t which
startled us a few weeks since at Harper's ferry." Crawford, of
Georgia, declared: "We will never submit to the inauguration of
a black Republican President."

The Republicans generally remained silent and demanded a vote.

Mr. Corwin, then a Representative from Ohio, elected after a long
absence from public life, endeavored to quiet the storm. Frequent
threats of violence were uttered. Angry controversies sprang up
between Members, and personal collisions were repeatedly threatened
by Members, armed and ready for conflict. No such scenes had ever
before occurred in the Congress of the United States. It appeared
many times that the threatened war would commence on the floor of
the House of Representatives. The House remained in session the
week between Christmas and New Year's Day. During this excitement
my vote steadily increased until on the 4th day of January, 1860,
on the 25th ballot, I came within three votes of election; the
whole number of votes cast being 207; necessary to a choice 104,
of which I received 101. John A. McClernand, of Illinois, received
33, Gilmer 14, Clement L. Vallandigham, of Ohio, 12, and the
remainder were scattering.

At this time Henry Winter Davis, of Maryland, an American, said to
me, and to others, that whenever his vote would elect me it should
be cast for me. J. Morrison Harris, also an American from the same
state, was understood to occupy the same position. Garnett B.
Adrain, of New Jersey, an anti-Lecompton Democrat, who had been
elected by Republicans, it was hoped would do the same. Horace F.
Clark, of New York, also an anti-Lecompton Democrat who had been
elected by Republicans, could at any moment have settled the
controversy in my favor. It was well known that I stood ready to
withdraw whenever the requisite number of votes could be concentrated
upon any Republican Member. The deadlock continued.

On the 20th of January, 1860, Mr. Clark, who had introduced the
Helper resolution, said:

"I wish to make a personal explanation with regard to my personal
feelings in the matter of this resolution. I never read the letter
of which the gentleman from Georgia speaks, and do not take to
myself articles that appear in newspapers, unless they make
imputations against my moral integrity. That resolution was
introduced by me, as I have frequently remarked, with no personal
ill-feeling towards Mr. Sherman, the Republican candidate for
speaker, apart from what