Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1837-02-11

~ eoaen, 4, tho or,ls, and details of what had transpir-
ed. Unless we can agr:e among Ourselves 40 ~ tna. W.
curfence, we conld lot. with any pF"p'ety' ~
one who differed 10 more iron, US than we emone ou''
selves.
He haG ju.t come in femn The c"mm'tt'e room ana
aid not ur.,.rstard how this discussiua arose, nor the
precise eject that was in view. lie presumed IL was
int nded to rnt the ii""se and country IN posses
sion Of an accurate and trne account ot what occur
red between Mr.. Peyton and Mr.. whitney. hs ~
many Earring accounts had gone fnssh, such a ~ .
not without. reason in its favor. He had not aeatu ue
accounts given by those who preceded hifa ana nsms
he could not say whether those accounts were III w. ~ of
ance with his own recollection or not: II was no ran =
his purpose to express an opinion al this INK :, :,
RICHNESS Of the statements fothers, ana ce[,an",y ~ mr.,
relation to statements which he had hearo only -. :" .ha
Nor would he now express any opinion CONCERTS Wsn;.
card of Mr.. Whitney. The gentleman " ;oe - the
tMr. Wise) had q day or two egg g,veh h ,o,de 10 the
committee that when the report shoulo DC "uo " ~
FIou.p a, he understood him, he should o''hg Up ~
subject Of that card, and should deny the rum OF u,
except the copies Of the question ana answer; ."
time and not at he pssse" nf discussion is He though,
,hs committee had not generally expected It 10 come up
IN dav and he believed they were not generally m OUT
if ,hey were, he strongly doubted the p:cfrie,y OF memc
bers rising in their pluces, and making verbal reports "
ub,t ,bey recollecled. He thought it better that 'he
committee should agree among themselves, as tar as 'hey
y:ere ca uable Of doing so, as TO what had t~'ansP'Ied' ana
nresent il in a tangible aud definite shape, so mat IL
,,ropld command credence wherever It went. Wheh 'he
HiILlc oman "6'>t
that they have arrived at the truth.
If we cannot agree upon the facts, now, er' ~ .'ose
who re port what We now say 10 agree: VIE e"cry ie.
por,er and letter writer give the same account OF what
we affirm in the matter? he thought he hazss1ed no.
thing in saying, not two of all these would og7ee. IL
will be the same with others who hear what we 80" say
+ Nav, sir, before we leave this House q olherehce OF re-
collection will be found 10 prevail Us TO what we nave
said. Ry tomorrow we shall find a very wide difference
in this respect: As the news OF the debate spreads,
these differences will multiply in proportion 10 lne o's'
lance they travel, and all will remain IN uncertainty,
Newspaper readers will fall into the errors OF the pno'
fishers, and while one part of the community VIII De-
Iieye one account, other portions may equally believe
o,bera. and all wide from the truth. From these, among
other considerations, he thought this mannes :, p, "nhis
L. sd sn,irsiv abs,aiued com stating one word Of
,rb., did occnr. p. ne recollected 1t. Before lie sat oo"n'
h. should propo<e a resolution in these WORDS: heSo'esa'
Th,, III. s. lect Committee, Of which the Hon. James
Garland is chairman, be directed to report TO thIs flouSe
the facts in relation to the difficulty that occurred be-
tween MIR. Peyton, a member OF That committee, ahd MI
Whitney, a witness called before that c"'hniltee, "H'le
said witness was under examination. Tie did not know
that the House was DESTROYS of becoming acquainted
with the occurrence referred to, but 1t II was, he thought
this would be a suitable and proper manner OF obtaining
the facts. The narrative gwen ny The witness hau
been. he understood from those who had liste ned TO
gentlemen who preceded him, objected 10 as inaccurate
or untrue. II the committee be required TO report the facts,
the correctness Of This abatement would be tested. This
would be doing justice 10 its author, and TO the oljecioTs.
Then the public mind, which is ieverIsh with continued
excitement on questions of a disputed character, would
be tranquilised and settled on one at least. Continual
talking on the subject would no more settle this CUES.
ton, than it had settled those which the committee were
ordered to inquire about. True, The committee cannot,
perhaps, report the intentions Of those who were the
principal actors in the scene-he had understood these
intentions, in whole or in part, had been already coAitIin-
nicated 10 the House. lie presumed those VIII" had gone
largely into details did not Intentionally give more than
what was recollecied and he would say that he had
not vet heard it alleged by any one that Mr.. Whitney,
,ccoupt had heen nmDlihhd bcUON6 the truth. EXCEPT IN
a single word in the relation OF what he said after he
returned to the committee. He should not express any
personal wish as to the disposition OF this matter. II its
importance entitled 1t to the consideration OF the tlouse,
he thought the same reasons would impel US to seek The
undisputed truth, and place it before the public; and by
that, let those who have made statements be judged:
This endorsing or denying the allegations OF others
was what he did not intend to do. The matter affirm
ed to be true or untrue, might be misre ported, and the at
frnation be made to cover statements never INTENDED 10
be youched for or denied. From differences in recollec-
ton, new controversies might arise, giving birth TO feel
ings not to be ~designedly promoted by this House, and
not productive OF good any where. Thus lar, he un'
dersiood the statement Of facts had been mingled with
much other matter, not we'll calculated to enable others
TO understand them. If the committee should report
the facts, they would not be interpreted with biting and
eliminating e~pithets heaped upon the witness, having
nothing TO do with what TRANSFERRED in the committee
room. He thought the true way Of arriving at the
truth, was, to call for it in an authentic form, and then the
House could Judge where the blame ought to rest. This
he thought due 10 all parties, and could not fairly be OBJ
iec,ed to by any one. He, therefore, would send To the
Speaker The resolution which he had read, and ask the
House 10 adopt it.
The Speaker remarked, that resolutions were not row
in order, could only be received by the unanimous and
consent Of the House.
MIR Underwood Of Kentucky said he objected.
So the resolution was not received.
MIR. Wise repeated, that there was not one single
statement, even by itself, much more when taken in con.
nection with the others, of the article which had appeared
in the Globe, nor any part nor parcel, Jot or title, OF II,
>.1t: tla ,ar afappan NJ fhn pstIn and an.
swer, that could be regarded as true; and he repeated IL
again, that there was not a single member OF the com.
mlttee who could endorse that statement as true, except
ing the mere question and answer, as before stated;
aud that it was Intentionally, emphatically, and in
italics, false. 1t might be, that every gentleman on that
committee could not tell, and it he were an honest aud a
true man he would not tell, the story precisely in the
same way, though, like that OF his own and his friend,
they would be substantially the same; and 1t might be
that some gentlemen who were there had lost their wits
80 badly, that they could not tel! any thing about The
story at all; but TO every man who had nerve enough
to hold his self. possession, he hesitated not in saying,
would testify that the statement in relation TO Mir. W.,
and especially his going up to that wretch, and oghng
eye TO eye with him, was wholly false; and Nth
the exception of an oath which he confessed he made
use of, and the remark that Whitney was not worthy of
his friends notice, he would appeal to gentlemen 10 say
whether he had not acted the part of a paciticalor. He,
instead of attacking the witness, had interposed betweeo
him and the gentleman from Tennessee, and had entreat-
ed his friend to be seated, for il was a fact that his pas
sion was such that he knew not whore it would have
curried him. lie knew that the gentleman from Ten.
nessee regarded that wretch as a minion Of Executive
power, sent there 10 insult and batter down honest inqui-
~; tina, he not only regarded him as Reuben NJ. Whit
ney, in himself too base for notice, bot he regarded him
as an agent, a tool, an instrument, backed aud endorsed
by those who were the highest in power. Mr.. w. said
he was cool, he was calm al the time of the difficulty,
but his friends passion was that OF q person who had
received a gross insult, and Mr.. w. felt il 10 be his duty
to make him, as a friend, preserve his selfrespect. Tku,
gentleman had used The language Of passion, at the sase
time that he acted The part of a man of high honor and
elevated feelings, which no man on that committee could
gainsay. Inquire into the circumstances Of rencon,re
between Reuben Nj. Whitney and The Hon. Bailey Pey.
ton, and connect their names together in u resol2tioa!
He protested agains, any resolution 10 ihut effect, be.
cause it was too great a diSparageinent of his friend