The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-06-21
COL. BENTON.

The Colonel has written first rate article on
the Origin of the Gag" Speaking Of the
ultra Wing tyranny he says, Eve copy from
Fridays Globe)
"The strongest instance at this present session was
on Friday, when Mr.. Fillmore undertook to gag
through his DOUBLE REPEALER in halt an hour These
instances, and the daily use which is made in the
House of Representatives, (for in the Senate, the
introduction of this instrument has been resisted and
repealed, has made the American people very fam-
liar with the operation of the gag but it is probable
that the public does not know the origin OF the pro-
ceeding nor where it that the Biddle-bank-
Wings obtained knowledge of an operation which
suits tyranny so well. The public may not understand
this and it is purpose to inform them, and to let
them know that this whole proceeding is copied from
a very worthy source-that OF MaXlmlllen Robes
pierre at the head of his Jacobns in the French Ma
tIonal Convention. He was the author of it.; and his
FIRST occasion for applying it at the enactment OF
the famous law of the 22d PraIrial-that law which
placed all lives at the will of Robespierre, and on the
reading of which, member of the Convention cried
out- If this lao passes, haze nothing more TO do but
to blo,o out our o,cn brains.' Isl cette loi passe,
secria Ruamps, il ne rese plus qua nous brdler
la cervelle) Eight o'clock that evening was the
hour fixed by the tyrant for stopping the discussion
and taking the law out of debate (hors des debats y
By singular coincidence, this law finished in the
precise time which Mr.. Fillmore indicated for pass
ing his double repealer-the repeal of the compromise
and the repeal of the repeating clause in the land
bill--that IS to say, in half an hour. CEN trente
minutes apres seconde lecture lie decret fut adop
toy After this, Robespierre applied the gag to all
debates that annoyed his engs, exposed his wick
edness, delayed his cruelty. Persons on trial for
life or death first allowed an hour to make their
defence, and afterwards subjected to condemnation
without hearing, if the tribunal thought enough had
been said. All laws, during the Reign of Terror,
came to be passed the same way Debate ceased on
the nod of the tyrant, whenever the argument made
against him and all DEGREES passed by the Con-
vention, and all judgments rendered by the tribunal
so long as he lived, by the summary process of gag
ging and voting
This is the origin of the rule which has been adopt
ed by our House of Representatives since the extra
session; and what is most remarkable is, that it
should have been adopted by the party in the United
States who were most clamorous in denouncng the
tyranny of the French Jacobins. The Federalists
were that party: it was they who filled the air with
defamation against the Jacobins, and who practice
among US, in time of peace, what they SO properly
condemned in the Jacobins in time OF revou-
ton.
The signal abuse which has already been made Of
the gag, is probably to be exceeded by what is yet
to follow After thirty minutes allowance of time
for repeating the Compromise, and repeating the re-
peal clause in the Land bill-afer that, the country
may be prepared for any thing, and may look out to
see the fifty pages of the Tariff bill enacted into
law in short order.