Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1832-06-14
NEWPORT I. THURSDAY MORNING, a.,

ranted by any grant in the Constitution:
that the punishment Of Houston for
the violation Of the law, belonged to the
Judiciary, not to Congress:-fhat the
power of Congress to punish for con-
temPts belonged TO it only in its capacity
as body to preserve its deliberations
from interruptiOn:-that no act which
did not affect its functions as deliberate
assembly, could be construed into an
offence agains, it as political body
that it existed only as a deliberathe g
body when the members were assembled
together in the Capitol:-and hence us
po,ccr Of sey protection was confined to
us rails, for it had 10 being beyond
them:-that the individual members of
the House, when it was not in session,
were upon footing with other citizens
they were under the protection Of the
laws, and the court would redress all in
juries to them, as to others" TO sus-
tain this view, he adverted to the case
of Casimir Perier, the present Prime
J Minister of France, and member of
the House of Deputies. lie stated that
from late accounts it appeared tho Pre-
micr had, IN the discussion in the House
of Deputies, improperly aspcrsed the
character Of IA French ctiZen-tllat the
citizen awaited the adjournment of the
House, met him beyond the walls, and
chastised him for the insult. The Deputy
and Prime Minister complained to the
House, and WAS referred by it to the
laws aid judicial authority for redress.
And this, he observed, was the proper
course.
The President expressly declared to
MIR. Danforh, Barringer, and others,
that Gor. Houston's conduct couid not be
justified, but asked in turn whether mem
bers Of Congress could be justified in
sandering private citizens, and in vioat-
ing the rules Of the House by departing
from the topic under discussion for such
purpose? He maintained that the
slandcrer was worse than the murderer
-because Disgrace was worse than death
and so much the worse, as death it.
self was no cure for calumny-that an
honorable man would rather die than
submit to have his character destroyed
lie ired jor character.
On the suggestion that the course ta-
ken towards Mr. Stanberry wonld lead TO
u scene Of violence at Washington city,
he observed, that the mischief ,rould cure
itself; that when Members of Congress
became sensible by the occurrence of
few such cases, that the free citizens
of the country would not submit to be
abused by them, but would hold them
personally responsible for ISLANDERS on
their private character. they would cease
to utter them. But that so long as
Members of Congress were permitted to
avail themselves Of what was assumed
to be a privileged station, to traduce
private characterize assail> the ieputa-
ton Of an American citizen, or that of
his wife or daughter, (for innocent
women had already been slandcred in
the debates of Congress,) it would ine-
vitably lead to personal violence. 1t be-
longed to Congress, then to prevent
such scenes, by requiring its members
to abide by the rules ofthe House, and
not violate its order, their own constitu-
tional duties, and the rights of the citi-
zen, by wandering beyond the prescrib-
ed limits of debate; that it was the duty
of the House, If it could not restrain, to
expel disorderly members; that libels on
private character, promulgated on the
floor Of the House, and transferred to
the public journals,--sanctioned by the
character and protected from being
questioned in Court of law by the con-
stitutional privileges of the body-would
drive citizens, as had been the case with
Houston, to violations of the law as their
only means Of vindication; that, under
such circumstances Stanberry had invited
he treatment he suffered, and had Great
I'd the impression that he deserved it.
To an intimation made by MIR. Dan
orh, that public functionarics ought TO
,e protected, coupled with the enquiry
whether the President had no other pro-
ection than as Andrew Jackson, he re-
,lied that the law sufficiently protected
hem all; that the President had no other
than as Andrew Jackson, and
hat was enough; that to men, conducting
themselves properly, this precious book,
alluding to a book of constitutions, on
which he laid his HANDY gave ample Sc
urity; and that it gave Congress no
ight to punish for assaults and batteries
ommitted in the streets; that the acts Of ,
congress, in relation 10 contempfs 10 {
;ouis, showed the opinion entertained ,
y it, that the offence could only be COM
,itted, in the presence ofthe body often q
cd--and yet the House Of Representa- {,
YES, in the late case, has refused to be {
ound by its own principles as embodied n
! this law. j.
The only additional ideas advanced by Q
lie President, on this subject, in :he in Il
,ryinw ai which WE were nrescnt. We a.