Chapter XXXVI.

discontinued.^' * Twenty -five of the southern members, and all the northern Whigs united in this vote; but the whole delegation of the northern democracy, with the exception of six, refused to unbind the victim whom they were anxious to offer a sacrifice on the altar of slavery, as an earnest and proof of their own fealty. Messrs. Thompson, Wise, and Gilmer, who had distinguished themselves by heaping obloquy upon Mr. Adams, were honored The next day a new insult was oflfered to Mr. Adams All the southern members of the Committee of Foreign Relations, four in number, including Messrs. Gilmer and Hunter, of Virginia, and one northern " servile," resigned their seats, avowing that they could not condescend any- longer to be associated with their Chairman. The Speaker appointed five southern gentlemen to fill the vacancies, and, of these, three, including Mr. Holmes, of South Caro- lina, refused the appointment—Mr. Holmes expressly de- claring, in a letter to 'the Speaker, his repugnance to serve with Mr. Adams. Thus no less than eight members of the House professed to think it derogatory to their dignity to sit in the same Committee with John Quincy Adams. The object was to compel him to resign, or the House to remove him.