Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1832-05-15

~ HuCS'toh Us'pS
Huntington's resolutions,
Mr.. Clay demanded a division OF the ques'
ton.
The question was then stated to be on the hrst
branch Of the amendment, which was in the FOL
lowing words:
THAT Samuel Houston be brought to the bar
Of the House on Monday next. at IL o'clock,
and be there reprimanded by the Speaker for the
contempt and violation Of the privileges Of the
House Of which he has been guilty; and that he
be discharged from the custody Of the Sergeant
alarms"
Mr.. WickIiae demanded the Yeas and Nays,
and thew were ordered.
Mr.. Archer observed that the majority seemed
nov to wish to creep out Of the position they had
assumed in relation to their power to punish for
contempts. He asked them to work out their
own propositions: as they claimed unlimited pow
err to punish, let them imprison the offender, and
then on a habeas Corpus the question OF right
could be tried before a Tribunal strictly Impair
! tial, (which the House could not be supposed to
be, as it was ,tselfa party.) To reprimand the Of
fender merely was to propose a punishment hit Tor
school boys.
Mr.. Huntington replied. IF the gentleman
wanted Imprisonment, with a view to try the ques-
ton of power. let him move an amendment to
tTdl entCts 4NulIltiIS " oS oS'Sh
MIR. H. objected to the insinuatOn that 4 ma
jority sought to Creep out Of their own doctrine.
He thought nothing could be more expressive Of
the sense the House entertained Of the indignlty
which had been offered through it, to the rights OF
the People. than the measures he had proposed:
he considered the punishment as much more Sc
we're than a brief imprisonment.
Mr.. Thompson, of Georgia, expressed his
hope, that, as the majority had had lirmness en-
ough to take ground ON their privilege, they would
pIay out the play. An exclusion from the priv.
legged seats would be superseded, should the peo-
pie Of Tennessee las was not impossible or i'm
~probable) send the individual to the House in the
character of their Representative.
The question being now put on the first reso-
luton. Mr.. Harper moved the previous question.
On that motion Mr.. Huntington demanded the
yeas aud nays
Mr.. Sutherland reminded the Chair that il had
decided, during previous stage "f this trial,
that the previous question could NOT he put.
The Chair decided the motion to he 10 order;
but the call was not seconded.
The question vas then put on MIR. Hunting
tons fest amendment, flor a reprimand,) and de.
ciled bv yeas and nays as f~ollows:-Yeas LOG,
Nays SO.
So the resolution was agreed to.
The question then coming up on the second
resolution, (for excluding from the privileged
seats,)
Mr.. Carson expressed his hope that it would
not De adopted. lie ldverted to Mr.. Houston's
former membership and honorable character, and
insisted, that thoagh he had acted rashly, he had
done nothing to exclude him from the society OF
honorable men. He had suffered for his coun-
try. and would be a sufferer to the day OF, his
z a.. -..-o
NJ. Cambreleng SAID, that the punishment now
proposed, surpassed even what was claimed TO
br inflicted bv the British Parliament. The ut
most limit to which the House could 60. was i'm
prisonment during the residue of the session. -
To 20 beyond that was downright usurpation-(he
said i, with the utmost respect for the House. -
Surely gentlemen would not desire to intiict a pu.
nishment during life upona gentleman, and a man
Of honor. for one rash act.
Mr.. Coke said, the House had been favored
with a piece OF learning which he had not expect
ed from the gentleman from New York, a gen.
tleman 80 profoundly read in constitutions law.
That the punishment Of withdrawing a privilege
granted bv one of it's rules as a mark OF induI-
gence to certain individuals, was a punishment
Utranscending all that was claimed to be exercised
by the British Parliament! He had hoped there
would have been greater harmony with respect to
this than any other part of the proceedings; but
to his astonishmant and modification he found it
othervis e. II a man chose to read the constltu-
ton in one particular way. and pronounce every
other construction of it to be an enormIty, it was
he who was justly to be charged with usurpa'
ton.
Mr.. C.. adverted to the threat uttered by Mr..
Houston, within a few Of the Speakers chair,
and insisted tha, after a man had used such Ian.
euage. and had added profanity to outrage, he
thought he was unworthy of being INDUCED with
an admission to the privileged seats in that
Hall.
Mr.. Craig, Mr.. Blair, and Mr.. Clayton. re-
monstrated against CARRYING the punishment fur.
Their than a rebuke. The rights OF the House had
been now secured by the vote already passed. and
there could BIZ no necessity Of pushing the pro.
ceeding any further. Mr.. Clayton related the
anecdote of an old soldier. who, when ordered
to Jail for obstreperous behaviour in presence of
the Court, had lifted his stump Of an arm to the
Judge, and said, 81 will go; but | lost tha< arm
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