Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1832-05-22

tctlaih the OPINION attributed TO him; that the
House was exceeding it's constitutional powers;
but that he had threatened or cndcavorcd to in.
nnidatc any of It's members, he had denied, and
did then deny, toto carlo; and he challenged the
member from Ohio, TO the proof that he had done
80 Tie, air. P.) at no loss, however, To un.
dcrstand the whole course of tactics adopted ON
thi' occoSion he was too old in the school of po-
htics not TO know for what purpose certain sumo.
sitons as to MIR. Houston, and his connection with
the Executive, had been put forth in that House
The member from Ohio had directed him To 90
to the palace; lac did not exactly understand the
honorable gentleman. In the first place, he mir
~ should not call the house of the Chief Mauis
tratc prlacc; ho was quite SO regal i'm his NO
tions. But what WAS he to go there for! What
was there in his conduct that day which had call,
cd for such advice from the member from Ohio7
lie had said that he for n business party in
that House; and he thought that the state az h,
sincss here would Justify the WISH for what, then
was he told TO go TO the palaccl MIR. Z. concluded
by rcgrctting that lac had been drawn into this dis
cussion; chat he had bcen was entirely OWING to-
the remarks of the gentleman from Ohio; of whom
he felt /, his duty To say, that he had the peculiar
faculty, whenever he i'll that House, of pro-
ducing excitement.
Mr.. SrANBERY said, that what was asserted
there either for against the truth of his assert
ion, was of little avail. He would offer an amend
mcnt to tho resolution, which would at once put
1t TO the proof, whether the President of tho Uni
ted States had acted in the manner charged or not
by making it part of the inquiry of the proposed
Committee Mr. 5. then offered his amendment;
but withdrew it temporarily, at the request of Mr.
Burgess.
Mr.. burgess regretted, extremely, that when
all illusions To the Executive had been studiousy
avoided by the majority in this case, the honora-
bile Member from Tennessee had thought proper to-
bring up the remarks, or assertions Of the news
papers on the subject; he thought it Il course not
only undignified, but uncandid towards tho Mem
bers of that House. 1t was, in fact, very scri-
ous and he believed it very unjust reflection,
that a majority of that House had cndcavored -
make an impression the country through the
medium OF the newspapers. There light be men
who came into that House, who had not seats as
Representatives of the people, who would wifuly
taslty It's proceedings, and send abroad their mis-
statements TO promote the ends of the party of
which they were the hireings; but would the gen
tieman from Tennessee assert, that the majority of
The Members of that House capable of tainrer-
ing with the editors of newspapers, for the sake of
producing false impression the public? He
hoped not. For his own part, however adverse
he might have been to the election of Andrew
Jackson, as President of the United States, he had
not, nor would he, utter words of oboGuy against
hun, as such, either in that House elsewhere.
At the same time, he did think that the Member
from Tennessee ought not TO provoke the agitation
OF things which might not look we'll TO the public
eyc-which might not sound well to the Public
ear. Several Members here called on Mr.. b. to
tell them. Who calls on (Said Mr.. b. 10 tell?
Am / gossip to relate What may be said either in
tins House or elsewhere? He did not say that
such things would he revealed; he had merely said
they might be; as, who could tell what might not
be "in the great volume of unwritten Time" He
Kept no notebook of the rumnurs which were
aiioat; he let them pass him the idle wind; un-
less they were such might affect the interests of
his country. But, nevertheless, he would warn the
Member from Tennessee not to provoke an unne-
ecssary agitation of such questions. He had done
so, and III 4 manner altogether grauous. The
Member from Virginia, (Nlr Doddrdge,) had mere
~ SAID that rumours 10 such and such purport,
had appeared in the newspapers; and he (Mr. b.
must protest against the of the Member
from Tennessee, as passing strange, TO say the
least of 1T. lie had, indeed, noticed with some
what Of surprise, that " hcncvcr alusion was
made to the dignity Of that assembly, that gen
teman always took occasion TO say, that he felt
none OF 1t. That gentleman welcome to feel
rs humble as he plcascd but [said Mr.. b for my
part, am too humble in myself not to feel eleya-
ted as the representative Of 20, 900 frccmcn-to
feel that they have dnputcd the trustees of
their rights, their interests, and their Liberties.
Whatever might be his feelings elsewhere, when
within those walls he felt himself standing Oh the
shoulders of his constituents aud he felt assured
that whilst he discharged his duties there, Inc should
be sustained by them in that elevated conditions;
and with regard to the member from Tennessee
he would say thus much that if lie held the ap-
pointncnt, and felt no dignity from the station
he was not the man his constituents took him 10 be-
when they conferred it upon him. Mr. b. con-
tended that the question before the House was NOT
as To the right of the member from Ohio, but the
rights OF the House and the nation; he considered
tins as but part of system intended TO awe
that assembly in its deliberations. With regard TO
the person implicated il was not Improbable as
had been suggested, that he might feel himself ell
cvatcd from state of insignilicance, should the
House take notice of his conduct. He coul not
tcll-he knew nothing of the iudividual-t had in
decd been whispered, tina: he had written this let
ter from persuasion, that ii would not be an
swcrcd in an hostile manner; that fine had thought
1t would have been answered. blood for blood, lie
would not have written it, he had heard it rumorcd
mat he was man who, if hen should set up her
feathers against him, would runaway. All this he
had heard, but whether true not, was of little
consequence to that House. 1t had boon further
said, that he was disappointed Office seeker; if So
he should vent his spleen in another quarter.
With regard to the business party, which the
wish of the member from Tennessee to form, he
would only observe, that he, MIR. b. was sorry
There should be any party at all in that House; but
he supposed the gentleman had been long us od
to act with a party, that it had become, it we're
the breath of his political life. Mr.. b. after some
further remarks, concluded by expressing himself
in favor of the resolution offered by the member
from Ohio, (Mr. Crane)
Mr.. DODDRIDGE said, he undcrst God the mem.
Der from X. /. TO have alluded to him. as having
brought the subject of the newspaper reports be.
tore the House. Such not the fact. The
member from Tennessee, (Nr. Pok,) had alluded
to those reports; and what he, (Mr. D. had said
was in answer TO that allusion. He had under
stood that gentleman to aludc to those reports
for the purpose ef denying them on that floor
My reply, (said Mr.. d. was, that if he or anv
other honorable gentleman on the floor, would
assent from his own knowledge that the assertions
were unfounded, would believe him But that
gentleman had demanded too much; the matters
were such did not necessarily come within his
own knowledge; and his answer implied that ne
must have rcsorted TO the testimony of other par
ties, the subject. Mr.. D. concluded, by repeat
ing his denial that he had been the mcansof intro
ducing the subject of the newspaper reports before
the House.