The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-04-22
I'M CONGRESS OF THE u. STATES.
FRIDAY, APRIL 81, ls4s.
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVE,
The journal having been read

Ane journal having DteH read
EE QUESTION OF PRIVILEGE.
The SPEAKER stated the first business in order to be
the question OF privilege pending when the House adj
loumed on yesterday, upon which the gentleman from
ss ns sGr the gentleman
iron Tennessee and to the House that this subject be in
formally passed over until Monday. in order that the con-
siderahon Of private claims might be proceeded with
Mr. STANTON declined yielding the floor for this pur
pose
Mr.. INGE (Mr S. giving way) corrected the appre
heDsion OF certain remarks OF his in the report of yese
days proceedings, which he said were applied to the kid
nappers now in custody.
Mr. TOOMBS (Alr S. still giving way proceeded also TO
correct msappehenson by the reporter of his position
on the point OF ORDER raised IN yesterdays debate He
reported having said that all privileged questions
must be questions OF privilege" His position was that
all questions OF this character became privileged ques
tons, solely because they involved questions of privilege
and that no question OF this character could necessarily
be privileged question which did not involve question
of privilege 1t was this that gave them precedence In
ileged question: and "question of privilege" my posi-
ton is reversed. My position was, that when member
rises and demands TO be heard upon question of priv-
ege the Speaker must determine whether his statement
involves question OF privilege; If it does, it is priv-
legged question, and overrdes all other business and not
otheIwise my object being to show that the question Of
privilege itself was necessarily involved in the point of
order am not sure that the term privileged question"
can be properly applied to question of privilege fol.
lowed the precedent Of the Speaker and other gentlemen
who had preceded me, in this application of it.
Mr. STANTON then proceeded, and said: To every
gentleman in the House, whose views were OF moder
ate and reasonable character he thought must be
of the slavery institution had been brought up the pres
emf time. For himself, he spoke under of the
necessity OF opposing the resolution He sorry, in
the discussion OF yesterday, to hear several gentlemen
from the south state their disposition to go into the in
vestgatons proposed. He considered these gentlemen
to have widely mistaken the true policy of their party
and to point out that mistake he had taken the floor
and desired to detain the House for short time.
He objected to this resolution, because il proposed
something to be done which was beyond the power Of
the House-at least the power assumed by the resolution
was of very doubtful character. The proposition asserts
that members OF this House have been menacedthreat
ened with personal violence, he supposed. Mr.. S.
preserve order in the body and enforce such rules as are
implied in the power to egsate But to propose any
dress for the grievances OF individual MEMBERS was
clearly beyond the power Of the House Il a member
has been threatened such manner to prevent him
from the discharge OF his public duties here the courts
were open for his redress well for that OF every
other czen and if the courts of the District have this
power of redress, the constitution could have intend
ed to confer the same power on this Houses for would
be unnecessary.
But Mr. S. opposed to the resolution, because the
inquiry it proposed could result in good whatever
No believed for moment that any gentleman of this
House was really in any danger from the
ferred to. There was not one who felt within himself
any apprehension at all from the least hostile attack on
the part of the citizens OF this District But suppose
there seriousness in the threatenings alleged what
could the House do There had been committed no out
The time had altogether passed by, not only for appre
hension, but for any useful invesgaonif there ever
was time for either.
But Mr. S. was opposed to the passage of this resolu.
ton, for important reason He opposed it, because
the resolution did not express the true object designed to
be accomplished by the movement; because constituted
masked battery against OF our southern Institutions
and looked TO the matter of the escape Of slaves from their
masters-a subject with which Congress could have
nothing to do. unless they might pass laws further pro-
tect the rights OF the ciizens concerned Ho
that the honorable gentleman proposing the preamble and
resolution would not pretend that they designed for
his protection but would admit perhaps, that they
intended to bear upon the question OF slavery the Dis
trict of Columbia.
In view of this fact, then, Mr. s. desired to submit to
those gentlemen from the south who had expressed their
readiness to go into the investigation proposed whether
now in Justice to their constituents they really ought to
consent to such thng He submitted that it was not
the policy OF the south to go into this investigation
on such issue this By the pending amendment, it
was proposed to inquirehe read the language of the
amendment-as follows:
"Whether any member members of this House were
instrumental in procuring the slaves who recently
owners and whether the said members of this House have
guilty Of felony in attempting, aiding in
tempt, to kidnap slaves"
II he believed that any attempt of this sort had been
madeif there had been even suggestion from any re-
spectacle quarter that there had been such participation
in this atfair-he would not be unwilling TO invest
igate it. But he did not understand that there
existed the suspicion, unless it may have grown
out of the amendment itself The honorable gentleman
from Ohio Mr. GIDDINGS Against whom the terms of
the amendment seemed to have been directed by his hon.
orabe colleague Mr. HAsKELLl-has explicitly denied
the mpuation and widely he differed from that gen.
teman. and abhoent were his principles in the light
in which he regarded them, still he had sufficient conf.
dence in his integrity to believe his word and until the
charge should be confirmed by testimony coming from
responsible quarter, he would be wholly unwilling to
afflx such a stigma upon member of this House II
such charge as that contemplated in the amendment
pretended to be inferred from the speeches and
tons Of all sorts which the gentleman from Ohio has
been in the habit of making here, Mr. s. would deny the
correctness Of the Inference well a. the of
man with participation in crime of which he knows
nothing, and toward the accomplishment of which pur-
pose his wishes never directed.
But the most important reason why he was disposed
to oppose this preamble and resolution in every shape
every FORM every aspect in which they may be pre-
scented, was because they indicate the approach OF
struggle which is likely to take place in this hail. and
centre 1t was upon this issue that he would be dis
posed to 60 into that struggle He would be unwilling
enter into the slightest skirmsh upon this issue
1t was an issue upon the result of which the south had
everything lose and nothing TO gain; because the
oluton proceeds upon an assumption which has no
foundation, and upon set OF facts gone by The amend
ment also proceeds upon an assumption which would,
perhaps not be sustained that all would be compelled
to see and feel that these Investigations could never pro-
duce any useful result Whenever we enter into that
struggle for the south. Mr. s. sad should take care
to fix ourselves mer and higher ground; we should
take our stand higher and nobler principles for we
have them. We have an issue upon which we can
stand for fortified by principles mmutable az truth
We should stand, therefore, such ground and never
suffer ourselves be brought into the contest at dsad-
vantage.
II IL