Madison Whig advocate. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1839-1841, 1839-05-11

4
the President of the United States
and On myself. and. IN all its essential
narts. Is utterly false. | never made
I,,ob = harCaiu as is therein described ;
I,o- has the President. under such cir
cumstanees. or under any Others so lar
as | know and believe, confirmed the
sales of anv Indian lands purchased by
a Boston company.
.sTbiS infamous libel has been placed
Iunon your journal; it Is presumed II viii
he renorted TO the house, and will thus
Inc nublished. And where is my rene
lao Rv the Constitution and laws of
nv country, | am authorized 10 seek
nrotection fo- my character, as we'll as
nv person. from the attacks Of private
citizrus. in the courts of Justice; but, in
this case. members Of Congress. around
whom the Constitution spreads the
shield of privilege, become the pub
Fishers. and the name of the libeller is
withheld from me. OF this l complain.
I Rv me, the immunity of member of
Congress, in the performance OF his
pnbiic duties. will ever be held sacred.
But | DENY his right to extend the like
Immunity to every villain in the country
who he's malice enough to stab, but not
courage enough to meet the responsible
tv. Ideny his right to receive and pub
lish, under his privilege, any anony-
lmous libel in any shape. To say the
least. it is an abuse of constitutional
! Immunity. which was granted for pur
poses more noble and more just.
II ask. therefore, that the name of the
libeller in this case may be ascertained
and communicated to me. After enter
ing the libel upon their Journal, the com
mittee, | respectfully conceive, cannot,
in Justice. do less than place me in an
attitude where | may avail myself of
the protection and redress which the
Constitution and laws promise, in ike
cases, to every citizen. Very respect
fully, your obedicnt servant,
"AMOS KENDALL.
Hon. HENRY \. WISE, Chairman, &c.
This committee viii proceed to exam
inc into the facts and circumstances in
volved in, and alluded to, by the said
question and the said letter; and will
cause witnesses to be summoned to
prove or disprove the said facts and cir
cumstancos.
(which resolution was rejected by
the following vote:
.'Aves-Mr. Campbell, Mr.. Lincoln,
Mr.. Wise-3.
"Nays-Mr Pearce, Mr.. flanagan.
Mr.. Parks. Mr.. Mann, Mr.. Chaney-5."
Thus, sir, | took him in his temper
and at his word, and proposed to try the
truth Of the charge and the sincerity Of
his passion; but the vote OF the com
mite was the same again-the same old (
tray! | had put this same
interrogatory to Kendall, eye TO eye, I
face TO face 1t was explicit and spe- /
cfic He was willing, oh! how willing. |
to answer it! But then, sir. his own
friends on committe were so cruel and /
unjust as to allow the charge 10 90 up /
on the journal unanswered. Not exact
Iy so either caught David Henshaw,
of Boston, in the city. | put him upon |
the witness stand. After proposing to
him hume rous questions, which the /
committee rejected, | did get in one or
two questions, and as many answers.
which satisfied me fully that there was
foundation for the information given /
to me:
"QuestiOn 9th.-IIave you any intor- /
nation Of persons interested with Mr.. /
Kendallin the profits of buying and sell
ing public lands? If so, state what.
''Ansper.-I have no information of |
any person interested, at this time with |
Mr.. Kendall, in the profits of buying &
selling public lands.
..Quesiion 1Oth.-Have you any in
formation of persons who have been
interested with Mr.. Kendall since he
has been an Executive officer, IN the
profits of buying and selling public
lands?
''Obiected to by Mr.. Parks, and re-
iected as follows:
''Aves-Mr. Muhlenberg, Mr. Wise-2
"Nays-Mr. flanagan, Mr.. Parks,
Mr.. Chaney-4.n
The committee could not be coaxed
to permit fair and full investigation.
Sir, could show you pile upon pile
of proof, but these instances will serve
as specimens of the manner in which
you, the Speaker, the President of the
United States. the Heads of the Execu-
tive Departments, your committee. and
your whole party, combined and con-
sPred to sti1e investigation, when pro-
posed in 1897.
Sir, not only did you and the Admin
istration pursue this course upon the
committee 10 examine the condition of
the various Executive Departments. of
which | was chairman, but, in like man
ner, you played the same game on the
committee and towards the committee of
which my friend and colleague (Mr.
GARLAND was chairman. You repealed
inquiry, refused interrogatories, pros
trated and postponed resolutions; en-
couraged contumacy in Witnesses. resis-
ted investigation in every form there
too, with this difference only. that
there the usual throw of the die was
..cinque-lour' instead of ..size-tray."
my colleague, the chairman. usually
voting with the minority Of three
johnson, Peyton, Wise.
Such was your reform Administration
on denied, resisted, and defeated all
investigation, all inquiry. One of the
committees was appointed TO SIT on Reu-
ben, and the other on Levi. One was
TO Investigate the pet bank concern, the \;
other was TO examine the virtue and
honesty Of the Treasury Department