The national era. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1847-1860, 1856-07-17

FOioohai iha1Ier, auo spoke OF attempts having
been made to explain away the plain language
of the Constitution.
Mr.. Giddings said Mr. Brooks had satisfied
the law relative to the assault and battery, bat
had not answered for the great crime commit
ted against the Constitution
The House then adjourned.
Saturday, July II, 1856.
The Senate did not sit to-day.
HOUSE.
Mr.. Grow, of Pennsylvania, gave notice to
the House, that as soon as possible after the
pending question Of privilege should be dis
posed OF, he would call up the motion heretofore
made by Mr.. Dunn, Of Indiana, to reconsider
the vote by which the bill to annul certain acts
Of the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of
Kansas, and to secure to the citizens of said
Territory their rights and privileges, was re.
ferred to the Committee of the Whole on the
state of the Union.
The House then resumed the consideration
of the resolutions reported by the special COM
mittee to investigate the assault upon Senator
Sumner, proposing to expel Mr.. Brooks, OF
South Carolina, and disappearing of the acts
of Mr.. Edmundson, of Virginia, and Mr. Keitt,
OF South Carolina, in regard to said assault, the
question being on the substitute offered therefor
by Mr.. Cobb, of Georgia, denying the iurisdic-
ton of the House in the premises
Mr.. Cullen, of Delaware, was fully satisfied
that the House had jurisdiction in this case.
If prompted by his feelings, Mr.. Cullen could
wish Mr.. Brooks's acquittal, but a sense of pub
lie duty compelled him to say that that gentle.
man should be punished.
Mr.. English, of Indiana, moved the following,
as a substitute for the amendment of Mr.. Cobb
"Resolced, That this House hereby declares
its disapprobation of the assault made by the
Hon. Preston S. Brooks upon the Hon. Charles
Sumner, in the Senate Chamber, on the 22d day
of May, 1856, and the House deems this fit
occasion to express its disapprobation of the
use of language in debate of character per-
sonally offensive to individual members of Con.
gress or to any of the States of this Union"
Mr.. Boyce, of South Carolina, entered into
an elaborate argument, to prove that the Con-
stitution does not convey the power asserted by
the majority of the Committee, and that the
conduct of the gentleman from South Carolina
was not disorderly behaviour in the sense the
Constitution intended.
MIR. Etheridge, of Tennessee, claimed that
the House possessed jurisdiction, and cited pre-.
cedenta to show that in regard to this question
the North now stands where the South stood in
former years. he hoped that his friends from
the South would not place themselves wrong
on the record, because this had been made
sectional question. He condemned the noto-
riety which had been given to the assault, as
well as the extreme opinions of both sections,
and did not think that the act of Mr. Brooks
merited expulsion, or that Messrs. Keitt and
Edmundson had been guilty of any improperly
whatever.
On motion of Mr.. Quitman, of Mississippi,
by consent, it was ordered that during the re-
ma Inda of tbn u Al
pending question should be limited to fifteen
minutes each.
Mr.. Nichols, of Ohio, urged that the conduct
of the gentleman from South Carolina constitu-
ted an offence of which the House should take
cognizance. When that gentleman concluded
to assault Senator Sumner, he made up his
mind to take all the consequences; and there.
fore neither Mr.. Brooks nor his friends should
complain if the House should express its dis
appreciation of the act
The debate was then further continued by
Messrs Taylor of La, Stewart of Nd, Branch
of N. c., Savage of Tenn, Bowie of Md, Ready
of Tenn, Florence of Pa, and Letcher of Va,
against the Jurisdiction of the House in this
case, and by Messrs. Tyson of Pa, Knapp of
Mass, Woodruff of Conn, Granger of N. Y,
Hickman of Pa, Oliver of N. Y, Kunkel of
Pa, Damrell of Mass, Campbell of Pa, Hall
VI MASSEY Duriee Vi H. l., urVlance Oh Ta., ana
Letter of O., on the other side.
Mr.. Cadwalader, of Pennsylvania, while he
recognized tue jurisdiction of the House in all
proper cases, was convinced that its exercise
in the present instance would be unparliament-
airy, illegal, and injurious.
MIR. Houston, of Alabama, moved TO recon.
NIT the resolutions and pending amendments
TO the select committee on the subject, with in
structlons to report the following resolution and
sustained his motion in brief argument;
Resotred, That this House has no eonstitu.
tional authority to determine what are the priv
lleges OF the Senate or to punish for their vio-
lation.
The hour of nine o'clock having arrived, and
no member claiming the floor, tae House ad-
journed.
Monday, July IA, 1856.
SENATE,
The Senate was occupied with the considera. |