The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-06-21
COL. BENTON.

| The Colonel has written first rate article on
the g Origin of the Gag" Speaking Of the
ultra Wing tyranny he says, Eve copy from
Fridays Globc:)
The strongest instance at this present session was
on Friday, when Mr. Fillmore undertook to gag
through his Double REPEATER III hdif hour. These
instances, and the daily use which is made iii the
House of Representatives, (for, in the Senate the
introduction of this instrument has been resisted and
repelled,) has made the American people very iani-
liar with the operation of the gag but it is probable
that the public does not know the origin of the pro
ceedng, nor where it was that the Bidde -bank-
Wings obtained a knowledge OF an operation which
suits tyranny sowell. The publ may not understand
this, and II Is our purpose to inform them, and to let
them know that this whole proceeding is copied from
| a very worthy source--that Of Maximen Robes
PIERRE at the head of his Jacobns in the French Ma
uonal Convention. He the author of it; and his
first occasion for applying il was at the enactment of
the famous law Of the 22d Prarrial-that law which
placed all lives at the will of Robespierre and the
reading of which, a member of the Convention cried
out" this alc passes hare nothing 10 do but
10 btotc out our ocn brains" 81 cette lol passe,
secria Ruamps ne nous reste plus qua nous bruler
la cervelle1 Eight O'Clock that evening the
hour fixed by the tyrant for stopping the discussion,
and taking the law out of debate ''hors des debas
BY singular coincidence this law was finished in the
precise time which Mr. Fillmore indicated for pass
ing his double rcpealer-the repeal of the compromise
bill-that IS to say, in half an hour CEN trente
minutes apres seconde lecture lie decret flu: adop
e.'D After this, Robespierre applied the gag to all
debates that annoyed his elings exposed his wick
edness, or delayed his cruelty. Persons on trial for
life death were 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 tyran whenever the argument made
against him and all DEGREES were passed by the Con-
yenton, 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
that party it was they who filled the air with
defamation against the Jacoblns, and who practice
among US, in time of peace, what they properly
condemned in the Jacobns even in time of revol-
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 billafcr 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.