Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1810-06-22

House iss i1s detsTnins s,e rules Of iiss pro-;
.esedinxs. = BE. Ii win bs eonssudsd that
.shs House Of Rspresen tasives. haxiag essab-.s
Iishssi certain roles nponthIsFoint, 8 having
sbSs acted clearly wishiit the Purview 81 lbs
csnstitunonal powers, its actin thar case is
valid sad bisdisgs as ali times and upon all
psrsohs. This objection has been ansicipat-.
ed, & has already been met By she Obvious,
and, il shumbly presumed, nnanswerable
remark, thas the rules of the house are,
binding upoa mslnbsrs only, and upon them
only bils.thsyl continue members. he.
rules are made for The purpose of ressiats-
ing debates and deeisicns. They are ID nc no
sense Ia u ,he land. II is ara,e. that
members shall address the Speaker ina
certain manners it is another that they
shall speak in decorous style, and shall DC
sileneed II they do NOS; Il is another, that
they shaff speak but a certain number or
times upon question it is another, that,
their votes shall be collected, and the; deci-
sion announced In apartieular form. These,
and every other ''-rule" that can be men
toned, relate to the temporary regulRicut,
of the proceedings Of a legislative body.
So completely are all these rules temporary
in their nature and character, that each
successive house assemblies without any,
rule whatever, and the clerk of the preced-,
ing house, himself officially defunct as we'll
sas every other member Of that house, calls
for theyotes Of the members for aSPeaker,
because some step must be taken, or the
house can never organize itself! The
:" rules are to precedes the formation Of
:. laws" and TO enable the two houses to
forusthem, but have no binding force upon
any person without the walls of the capitol,
or beyond the time for which the members
swhc make them areeEected. The cons.itu-
tional power to "Punish members for dis
orderly behavior, and, with the concur.
renee of two thirds, sxpel metaber, = is.
enIheeted wfsES -. .
rules OF Pt6eeeaiig,' artf eorss.ss:s:s
shows clearly that It was. not contemplated
that The rules should operate upon persons
other than members, or upon members be.
vond-t3e time for which the house should
he elected, which should make such rules.
The letter Of The constitution does mot,
therefore, enable the house to do more, in
this respect, than "atetermine the rules of
its proceedings, shatis, the rules that shall
govern the house while il remains house,
that shall govern IT'S proceedings while i,
exists, and neither letter nor spirit author
Uses the house to5iupose, by any such rule,
an injunction of secrecy upon any individual
whatever, upon any subject whatever, be.
yond the period of its own constitutional
existence. -" t. -
If these arguments be conclusive, as to
the writer they appear to be, there is no.
thing on the score Of duty thar can prevent
him from making as full a disclosure of
concealed documents and debates, as he
may deem essential to the great obiect'he
ha, inview. But DUTY some thing, po4.-
cY another. "A certain sense Of !decorum.
and propriety, also, is always to be regard.
ed. All things that may be lawful may not
be expedienL Fhei goveInmen, should be
treated with some rtspecs, even whenishas
ceased tqFespect itself. However,, as, the
point of duty. hasbeen made clear. that Of
policy wiilouly be incidentally examined in
the progress of the main subject, to- the
view OF which the reader will be ,insrodae-
ed wishOu. further delay. - 8. :.
.u,.;,1v .<S,,IJ ~, A.Co- a.. =, -. -