The enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1804-1815, 1810-05-29
mo 6.

considered contempt of court by the judg.
es OF any other tribunal. "A specific Charge
had been brought against the honorable Ba
ronet, ana the past transactions of the life
OF the honorable Barone. were brought to
strengthen or to aggraVate this charge. AS
TO the lie OF the honorable BsYonet, he was
! not prepared To say much. He had not the
good fortune to be acquainted with him, and
had never met HIM except in that house ::
out he would say, that no Judge IN any of the
courts otiaw would receive, amy anecdotes of
/ ms former life, when the question was on a
| specific charge. The Right Honorable
\ Gentleman On the other side (the Master
of the Rollsl had appeared TO Consider the.
question as forced upon the House. and that
ON that account they were not at liberty TO
get rid of it. >,
| In this opinion he entirely Ill Tered from
him, and would not agree that the II ,use Of
Commons was boand like an ordinary court
al justice, to Come TO a decision upon every
Question which was proposed tottheir consi-
Iteration. A court Of justice was bound to
determine every case which was brought
before them, without being at liberty to con-
sider whether IL was prudent or imprudent
FOR the parties TO bring such cases before
them. The House OF Commons was howe
yer, not bound in the same manner thew
were not obliged, when any individual Mem
Der read a thing i'll a newspaper, which,
ON a hasty consideration he thought proper
20 oring forward as breach of privilege, to
come To any discussion upon n matter SO pro-
posed There were mary Conside, ations
which 1t was their duty TO attend 10. 1t Of
ten happenedi in policy, as well as in religion.
that punishment produced a contrary effect
Notwithstanding the frequent and severe
punishment tor heresyin former times these
punisnmentsi instead of abating heresy, ap-
pearec to increase it, and even to take the
most recent instance, about a breach of pri-
vilege, the committal of Mr.. Gale Jones,
was so far from putting I stop to attacksup-
ON the II 1use, that it was the very cause &
occasion of tie question now under discus.
sion on another breach of privilege. 1t was
therefore worth consideration whether this
mode or Furnishing for Contempt was likely
to be productive OF good or harm for as the.
late instance of one comnittal for a breach
OF privilege produced khat Which was the
subject OF the present discussion, it ought Sc
riousiy to be considered. whether the decisi-
on on the present case might not prodocc a
number OF other writings, which would be
as great or greater violations of the privi..
leses OF that House aud whether the House
could by any exercise of its power of com.
initial, stop such publications He thought
that the present time was no..a proper one
tor agitating questions of this nature, at a
time when the nation felt most acutely the
losses and disgrace of the Expedition to Wal
cheren. They had been told by the House
OF Commons, that rhis expedition had been
wisely planned, and ably eXecuted-(Loud
cries Of hear, hear 1t must be allowed
that the opinion of the House and of the coun-
try upon that subject WAS diametricaliy op-
posite-( Hear. fear He thought that
at SUCH time. when the opinions Of the
N alton and Its Representatives were SO op-
posite on an important subject, it was not
prudent or advisable to resolve upon COM
ing 70 decision which would necessarily
be discussed and canvassed in every Corner
OF the Kingdom and in the consideration OF
which, public Opinion might probably again
run contrary to- the declared opinion of that
House { Cries Of No, no, from The Minis
teriat aide Of thr House What! said the
Hon. and learntEd member, are they not sa-
tisfed that the opinion of the house and the
Aation are opposite to each other on that
question to which have alluded mo. no.
from tie Ministerial side, and loud cheer
ing from The OPPOSITION benches } lfthen
they will not allow that the sense of the ma
ton is against them on that point, let them
suppose IT they can, that the Country is
ready to support them in similar expedite
ons! Let them suppose if they can, that the
country is ready to approve of their commit
tails, and OF the construction they think PRO-,
per to draw from those papers which they
shall consider to hatye been written in viok
iation of their privileges. IF they do SO far
shut their eyes as to believe that the coun.
try approves of such measures, fear that,
| they will soon find themselves wretchedly.
mistaken, and that they will regret those
measures which they now SO warmly de
fend."