. The gentleman from Mississippi says that a certain number of individuals were elected to this House as Americans by the abolitionists. I wish to say, they were elected as Americans, by American votes, and expected to carry out American principles; if, after getting here, they have repudiated those principles, the American party is not to blame for it. Mr. BARKSDALE. They were abolitionists before they joined the Know-nothing party; and they have been true to their abolitionism, as the record they have made for themselves here clearly proves. Here are the tables: No Northern Know-nothing voted for a national man on the last ballot, which was the crisis. Maine GOVERNORS. (All for Fremont and Dayton at this time.) New Hampshire............... Massachusetts Rhode Island Connecticut Ohio... Iowa Wisconsin Michigan..... Pennsylvania Maine SENATORS ELECTED. (All for Fremont and Dayton at this time.) New Hampshire........... Massachusetts.. Connecticut. New York.... Ohio... Wisconsin.... Aided in sending Wm. P. Fessenden, abolitionist, to suceeed James W. Bradbury, National Democrat. Sent John P. Hale and James Bell, abolitionists, to sue- Sent Henry Wilson, abolitionist, to succeed Edward ..Sent Lafayette G. Foster for the long term, and Francis Aided in re-electing William H. Seward, abolitionist. Sent Charles Durkee, an abolitionist. Aided in sending Lyman Trumbull, abolitionist, in place of James Shields, National Democrat. Sir, these statistics speak in a voice of solemn, and eloquent warning to the South. The true men of the North, the men whose patriotism is broad enough to embrace the Union-the whole Unionwho have heretofore stood in the front of the battle in upholding the Constitution, vindicating the laws and sustaining the rights of every section of the confederacy, have nearly all been remorselessly stricken down, and disorganizing, agitating Abolitionists are now filling their places. And, sir, in this House, how have they wielded their illgotten power? The present Congress commenced under extraordinary circumstances, and extraordinary events have marked its history. N. P. Banks, of Massachusetts, who was the first upon this floor in the last Congress to avow himself a member of this secret Know-nothing organization, and the first to attempt its vindication, was elected Speaker after a nine weeks' struggle, by purely a sectional vote. Here is his avowal : "Mr. LETCHER. Now, let me try the gentleman from Massachusetts. Does he belong to the organization called Know-nothing, that has been the subject of comment by the gentleman from North Carolina [Mr. RUFFIN] to-night? Mr. BANKS. I belong to an organization-not that I know that it is called by the name of Know-nothing-but that answers the description that is generally understood by that name in my own town. Nobody has asked me the question before. I have never declined to answer ¡t, and nobody has screwed me up to it." " The table above shows that eighty-four of those who were elected as Know-nothings from the northern States voted for Mr. BANKS for Speaker; and therecord proves that if upon the last ballot the Knownothing members of the House, Messrs. BROOM, BAYARD CLARK, CULLEN, HENRY WINTER DAVIS, MILLWOOD, and WHITNEY, who now follow the fortunes of Mr. Fillmore, and who the day before had voted for Governor AIKEN, had adhered to him, he would have been elected. Governor AIKEN received one hundred votes, nineteen of the twenty-one northern Democrats voting for him; Mr. BANKS one hundred and three. Four of the six gentlemen whose names I have mentioned could have defeated the election of Mr. BANKS. These gentlemen had refused to vote for either Mr. RICHARDSON or Mr. ORR, because they were the nominees of the Democratic party, but no such excuse could avail them for refusing to vote for Governor AIKEN; for though a Democrat, acting throughout the struggle with the Democratic members, he was, nevertheless, not their nominee. His name was suggested by the gentleman from Alabama, (Mr. COBB,) I venture to say, upon his individual responsibility. Thus, sir, having, the power to elect a Speaker who had ever been loyal to the Union, and true to the Constitution, these gentlemen of the Know-nothing party, which now claims to be national, refused to exercise it, and a Black Republican now presides over the deliberations of this House. They are responsible for his election, because they could have defeated it. In the organization of the committees, the South has been most signally ostracised. Every committee connected, directly or indirectly, with slavery, has been so constituted as to be made available in carrying out the nefarious schemes of the Black, Republican party. The House has been organized according to sectional prejudices, by the Speaker, in the arbitrary exercise of his power of appointment. Messrs. BROOKS and KEITT, of South Carolina, whose chivalrous bearing, and high order of talents and attainments, had secured them positions second to none upon this floor-the one for inflicting merited chastisement upon CHARLES SUMNER, a Senator from Massachusetts, who had published to the world an infamous libel upon his State, and slandered his venerable and absent relative; and the other for not dishonoring himself by becoming an informer-have been forced to resign their seats; and thus, not only has the insult to a sovereign State of this Union been endorsed, but the State disfranchised, so far as this House has the power to do it. In violation of all law and precedent, when the returns of the election, certified to by the officers regularly appointed to supervise its conduct, incontestably established his election-when he had been duly commissioned by the governor of the State, JAMES C. ALLEN, of Illinois, a bold and fearless National Democrat, has been driven from his seat by the Black Republican majority on this floor. Sir, in my judg |