Carroll free press. [volume] (Carrollton [Ohio]) 1834-1861, 1856-07-24


Senate is the only and final arbiter Of what
may there be rightfully said in debate. That,
sir, is the necessary sequence from the consti-
tutional provision that each House may make
rules for its own government, and no member
of either House shall, for any speech or debate
be questioned in any other place. For his
speech. under the Constitution, therefore, no
earthly power had the right to question the
Senator, but the Senate Of the United States.
| dismiss this inquiry as to the prOvocahon With
this additional word-that no man can righuul- |
ly find provocation for, and justification or ex.
cuse Of, an assault upon the peoples repreSen.
tatives, because OF any speech or debate made
by any member in either House. The doing
Of lawful act the exercise OF lawful right
or the discharge of lawful duty, can never
furnish apology or excuse for the commission
Of crime.
Now, consider the place and method and a.
vowed purpose of this assault. The perpetra-
tor of this act says his object was to punish the
Senator for words spoken in debate in the Sen
ate-and thus contesses his crime against the
people. Every personal consideration, sir,
sinks before the magnitude Of this offence. A
Senator of the United States, 10 the Senate
Chamber, in the felt presence Of the people, i'
struck down and well nigh murdered for words
spoken in debate--snd this, too, by member
of this House, who like all of us, had sworn
that he would support that Constitution
which declares that the person Of the Sen
ator and citizens alike shall be inviolate, and
that tie representatives of the people shall not
for auy speech or debate in either House, be
questioned by any person or body whatever.
Sir, notwithstanding this oath. notwthstau-
dino this constitutional inhibition of violence
to the person Of all the citizens and their rep
resentatives, notwithstanding the sacred pres
ence of the people iu their own halls of legiSla
ton, the Senator's way of approach to the Cap
to was beleaguersd and watched and whil'
y in his place in the Senate Chamber: arme'
with no weapon but his pen-that peaceful
weapon of an enlightened civilization--th
member from South Carolina (Mr Brooks,
deliberately, and with the advice of anothe
member qf the House, proceeds to the Hall {
the Senate, and there, with a bludgson in u
:. ter disregard of the place, of the life of th
!. Senator from Massachusetts,, and of the sacre
NJ rights of the people, whose representative
=. was, lnhicts upon that Senator repeated blows
q staining tie place with blood, and profaning
=, with crime. Why was that weapon selected
= 1t is the rude weapon of barbarOus age. Hit
what horrid sacrifice, on what dreadful ALTA
!, has it not been sonsecrated? What sacriligiou
VOW impeled its use in this great chine upo
- the peoples life? Was it selected because
: was the weapon first employed by man againi
. his brother-the weapon by which that hori
crime was committed which first, in 'ou
: world" covered one manly brow with the wa
ualeness and terrible beauty Of death, and al
other with the damning blotch Of fratricide?-
oe Whether by accident or design, the weapon
in character with the aotl And the place!-
!. Was the Senate Chamber selected in humh
!. imitation of that audacity which induced We
- ras to select the forum of the people for b
Wanton and cruel assault upon Roman Gil
,ss zen?
me Tn this transaction, sir. what is wanting
ye, make this atrocity the parallel in all respects
- that of fVerras which subjected him to the bu
he pinp inyective Of the Roman orator? What
we the offense of the Massachusetts Senator, tn
els he, though an American citizen, whose persc
her bv the Constitution, is sacred, is subjected
ON this outrage and indignity Itis said of hi
irit as was said by Verras of the scourged Rou
hat citizen: "He is sent hither spy by the le'
ers Of runaway slaves" That Senator,
my comes from Massachusetts, where are Lexi
stu ton and Concord and Bunker Hill and the II
ssa- of the Pilgrims-"where every sod's a soldi
Iith- sepulcher"-where are hefootprints OF the
his postles and martyrs of freedom-shat D
and which allowed trembling fugitive, fleeing
Ilon' y for his LIBERTY 10 lay his weary limbs 70
be- upon Warren's grave-that State whose mi
nent t, heart throbbed with human sympathy
Ver- the flying bOndman, who, guilty of no CI
ants under the forms of law, but in volatian OF
fuel- true spirit. walked in chains beneath the 81
ow of Faneuil Hall, where lnger the sa
ID a. memories of the past and the echoes OF tt
rue !; burning words, DEATH AND DEL1vEEANc
wick For, this, that he, represents this sentimer
the Massachusetts--ss the indorsers and ap
nper- vers Of this assault-let the Senator, the
zeal an American citizen, be scourged for this,
IS the verras, they cry. Let him be beaten with
thing in the forum of the people--let him suffer
Is the only in sight, but in the very presence of