Vermont telegraph. [volume] (Brandon [Vt.]) 1828-1843, 1837-03-22

are 10 Be held amenable, is VIGOROUSLY T
under the dictation Of tie President, and
IS selected by an officer of his appoint
ment and have we not seen the Execu-
tive debating to the Senate and to this
House, and calling upon members to
purge themselves of contempt
Mr.. Waddg Thompson was brought
up again. He referred, he said, to the
laws OF 8. Carolina, and, by those laws,
if any member Of the Legislature should
pFessnta petition from slaves he would
be liable to indictment by "a Grand Jury.
Mr.. Adams-That may do for South
ern Legislature, to help out the gentle
man, and If it is the law of South Carroll
ma that the members Of her Legislature
are held amenable to petit and grand iuries
for'words spoken in debate, God Almighty
receive my thanks that am not citizen
Of South Carolina! tGreat sensation
Mr.. Piekens OF South Carolina rose, ap-
parently to explain this subject
! Mr.. Adams-waivIng his hand 1 can.
not yield the floor to that gentleman. Sir,
in Great Britain, which we call monar-
chy, the Legislative body corresponding to
this House, the Commons, cannot elect
their Speaker without the appreciation of
the King. Suppose, Sir, member of
this House should propose to send a mes
sage to the President for his approval Of
our choice Of Speaker? What would
be the opinion of that act, by the slave
holding Representatives themselves .
Then would be the time, if ever, to send
the member who should make such a
proposition, to the Grand Jury.
Well, Sir, the FIRST act of the Speaker
chosen by the British Commons, subject
to the approval of the King, is to demand
Of the King freedom of speech for the
Commons, and the King never send them
to the Grand Juries Of Westminster to
settle it,
l will not take up the time of the House
on this point, but cannot express the
amazement, with which such doctrine,
such threat, will be regarded when it
shall 60 forth in this debate, to all the nom
slaveholding states-amazemen that the
momenpit was uttered, it was not Instantly
rebuked by the Speaker from the Chair
Sir, if l ever could bring my mind to
censure member of this House for any
language uttered here, can conceive of
nothing more deserving It, than such a
real, gross contempt Of the House as this
What, Sir, the members of this House
the Representatives of this whole nation,
answerable to Grand Jury Of this Dis
trict for words spoken in this Housed
The members from New-England, from
New Y ork, New-Jersey, Pennsylvania,
Ohio and the free western States, amena-
: bic to Grand Juries of the District of Co.
t lumbia for their acts as Representatives!
: liable to be tried as felons and punished
j as incendiaries, for presenting or "giving
: color to the idea" that they may present
4 petitions not exactly agreeable to certain
n gentlemen from the South! Sir, if that
e Is the condition upon which we hold our
J seats here, and exercise our functions as
q the Representatives of our constituents, the
5 gentleman from Virginia {Mr. Wise) has
W anticipated me in what l had to say; and
l. that is, if Grand Juries, constituted as
j. they will be here; if they are to be made
8 the avengers of whatever may be said OF
o done in this House, how. long will it be
e before the gentleman from South Carroll.
e ma himself, tMr. Waddy Thompson) will
d have 10 answer before Grand and Petit
le Jury of the District, as an incendiarv, fol
Of words spoken here against the Executive
y And l ask him with what frmness or free
le dom he could resist Executive power, i
y for every word he utters he is to be hello
amenable to Grand Jury, selected by
le the Marshal, an officer appointed by the
y PRESIDENT Let that gentleman, let every
i, member Of this House, ask his owr
he heart, with what confidence, with wha
nj boldness, with what freedom, with wha
l. firmneSs, he would give utterance to hi
in opinions on this floor if for every word
in for q mere question asked of the Speaker
IN involving question belonging to human
It. freedom, to the rights of man, he was liza
1e BILE to be tried as felon or an incendiary
e, and sent to the Penitentiary! And thi
Id jury, selected by an officer Of the Presi
&c dent, are to be the supreme Judges Of tn
5, sovereign American people, in the perso
MS Of their Representatives Such is tn
se, avowed doctrine of the gentleman fror
OF South Carolina; such are his notions {
ly freedom Of speech and of civil Liberty !
Ut i have dweh loKg on this topic, an
re- viii abridge, what / had to say of othe
"a matters brought into this debate. l NIGH
y! perhaps, have been willing to have ha
e. the yeas and nays taken on this resolutio
IA 70 censure me, without saying one word
re but il was impossible for me to renal
no silent without calling on the House t
X mark and repeal this sentiment eayowe
= by the gentleman from South Carolina
her Ecould notlpass over such sentiment u
~ tered on this floor, and not as it ought
gh have been, at once put down by the Speal
be er. ~s--E..-.. :
md Sir, / do not know how far the Soutl
hv arn Oenflenon mill o., JA-s,> .bot an