Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-04-24


request for permission u make motion prelimi-
nary in its nature, the House should determine to
proceed.
After good deal of conversation, it was rcsol-
we'd TO receive the motion which the accused desired
to make.
Mr.. Key then, after predatory remarks,
moved that u particular member the House (not
namcd) who had expressed in debate an opinion
favorable to the accused, should be exc udcd from
sitting n member the trial.
On motion the accused was then ordered to with
draw from the bar, and was with his counsel con-
Quoted out of the House.
| debate followei on this motion, and continued
some time, when it stated by Mr.. Archer that
he had received n request from the counsel of the
acccuscdto be permitted to withdraw the motion.
Leave was given. The accused and counsel were
again admitted, when the motion formally
| withdrawn.
/ The Speaker then, (after the clerk had read to
the accused the letter of Mr. Stanbcry) put the first
ntcrrogatory, directed by order ofthe House, yes
! terday, as follows:
Doyou admit or deny that you assaulted and
beat the said Stanbcry, as he has represented in
the letter which has been read, copy of which has
been delivered to you by the order of the House? g..
The accused replied that his counsel would re-
spond to the intcrrOgatory for him; whereupon
Mr. Key read from paper substantially, as fol-
| lows: He denied the charge in the form in which
1T was set forth he admits that he felt great indig
nation on reading the remarks of Mr.. Stanbery, as
reported in the lntclligenccr, charging him with
|
which he was innocent He says that he inquired
of Mr. Stanbery if the report truly set forth what
he had said, which inquiry Stanbery refused to
swer. He admits that he greatly excited by
the manner of this refusal, and did, accidentally
meeting with Mr.. Stanbery, beat him. He says
that he himself was armed with ordinary walk
ing stick that Mr.. S. armed with pistols; that
he meet him several hours after the House had adj
Journcd, half mile from the Capitol, and the
side of the street opposite that of Mr.. Stanberys
| lodgings He denies that in what past he intend |
cd to commit contempt against the House, a |
breach OF the privileges of it's members. He de- |
MES that the act involves such contempt or breach;
and is prepared justify his conduct, far as the
House is concerned, by proof and argument
The second mterrogatory was then put to the &C
cused by the Speaker, follows
DO you admit or deny that the said assault and
beating were done for and account of words sPo-
ken by the said Stanbery in the House of Represen-
tativcs in debate
| To which the accused replied that the response
given to the first interrogatory, embraced
Swer to the second, and he declined giving any
other.
The House then, motion, postponed further
proceedings in this until tomorrow at twelve
o'clock, and the accused was conducted from tho
bar.
| On motion of Mr. Davis of Massachusetts,, he
excused, the of i'll health, from serving
on the Committee appointed to conduct the inves
l Ggation.
|
referred to.
Mr. Arnold said, it had been his intention not to
have uttered single word on the question then be
fore the House; should he have departed from
that intention, had it not been for a certain part of
the speech of the gentleman who had just
taken his seat. He rose, not enter
into the discussion of the question of privilege
but to vindicatc the reputation of the State from
which he came. His colleague had thought proper
to take it upon himself on this occasion, to refer
|
tobe- lamented fact-which Tennessee, and Ten
nesseans wood always dcplore-the fact, that Sa-
muel Houston Governor of that State.
He (Mr A y felt himself called on-such having
| been the course of his colleague-to declare be-
fore that House, that Tennessee felt herself hum
bled-ayc, even to the humility of dust and ashes
| when she remembered the fact that that indiv
| dual did once preside her councils. Whate-
yer his colleague had told the House that day, to
the contrary, nc MR. Al pledged himself that the
declaration he had just made to the House upon
this subject was true to the very letter 1t not
his wish TO have introduced this topic; he should
not have done SO, but for the ill-timed culogy of
his colleague, in which NE had brought the unfortu-
nate truth prominently before the HCuse-that
the party now accused was once Governor Of Ten
nessee; under such circumstances, he felt himself
imperatively called upon, as a Member of that
| House, and a Tennessean to do all in his power
to wipe off the stigma thus cast upon the character
of his State. He would endeavor do in a
| lew words, by explaining the circumstances under
| which Samuel Houston elected Governor His
election took place at time, he would inform the
House, when Tennessee was laboring under pow
erfu and peculiar political excitement; and it was
merely the torCo OF that excitement which placed
that individual in the gubcrnatoria chair, 1t hap
pened, unfortunately, that Samuel Houston was a
sort of pet-a peculiar favoritc of the present
Chief Magistrate, whose popularity, at that time,
with swelling tide swept every thing before it; and
thus it happened that, laying hold of the skirts of
that popularity, Samuel Houston was borne on
ward by the current, and carried into the Govern
| orship of Tennessee
| Mr.. A. said it was not his intention then to en-
| ter into any further examination, state any of
the views which he held to the public or pr.
yate character of the individual i'll question: though
| he had views on that subject which might
be interesting to the House; he was as well
acquainted with the character of Governor Hous-
ton as his colleague was; he had met him, had
measured arms with him in debate before the
people of TenncsSce-to use western phrase,
| he knew him from to izzdrd. 1t is sug-
gcsted to me, said NJ. a., by member from
Ohio, that there is improperly in thus ex-
pressing opinion to the character of an indi-
yidual, upon whose guilt innocence of a certain
4 charge, we sit here judges. He, (Mr.
As saw the difficulty. But had he given
any opinion to that charged Had hc even
lntimatcd what his opinion was upon that sub
JccH No. Tic had merely risen to perform what
nc conceived duty to his State-aftcr the
House had heard the remarks Of his collea-
guc and he, (Alr. Al would rather absent him
sell from his seat, and not give vote as to the
guilt or innocence of the accused party on this
particular charge, than have sat silently in his
seat and heard the character of his State ira
duccd as had been by the remarks of his col
| league MIR. y. said he hoped he could rise
above all paltry considerations in deciding on
the question Of the guilt innocence of the ac-
cuscd-he hoped that he could do Justice to his
State, and yet do justice TO Samuel Houston
When this matter is investigated, if it shall appear
H., tf 10