Mr.Vinton had moreover been selected as the Whig candidate for Speaker in the preceding Congress, when that party was in minority.

The decision against him now created no little feeling in Whig circles, especially in the West where he was widely known and highly esteemed.

But, while Mr.Winthrop was rewarded by this nomination for his vote in favor of the Wilmot Proviso, the more pronounced anti-slavery men were hostile to him.

In the end he owed his election to timely aid from Southern Whigs.

This fact, no doubt, had its effect on Mr.Winthrop's mind, and with other influences tended to separate him rapidly and conclusively from the anti-slavery wing of the Whig party.
It would, however, be unjust to Mr.Winthrop not to recognize that the chief reason for his selection as Speaker was his pre-eminent fitness for the important post.