Columbus Democrat. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 18??-18??, 1838-04-21
THE FATAL SPEECH.

We copy the speech Of the llnea,rd Cllcy, De
lyeted IN the h1uje OF Representatives, ior wheel,
he was made to atone with M, HE. No man caa
pcuss it, without being convinced that if mem
bers, llr such rcmark4, are TO be compelled To
face the deadly rife or pistol, freedom u debate
must be pu. down. There N1s, IN reality, nothing
IN the language ot Mr. Cli-y that could De con-
drnned By any mcmheI OF Con rcss-nohng
for which he should have been questioned. NJ
Graves can never be justified for lending himself
to an individual whose object was 70 call mem
Der TO accoun, for expressing his sentiments IN u
style so temperate and uncxceptonable
MIR. Cllley said that as the course proposed
to be pursued Oh This occasion was novel aud ey-
tr,ordinary, he hoped The house would pause be.
fore il embarked IN This business on such author
lily as was produced. TIL, charge comes from
an editor Of new>puper, and We all know Thai IN
a country where the press Is free. few men can
cXl cct to escape abuse and charges Of similar
description. Ordinarily, when we are about en-
tern4 upon business Of this kind before a mag
isra,e--a conscrvatur ol,he peuce--hc charge.
suhn i,ed are Obliged to be made distinctly, clear
ly, aud under solemuily Of an oath aud why
should we now depart from this well known and
well settled rule! lie knew nothing OF the editor;
bat # il was the same editor who once made
grave charges against an institution 81 ms colin-
try, and afterwards was sad 10 have received Ia.
cililles to the amount Of some S)2,tUU from the
same institution, and give Il ms hearty support.
he did not think that his charges were cnhcd 70
much credit from an american congress. II he
ba, chlrnes f. pa,c, let him make them d,ru.c-
. I ~ ,,,..i. IL ,,t.la ~,
soemnil, of an oath, aud lhcn II viii be quite tine
euuucb 10 act. He trusted the house would nut
90 h!lo an nyc,,igatlun Of this kind, on mere
newspaper statement, without any proof.
ii We look, We viii see what had been said by
the public press against Washington, Jefferson,
Madison, the two Adamses, Jackson and Van
Buren,, yet the people passea upon lhe merils Of
all those men, and afterwards the press reiracteJ
much that It had said against item. llllc house
thought dlireally from him, it coald pursue a
different course bit it seemed to hlui that some
more definite charge than this ought to be mado
before 1t acted. II was giving too much lmpor-
lance, IN his opinion, to this newspaper editor, lor
the house 10 institute an Investigation upon bis
mere statement without any proof whatever. He
considered that all public meu were lAblc 10 have
charges Of this kidd made against them, and if
their characters were not sufficient 10 bear it with
out an investigation uto the matter before com.
n,ltee Of the house they were not tit to be The
Of the people. II man was
,landcted 10 this way, the people would do him
Justice and Afterwards the press would do him
Justice because 'llulh IS mighty and wIil prevail
He was III favor Of the utmost freedom Of the
press bu this was an Inconvenience attending il,
freedom, which every man ought 10 b. prepared
to bear He thought the gentleman llom Viz
GINA himself, upon reflection, would come to the
conclsion that This charge was too vague ard
underlined TO warrant the action Of The house upon
it,"