of slave States. The slave power, thus forced to an ex tension of slave territory, began to assert the "essential righteousness" of slavery, and then to deny the power of Congress to restrict it in the Territories. The Kansas-Nebraska Bill accomplished this latter purpose, thus annulling the Missouri Compromise. As soon as it became evident that Kansas would become a free State, the doctrine was further elaborated, and it was asserted to be the duty of Congress to protect slavery. The election of a Republican President in 1860 gave occasion for the one remaining step, secession. Thus was the Civil War begun, and in that struggle slavery perished. Smelling Committee-This vigorous phrase is used by the machine politicians to denote a legislative commitee of inquiry, whose investigation it is feared will result in personal damage to them. Snuff Takers. (See Conscience Whigs.) Soap. A political slang term for money; usually applied to money corruptly used. Social Bands.-A name applied to societies organized in Missouri, after the passage of the KansasNebraska Bill, for the purpose of taking "possession of Kansas on behalf of slavery." Softs, or Soft-shells. (See Barnburners.) Soldiers' Home. This home is intended for aged or disabled soldiers of the regular army of the United States. It is situated at Washington, D. C., occupying a beautiful site outside the city limits, was established in 1851 with the money raised by a levy on the City of Mexico during the Mexican War, and is supported by a regular tax on each soldier of the army. A home for volunteer soldiers of the Civil War is situated at Dayton, Ohio, with branches at Augusta, Maine, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and Hampton, Virginia. Solid South.-Since the Civil War the sympathy of Southern whites has, until now, uniformly been with the Democratic party, and since the withdrawal of Union troops at the South, during Hayes' administration, the Southern States have all voted Democratic, or in the current phrase, have gone solidly Democratic. Hence the term Solid South; that is, the South solidly Democratic. There are signs that the supremacy of the solid South will soon be broken. That event, when it occurs, will be the final step in the series of reconciliations between North and South. Sons of '76. (See American Party.) Sons of Liberty. (See American Knights.) Sons of the South.-A name applied to societies organized in Missouri after the passage of the KansasNebraska Bill, for the purpose of taking "possession of Kansas on behalf of slavery." Sore-head is a person whose ambition is disappointed, not by defeat suffered at the hands of antagonists, but by failure of his party to honor him, and who does not accept the result with good grace. Á sore-head may go to the extent of bolting his party's convention (see Bolters), or he may simply sulk for a time and finally recover his good humor. A kicker (which see) is a general term for a dissatisfied adherent. A sore-head is a kicker with a personal grievance. South Americans.-This term was used before the Civil War to designate the Southern members of the American or Know-Nothing party. Their only desire was to prevent all agitation on the subject of slavery whether for or against the institution. South Carolina was one of the original States of the Union. On December 20, 1860, a State convention passed an ordinance of secession and led all the Southern States into the Confederacy. By Act of June 25, 1868, South Carolina was re-admitted to the Union. The capital is Columbia. The population in 1880 was 995,577, and in the last census (1890) 1,151,149. South Carolina has seven seats in the House of Representatives and nine electoral votes. It is a reliably Democratic State at present in national elections. The two Carolinas were named after Charles I., of England (in Latin Carolus). Popularly it is called the Palmetto State. (See Electoral Commission; Governors; Legislatures.) Southern Confederacy. (See Confederate States.) Southwest Territory. (See Territories.) Speaker of the House of Representatives.-The title of the presiding officer of the House of Representatives (which see). He is elected by the members of that body. Below is given a list of the Speakers of the House of Representatives: STATE. Pennsylvania. Virginia. Kentucky. Indiana. Massachusetts. Georgia. Kentucky. Specie Circular.-Between 1830 and 1836 prosperity largely increased in the United States. Considerable artificial stimulus was afforded by the deposit of government funds in the State banks. The sales of government lands in 1830 yielded $2,329,356.14; in 1836, $24,877, 179.86. New banks, with but little capital, sprung up everywhere and their circulating notes were rapidly absorbed. On July 11, 1836, the Secretary of the Treasury, under Jackson, issued a circular ordering government agents to receive only gold or silver in payment of land sales. This is known as the "Specie Circular." As a result the use of bank notes diminished. The issues were presented for payment with the result of a general suspension of specie payments in May, 1837. Specie Payments. (See Commercial Crisis; Resumption Act.) Specific Duties. (See Customs Duties.) Spoils System. (See Civil Service Reform.) Squatter Sovereignty. (See Popular Sovereignty.) Stalwarts.-This is a name by which a faction of the Republican party is known. The name arose about the time of the national convention of 1880, and was applied to the wing of the party that supported the claims of General Grant to à nomination for a third term; the name was due to the tenacity with which these supporters clung to him. They were led by Senator Roscoe Conkling, of New York. Opposed to them were the Half-breeds, as they were called, under the leadership of James G. Blaine. The contest between these factions was very warm during Garfield's short administration, the quarrel being on the division of the offices. Blaine was Secretary of State, and the administration was regarded as identified with the Half-breeds. The outcome of the quarrel was the resignation of Senator Conkling and his colleague, in the expectation of an immediate reëlection, which would have served as a rebuke to the President. In this Conkling was disappointed. He failed of reëlection. Meanwhile Garfield's death and the accession of Arthur, a Stalwart, together with the latter's judicious conduct, healed the party split, at least on the surface. Nevertheless, the enormous Democratic majority in the New York State election for Governor in 1882, caused as it was by the abstention of Republican voters, showed that the gulf had not yet been bridged. The withdrawal of Conkling from political life, however, aided in uniting the party, and these lines of division have practically disappeared. Standard Silver Dollar. (See Coinage.) Stanton, Edwin M., was born in Steubenville, Ohio, December 19, 1814, and died at Washington, December 24, 1869. He was graduated at Kenyon College, and became a lawyer. He was Attorney-General under Buchanan, and had, up to the Civil War, been a Democrat. In 1862 he became Secretary of War under Lincoln, retaining the post in Johnson's Cabinet until his removal. The impeachment of Johnson was in consequence of alleged illegal acts in connection with this removal. In 1869 Stanton was nominated and confirmed as Justice of the Supreme Court, but died before he could assume the duties. Star Chamber Sessions.-The Star Chamber was an English Court, abolished in the last year of the reign of Charles I. The court was composed of high officers of the realm; it sat in secret; its power which was very great was used to extort money by means of fines, and for the overthrow of powerful enemies of the Crown not otherwise to be reached. The name is said to have arisen from the fact that the roof of the room in which the court met was decorated with stars. In Amer-ican politics the term star chamber sessions is sometimes used to characterize secret sessions of any kind, and is more particularly applied to the executive sessions of the Senate. (See Executive Sessions.) Star Organization. (See American Knights.) Star Route Trials.—Star Routes are those mail routes of the United States government on which, owing to lack of railroad or steamboat facilities, the mail is carried on horseback or wagons. They are called star routes because in the route books of the Post-office Department they are marked with a star (*). Early in 1881 vague rumors were in circulation of extensive fraud in this service. It was said that there was a "ring" to defraud the government. Included in it were some of the large contractors, the Second Assistant Postmaster-General, Thomas J. Brady, some subordinates in the department, Senator Stephen W. Dorsey, of Arkansas, and others. Brady resigned April 20, |