American Statesmen Author:John Torrey Morse Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: III A MEMBER OF THE HOUSE OP REPRESENTATIVES The House of Representatives of the Thirty-fourth Congress was made up of groups. No political organization co... more »mmanded a majority. One hundred and eight members were classed as Republicans, eighty-three as Democrats, and forty-three as Americans. Changing conditions arose from the gradual disintegration of the old Whig party, and the formation of the Republican, or anti-Nebraska, as well as the American, or Know-Nothing, party, which latter for seven or eight years attracted a considerable following. In the re-alignment of parties the Whigs had not yet settled upon their political associations. Presumably those in the North eventually joined the Republican party, and those in the far South the Democratic party. In the intervening country, and particularly in the States of Tennessee and Kentucky, a considerable number, after first acting with the American organization, adhered to the so-called Constitutional Union party, which nominated Bell and Everett in 1860. In 1856 the Whigs went through the form of holding a national convention, and of framing a platform, yet they could do no better than to ratify the nominees of the American party, although on vital questions their platforms were widely different. A majority of the House of Representatives in the Thirty-fourth Congress were regarded as opposed to the administration of President Pierce, but there was not that coherence in the opposition which would make it possible to act in harmony upon any affirmative policy. The existence of groups made itself manifest at the very beginning, in the failure to elect a Speaker. The House met December 3,1855, but although there was no adjournment for the usual holiday recess, a Speaker was not selected until February 2, 1856. The anti-Nebra...« less