202 



CONGRESS, U. S. 



vention had been called in that State to con- 

 sider the same subject. The people of that 

 State had resolved to determine in convention, 

 in their sovereign capacity, the time, place, 1 and 

 manner of redress. It was not for him to take 

 any action on the subject. " While I am up, 

 Mr. Speaker, I may as well say, in advance, 

 that I am opposed, and I believe my State is 

 opposed, to all and every compromise. The 

 day of compromise has passed." 



Mr. Clopton, of Alabama, declined to vote, 

 for the reason that a convention had been 

 called in Alabama to consider what action is 

 required to maintain her rights, honor, and 

 safety. Believing that a State had a right to 

 secede, and that the only remedy for present 

 evils was secession, he would not hold out any 

 delusive hope, or sanction any temporizing 

 policy. 



Mr. Miles, of South Carolina, said: "Mr. 

 Speaker, the South Carolina delegation have 

 not voted on this question because they con- 

 ceive they have no interest in it. We consider 

 our State as already withdrawn from the Con- 

 federacy in every thing except in form." 



Mr. Piigh : " As my State of Alabama in- 

 tends following South Carolina out of the Union 

 by the 10th of January next, I pay no atten- 

 tion to any action taken in this body." 



Subsequently the committee was announced 

 by the Speaker to consist of the following 

 members of the House : 



Messrs. Corwin, of Ohio ; Millson, of Vir- 

 ginia ; Adams, of Massachusetts ; Winslow, of 

 North Carolina ; Humphrey, of New York ; 

 Boyce, of South Carolina; Campbell, of Penn- 

 sylvania ; Love, of Georgia ; Ferry, of Connec- 

 ticut ; Davis, of Maryland ; Robinson, of Rhode 

 Island ; Whiteley, of Delaware ; Tappan, of 

 New Hampshire ; Stratton, of New Jersey ; 

 Bristow, of Kentucky ; Morrill, of Vermont ; 

 Nelson, of Tennessee ; Dunn, of Indiana ; Tay- 

 lor, of Louisiana ; Davis, of Mississippi ; Kel- 

 logg, of Illinois ; Houston, of Alabama ; Morse, 

 of Maine ; Plielps, of Missouri ; Rust, of Ar- 

 kansas ; Howard, of Michigan ; Hawkins, of 

 Florida ; Hamilton, of Texas ; Washburn, of 

 "Wisconsin ; Curtis, of Iowa ; Burch, of Cali- 

 fornia ; Windom, of Minnesota ; and Stout, of 

 Oregon. 



Mr. Hawkins, of Florida, asked to be ex- 

 cused, and said : " The idea of getting up this 

 committee was one of unanimity a great peace 

 and Union-saving measure ; and, as I said the 

 other day, I am opposed to any thing of that 

 kind, believing that the day has gone by, and 

 the time for compromise has passed forever." 



Mr. Cochran, of New York, replied to this 

 request : " Mr. Speaker, I have listened with a 

 great deal of regret to the application that has 

 been made by my friend from Florida to be ex- 

 cused from service upon this committee. It 

 has been well intimated here to-day that the 

 gray shadow of the dark wing of dissolution is 

 reaching and extending over the House and 

 over the country ; and so deep is the gloom 



under its influence that hardly can members be 

 brought to attend to their ordinary duties. 

 Men's minds have been devoted, for now these 

 weeks past to this one great absorbing topic of 

 conversation, that enlists all minds, commands 

 all judgments, and demands of every individ- 

 ual, from every section, his best exertions, his 

 purest emotions, and justest wisdom. 



" Sir, it is of importance in this issue that 

 the Republic should command the exertions and 

 efforts of all her sous ; and I believe, sir, that 

 now, in the midst of a vital crisis, perils im- 

 pending and dangers upon us, as has been pro- 

 claimed, there is no good reason why this as- 

 semblage of the representative patriotism of 

 the country should, of either its prudence or 

 discretion, excuse my friend from Florida. I 

 believe that even now, from his State, from its 

 glades and everglades, whence the eyes of his 

 constituents are directed with anxious vigi- 

 lance upon our proceedings, could their voice 

 penetrate, a beseeching appeal would be heard 

 that their Representative should stand forward 

 at this juncture in the front of the controversy. 



" I appeal to him, therefore, sir, in the name 

 of our common humanity ; I appeal to him in 

 the hour of peril and in the name of our com- 

 mon country ; I appeal to him by the memories 

 of the past, by the prosperity and continued 

 existence of the State sovereignty in which he 

 glories, to remain on the committee to which 

 he is presented. If, sir, this appeal be unheard, 

 should it prove vain and ineffectual, I may be 

 permitted further to appeal to the House, rep- 

 resenting that common country whose integ- 

 rity is threatened, that, without intentional re- 

 flection upon him, but under the obligation of 

 a great duty to be performed, it negative the 

 motion that my friend from Florida be ex- 

 cused." 



After this eloquent appeal from Mr. Coch- 

 ran, the House spent some time on minor de- 

 tails relative to its action, and adjourned with- 

 out taking the question on excusing Mr. Haw- 

 kins. 



On a subsequent day the question was taken 

 up, and, stating at length his reasons for de- 

 clining, Mr. Hawkins objected to the composi- 

 tion of the committee as " unfortunate and ill- 

 advised." " No Democrat from the powerful 

 and mighty Northwest was a member." He 

 said : " If asked what is all this to me, inas- 

 much as I decline to serve upon the committee, 

 I answer, / want the country to know that it 

 cannot, does not, represent the true sentiment 

 of some of the States, and that a great moral 

 effect is sought to be produced by something 

 that savors of a constructive fraud. So far as 

 the extreme South is concerned, I tell them 

 this committee is the Grecian horse introduced 

 into Troy. The object is to gain time ; delay 

 and demoralize the South by holding forth to 

 its people that there is a great pacificator at 

 work, certain to bring about a political mil- 

 lennium." 



Mr. Vallandigham, of Ohio, observed that he 



