The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-03-16
MONDAY. March is. lS4l.

Mr. IAPFAN land before the Senate, a letter from
BLAIR q Rves, stating that they should hold the Sc
nate to the contract made with them as printers to
the 9th Congress, and demanding copy of all the
documents the printing Of which may have been or
shall be ordered during the 9th Congress- as fast as
the orders shall be made, &c. which on motion of
Mr.. PRESTON was laid on the table
Mr., PRESTON then rose and addressed the Sc
nate as follows tits, am sure, painfully within the
recollection Of the Senate that few days very
unpleasant collision occurred this floor between the
Senator from Kentucky and the Senator from Aaba
ma Any interruption of the habual and charac-
teristc harmony of this body, the parliamentary
decorum of It's proceedings, is, under any circum
stances deeply to be Iegretted-but especially in the
present case nasmuch the manifestation Of heat
occurred between Senators of such long and disn-
guished standing. 1t might well be supposed, that
nothing but mistake accident could have led to
such result and thoroughly convinced of this rise
Mr. President, TO state my conviction of the existence
of Misrepresentation and to state succincty the mode
in which it occurred
On the occasion alluded to, the Senator from Ken
lucky conceiving that the remarks ofthe Senator from
Alabama were calculated and intended to be injurious
to his character and personally offensive rctored in
convinced he could not have employed but under
deep sense Of injury In this view Of the remarks Of
the Senator from Alabama, believe he was mistaken.
Indeed am convinced from information " hch has
casually come 10 my possession that the Senator from
Alabama did not intend TO be personally offensive
AT the bottom Of this affair, therefore, there is mis-
apprehension which announce with pleasure and
in the confident belief that, being announced the
honorable and distinguished Senators will permit no
personal difficulty TO adjustment which is
earnestly demanded-by the Senate and the country.
Mr. CLAY, of Kentucky, said he shared with the
Senator fiom South Carolina, in the statement OF re-
grct which he had expressed at the occurrence Of
circumstances calculated to impair the harmony and
good feelings which he could always wish to see exist
among the members of this body And he accorded
to him, for the interest which he had taken and the
.1,z ,,Ixl
the influence Of The most honorable proper and high
minded motives.
He retained very distinct recollection of the oc
currence, to which the Senator had alluded and the
circumstances attending it but before he proceeded to
say any thing on that subject he trusted he might be
excused for stating the general principle which APP
peared to him ought to govern and always in congress
sional, parliamentary debate. 1t was the privilege Of
every member Of Congress and the undoubted privi-
ege of every member of parliament speak with the
most perfect freedom Of all persons in power--of all
mem and of all measures--to denounce those in
power as corrupt as tyrannical-and measures,
iraught with ruinous consequences TO the country. II
was the right Of every member of Congress and of
Parliament to speak with the most perfect freedom Of
all persons whether in Office candidates for Office
AT the same time, it the duty Of members of Con
gress, as of Parliament to abstain cautiously and
scrupulously from the mpuation of any personal lam
guage towards the current members of the body
Whatever they said of others, they had right to
speak with the most perfect freedom but that did
justify the of similar language towards members Of
the body
ing the of public debate that when the case Of
Blair & Rives up he addressed the Senate, with
the observations which he had with respect to the
elder editor. Had they not directly before the
Senate he should have forborne, he always had to
speak of the paper or the editor Notwithstanding
years of injury and ahnse to,var3s him. from that
paper, he had remained silent in the Senate but when
these came directly before Them and their quali-
raIrn and h,aa \.
mate subject debate he felt TO be his right TO speak
OF the elder editor Of the paper in the terms in which
he had done
When, on the next day, the Senator from Alabama
addressed the Senate the subject he say that
at the time and during the progress of his address he
had thought that there evinced premeditated
and he must add, as he believed, prcconceved as
sault; and when he concluded by instituting com.
parson between the elder editor of the Globe and him
self Mr. G aman of whom he had said that he was
Infamous, and libeller; he must say, that at the
time he did not doubt that the Senator's object was
personal offence towards him.
II was under the influence of these feelings that he
rose and replied with what certainly on his part
a deliberate offence towards the Senator from Ala.
bama
But, after having said so much il was due alike TO
the Senator and himself 10 declare that he had since
received authentic information that there existed on
the part of the Senator from Alabama, intention 10
communicate 10 him any insult or 70 say any thing
derogatory to his character-that he mistaken in
his pa pose, and must have misconceived the Sena-
tors language under these circumstances and acting
the truth of the information, ready at all times
prompt always to repair and he trusted he should be
TO rcpe as long as he was permitted 10 his hands
in sefdcience any indigniiy offered To him-but al.
ways with pleasure and promrtness in repairing
than rcpeling them. Under these circumstances,
and without regard TO technicaly of forms which had
never commanded with him any particular respect
under these circumstances in which he had been
placed, and the ceilings which he entertained toward.
the Senator from Alabama, il with infinite plea
tba, he awaited himself of the opportunity TO say
that every epthet disparaging 10 his character
most cheerfally Withdrawn.