The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-04-16
MR.. GIDDINGS AND THE FREEDOM OF
OPINION

Some strange misconception has led to the
coupling, in minds otherwise intelligent and SEN
sbe enough, the two things at the head Of this
article. The ex-member from Ohio, who re-
signed his seat in huff, because the House
would neither speak itself nor hear him
speak-except by way of personal explanation
on couple Of resolutions before it, wishes to
pass for martyr. His claim to figure among
Fox's heroes, is a petulent self-love, which
made him mistake vote Of censure on his re-
solutions, for an indictment at the Old Bailey.
At that rate, he only wants the double mileage
to which this act Of sclf-sacriice will entitle
him, to be canonized forever.
Now what is the fact2 A member of the
House Of Representatives moved very i'm
proper and ill-limed resolution, to say the very
least of it. He interferes with the constiu-
tional exercise of the treaty making power; he
invites foreign nation to assume naughty
and offensive tone in pending negotiation; he
denoLnces root and branch the whole system of
law, touching sort of property as much recog-
nized by the Constitution as any other, and
POUNDS his alarming idea of an outawry of half
the country, upon some wild jacoblnlcal notion
of abstract right, and the fitness of things abb
solutely at war with any settled social author
ity. Well, what did the House, with its hands
already more than full of business, and with
real regard for the peace OF the country,
resolve to do2 1t resolved to do nothing-not
even to call Mr.. Giddings to its bar, and tell
him he was disturber of the public peace, and
most pernicious mischief-maker In family OF
States. But they declare his resolutions to be
very bad resolutions, and they met them by
a counter-resolution and thus resolution against
resolution, they further determined, that they
would see, at once, which was the voice OF
majority And so, without more ado, MIR. Gid
dings and his opinions are put in the vocatlve.
That s all. Whereupon this most meek and
gentle Christian swears there is an end OF all
liberty, filings his commission into Mr.. Speak
er's face, and exits in rage-perhars with an
incendiary's black purposes-though we would
fain hope not.
Now, in the name of common sense, if Mr..
Giddings had right to offer his resolution,
had not any and every member right to
say whether he liked it or no? And was
the embodying of the opinions OF maJori-
ty in ounter-resolution, any thing more than
an expression of what each and every one
thought of Mr. Gddngs' motion Will he
deny to the House. the freedom OF speech he
claims for himself2 Will he cry out oppression
and gag law, when the majority refuse them
selves the right of discussion they refuse to
him, and yet are ready 10 hear him, if he chooses
to adhere to the subject so far as it may be
thought personally to concern himself2
1t is obvious then, that when he retired from
the House in pet, he was in fact and IN TRUTH
denying to the House all liberty Of speech
He was outraged, because it dared to thlnk
his resolution piece of folly and to say OF II
not quite as much as he said or thought OF the
despatch of the Secretary OF State lie was
PLAYING old Absolute, and flew into passion
with others for not keeping quite COOL when he
chose TO storm at them There never was any
thing half so ridiculous, as an attempt 10 cry