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

ont he thought, under all the circumstances, that
was INC best disposition which could be made OF IT.
As nc had heretofore voted i'll favor OF the power
oil that House punish for breach of its privileges,
ana as his present course might look like abandon
my hs former opiuon. hc hoped tho House would
permit hin to state. briefly, the reasons ny whch he
was governed III hIs present determinations In do
ing this, il would be necessary for hIm to review
the Facts Of series of recent transactions, OF which
the now before the House might be considered
the finale. In the first place, he would say that
his opinion : To the power oi the House IN such
cases was unchanged. lie had no tuubt OF the
power of the House 10 punish III this case; nor had
he any doubt that the facts communicated 10 tho
House by the honorable gen lcman from Ohio, Mr.
C"okc,) constituted breach OF lis privileges; that
1t was an attemp: to ov"raws and intimldItc the
honorable mcmhcr, i'll the discharge oil his duties
there, lie had net shadow al doubt. LII not
challenge, i. MAS equivalent 10 one. And when
was it received? On Saturday-,he ry day after
the yeas and nays were taken on certain points in
ito 'st"n'S They had, on that day, brought
| al this thcmSc!vcS-:hcy had proclaimed aloud
to the band of rutnS congrcgatcd in this city, and
prowling about these walls To come here and in
tiict whatever punishment they might think pro-
per any members who should dare to insult their
characters, or wound their feelings, even though
justice to the country aud their constituents might
demand it, Was it no, doing this to say To
thcm, you shall have free ngrcss and egrcss this
iiall-comc armcd-Go as you pease-and the
most we can, will do, is to bring before the
Speakers char, as though 1T all mere school
hoys play, and receive "A little rcpriuaud? Why
sir, (said Mr.. Arnold) the very man who sent this
letter. would desire higher honor than that YOU
should send your Scrgeantat- Arms after him, that
he, too, might be placed on the pinnacle of i'm
portance and glory which the man whose friend
ship he boosted has just lctt-that he, too, might
pass through the iormalty of trial and hc acuuit-
tel, tor snch, i'll fact, he considered the decision
! In Hou>i"uS case. Il the House had the power to
| punish, il should have used IL effectively Sur
rounded, as they were, by band of ruians, no.
thing less thln Incarceration could protect the
bcrs OF that House from their assaults. He knew
! u what he was exposing himself, even in uttcrinp
! these words; hut sooner (snd Mr.. A. than have
| my honest feelings suppressed, | would lay bare
my bosom to the poniard of the assissin--I would
rather my hearts blood should be let forth by his
blade, TO ran IN the cutters OF streets, and be
! Tapped BY dogs. These are times, Mr.. Speaker
when every honest representative of the people is
called on to speak and act tcarleSsy, and for one
will do so, though al the hazard OF my life. The
| member from Ohio has very properly brought this
matter before the House; hut suppose, instead of
doing so, he had complied with the design of the
man who sent that letter, and gone forth TO the
field OF mortal combat, and had been shot by his
antagonist. Would that have been aggravated
a as the which had Just terminated and i'm
which the highest punishment thought TO he de-
served was rcprimand by the Speaker of that
House! Suppose that his adversary had shot him.
but not morislly: that he had, however, wounded
hun badly What punishment could the House
have inflicted on this poor Caronian, who was one
| oil our citizens, when n rrprimand was thought
| punishment enough IN NOR" aggravated case, and
where the offender q citizen of n Cherokee ma
! ton somewhere beyond the Arkansas! Would they
| intiict greater punishment of their own CT
tzcns, than on that man whom they had Just set al
largc-aier telling him, by majority of the House.
That he should not be excluded from that Hall; that
though he had beat and bruised one of its members
though he had broken his bones vet lie should still
be permitted, with his pistols in his belt, and his
dirk ready for use, TO stalk round your halls?
Nj. BOONE here rose to Il question # ORDER
In n
which had been already decided and acted upon by
the House.
Mr.. ARNOLD did not conceive ne was out of or
Ger IN aiiudlng 10 events out of which the present
sub cct directly rose; the conduct of that man
who had said, close to the Speakers Chair, that
he would, right the wrong, wherever given though
il were iii the Court ofIIeaven;' and, as they were
told, 1T was with the utmost diff ,ulty he was re.
strained, by Member of that House from carry
ing his threat into execution at the time Yet this
man majority cfthe House had decided to be u fit
companion of their deliberations
The SPEAKER herc informed the Member from
Tennessee, that it WAS not in order TO rchcc. ON
the decisions CT the House.
Mr. ARNOLD resumed He did not wish to
tranSgrcss the bounds OF order; but lie had felt il
his duty to sly thus much of man, whom he he
iicved TO bc prepared TO execute any crime what
ever in the catalogue of vi!lainy. Yes, (said Mr.
! A. he might come there, and put stiletto be-
/ iilnd my car-hc might do it near the Speakers
Chair-and ii he did, | verify believe it would he a
question, whether he or ought TO be expelled from
these wallis for lie had heard il said on that floor
and by Members that far from Houston dcscr
wing cenSure, he worthy of commentator for
what he had done. How, then, could he vote for
an inquiry, which to result in the tritlmph
OF the accused? Who would talk of punishment
that had seen the issue Of the trial for the wrong
inflicted on his honorable friend from Ohio-for he
would call him his friend, and was proud to do so
though he had seen the attempt to degrade him. in
caricatures, exhibited within those walls in which
nc was represented as Frustrated beneath the ruff
fans bludgeon, and imporng for mercy in tho Ian
guage ascr6ed 10 him by the honorable Senator
from Missouri; and he would take this opporiunitv
to say that he, (Mr. Arnod) could not have stood
by To have seen one DOC worry another; still less
could he have come there to initiate it's whine Mr.
Arnold SAID, this was his objection to- inquiry in
10 the breach OF privilege, which he had doubt
had here been committed in this case; that the
House had virtually refused exercise its powers
OF punishment, in where the offence was of a
much more hcimous character.
Mr STANBERY sad, lie had, on a former oc
casIon, stated 10 the House that the President of
the United States had used language calculated TO |
encourage persons TO assault Mcmb, RS of that House
tor words spoken III debate. Since that period the |
charge has been denied i'll the official paper. lie |
wished now 10 repeat that charge and to inform
the House that nc prepared to substantiate il:
and could IN hall an hour, produce his witnesses al
iiit bar. y question of order was here raised |
but not being sustained, Mr.. :. proc ededj Hs
had mentioned this ia answer TO the Member from,
TenncsscG; and he would tell that gentleman that
it he DESTROYS save the public time aud that
Tie deliberations in that House should 90 on min
crrupcdIy, he had better 60 to the palace and use
ms influence there where, as lie pledged himself to
prove, language had been held, calculated to on
courage those assaults on Members which had led
to great consumption OF the time of the Uouse
Mr.. POLK said, i'll the course of his remarks on
the subject, Inc had sudously avoided any refe
renee 10 the Mcmior from Ohio in tho course of
his remarks former ocCusou, he did say, that /
the attack on thC President OF the Irnurd Si,,c,