The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-04
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REMARKS OF MIR. GILMER.

Mr.. WISE asked whether this amendment was in
orderl
The SPEAKER replied that it was, being an
amer ment to amendment.
Mr.. GlLMER. A motion to commit
The SPEAKER. motion to commit and amend.
Mr.. GlLMER said the House would do him the
Justice TO consider that he had occupied none OF their
lime on either one of the propositions He had had
the honor, will out consutalinn-wiiheut the dcta
non ola conclave-to submit to the House he sou-
lion he did, under imperious sense Of duty. 1t
was painful duty to him, and he had no doubt but
The subject was painful to the other members OF this
House. lie had occupied none Of the time Of the
House IN reference to these questions. As the
4 the proposition that had given rise to all this dis
cusson, excitement, and delay Of the time Of this
House, he might have been entitled had he asked it,
10 small share of the time which had been occupied.
lie dld not rise for the purpose of discussing the
various extraneous topics which had been brought in
% this debate. What he wished was to call The at
eniion the House to the subject itself in its sim
plest form, imboded by the resolution he had offer
ed and to disconnect the subject from all those
Gus Incidental exraneous consider atoms heaped day
after day, upon the simple, single solemn question he
had introduced He begged that the gentleman from
Massachusetts Mr.. Adams) would not include him
or his resolution in the animadverson Just made on
that of the gentleman from Kentucky. He (Mr. ca 4
had consulted with no caucus-no conclave-before
he submitted the resolution. He waited but very
brlef space of time, anxious that older
perlenced, and ADLER member of This House should
move in this matter
lie had been appealed to by the gentleman from
kentucky Mr.. MarshalD to know whether he would
accept the gentleman preamble and resolutions a
modification of his. He had not vet had an opportu
nifty Of responding to that inquiry If the gentleman
would advert for moment to the difference bet cen
the two resolutions he would perceive the motive that
would induce him TO decline his overture His (Mr.
G's) resolution simple brief easy of compIehen-
sion and admitting Of no doubt. 1t seemed to him
that II ought to challenge The Unanimous support
| OF the American House of Representatives
In presenting il, he had had in view no party or
sectional purpose-no invidous course towards
the gentleman from Massachusetts, He grant
ed that the preamble and resolutions of the gen
tleman from Kentucky contained in themselves We
ry full and succinct summing up the which
would lead to the adoption of the resolution but his
experience, although short in parliamentary bodies
was enough to know that, while thousands would
agree and vote with HIN IN his conclusions there
might not be any Two who would agree with him in
his process of reasoning in arriving at those concu
sons While he took the responsibility of declaring
that he did not regard the proposition OF the gentle
man from Kentucky too harsh censure, and while
he was willing to vote for it, he persist saying
be preferred that the vote should be taken directly
upon his original proposition.
He would call the attention of the House and of
the gentleman from Massachusetts to his resolution
its extern, and scope They had heard good deal in
the debate about trial, about censure and about
pulsinn.
| What do ask the House to do Not to denounce
the gentleman from Massachusetts traitor; not
to convict him of subornation of perjury; but To IN
fict no harsher censure than simply expression of
the opinion of this House. | maintain it is a duty
solemnly incumbent upon us to express on
his conduct though would do in the mildest terms
the nature Of the will justify insist that the
act is not merely just as it regards the gentleman
himself, but that it is act imperativey due to
selves and to the American people in vndication of
this House and of them 1t is much act of
f-vindcation as il is of sure the gentleman
from Massachusetts What, say, does my resolu-
ton ask An expression of opinion And Of what
opnlons That the gentleman, in presenting pet-
ton praying for dissolution of the Union, has justly
incurred the censure of this House. And has he not
appeal for an answer to every man here, lndividu-
ally and collectively; and | will before have done
make that appeal to the gentleman himself; and the
only witnesses will ask shall be that gentleman him
self and his action on this OCCASION The resolution
Is couched in respectful terms; it insists pains
and penalties other than such as may ensue from the
power of public opinion. And are to be told that
it is not constitutional for the House express such
an opnion--to censure him or to punish him, if ne
cessary appeal to the Constitution itself Those
who know me well know that not in the habit
OF giving to the language of that instrument too large
and loose constructions; on the contrary, | have
been reproached by of my friends for going into
the opposite extreme. call gentlemen, then, TO the
words of the Constitution itself this subject
Each house may determine the rules of its pro-
ceedlngs, punish its members for disorderly beha-
viour, and, with the of two-thrds expe
MEMBER
Here we find that not only the power to express
opinion, but the power of punishment is vested in this
House under the Constitution. So that had my re-
solution asked the House to inhct on him signal
punishment, would it have asked any thing beyond
the limits OF our constitutional authority might
have felt warranted in going much further but pre-
erred putting the resolution in the very simplest form
necessary to the Houses vndication of itself from the
reproach which the presentation of such a petition
brings upon this House and the nation. Would 1t
not seem to be in accordance with the sentiments of
tho
since this proceeding has been preached on this floor
the gentleman rises for the first time and dsclaims
his personal coincidence in the prayer Of these
petitioners. know very well what he said when he
brought this petition into this House. know he pro-
posed its reference, with Instructions to a select com
mittee, to report reasons why is not expedent at
this time to dissolve the Union. But if now from
motives of patriotism, the gentleman is constrained
to disclaim any concurrence in the object prayed
for, and to express his dsapprobation
of it, by what motives of patriotism was he
actIated in agtatng this House by the intro
duction of paper like that The House That
would have been comparatively tr1ing matter but
in agltating this entire nation to its very centre
do maintain that the rejection of such resolution
alter such an act will lnyolve-I will not say
proach on this House, but great derection OF duty
and say further, that it will impair and weaken The
powers of the House itself The time may come
when the exercise of the powers which this House,
by such an act, will virtually discard may be neces-
sary to the maintenance of its privileges not only, but
of our American Union.
Is precedent wanting' call the House TO the
proceedings in the case of John Smith, Senator,
once charged with participation in Barrs conspira-
cy an occasion on which the gentleman from Mas.
sa husets himself in the very situation on which
he now dwells with so much emphasis as the posture
of this House IN his own case-that of prosecutor
Judge Juror and executioher-a that the gentleman.
himself then was as member of the United States
Senate, acting on the of John Smith. Task the
gentleman to recoilect the principles and doctrine,
he then advanced and maintained Let me read
from report drawn up by him as chairman Of
com lttee to whom the subject was referred Here