New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-01-08

very city Of Bos.on iiself; among other things IN
the attempt made there, end which was so nearly
successful, to defeat the reelection Of Mr. Bur
ipgsme. The remedy Of expulsion, whether coz
sidered as protection against the presence In Con
gress Of da gerous as well n unworthy members,
or in The Ugh. of disgraceful punishment
though at the best very inadequate onc-iof
bigh.tsnded offences, has proved total failure.
Bully Brooks and bis Og-con.pIrator ale again
in their seats encouraged and nstigs'ed BY the sP-
plsuses showered upon them to ~aylay any Senator
or Representative whose genius, whose knowledge
whose argument, whose satire, whose eloquenoe
Ofends them, and being utterly unable otherwise
TO reply 10 him, 10 silence him forever By murder
GUS blows On the head.
Mr. as it at present stands, does the criminal
law of the Dstrc: Of Columbia afford the slightest
means progressing or punlshng such crimes Ina'
law may be apty compared to an enactment OF the
Twelve Tables, for the punishment OF assaults
whi.h q certain Roman citizen held up 10 ridicue
AID contempt, BY running through the CITY Win d
whip in his hand striking right and left, and then
rendering with sheer 10 tie assaulted party Inc
tiff ng coin specified in the Twelve Tables Is the
damage for such assaults. That inefhcency OF Ia"
at best hardly adequate to such emergencies-1hal
change Of it from terror TO lsnghns-stock WI Gu
had been brought about at Rome BY the oePrecla'
ton Of the coinage and the diminutiOn from other
causes of the comparative value Of money, has been
quite a. effectualy ard much more rapidly accom-
plisbed at Washington, BY still more marked de-
probation in the character of those who occupy the
bench of CT minal justice.
As the law stands at present, crime Of the highest
magnitude, involving all the worst ingredients Of
both treason and murder, may be perpetrated ct
WashiUgtOn-at least, BY Members of Congress
from The slayehodiDg States-with the certainty of
10 other legal penalty than fine of one or two
hundred dollars. Well knowing the sort of persons
whom it has sitting among its own members-a
Brooks, Herbert a Rust Keitt, an Edmund
soL-hOw can the House delay an instant in provid-
ing laws adequate TO the restraint of such awless
and dangerous characters
As 20 the Senate, we must say that they stand
before the country and the world in very delicate
position. Mr. Douglas gave as his reason fer not
having interfered to stay the assault Of an armed
bully upon an unarmed fellOw-SenatOr, attacked
unawsres in his seat ard already blinded and stag
perpg under the blows shOwered upon him, that
he feared lest interference on his part nigh. be
nisinterpreted and its motives misunderstood.
Undoubtedly Mr. Douglas, by the course he took
on that OCCASION made hnself perfectly transp,r-
ent, if not as a person utterly destitute of any
generosity or msgnanmity Of the sentiment of fair
play, of scruples as TO the employment of any
means for the qualification of personal or pEy
hatreds at least rs a person who, in comparison
with political promotion, cared for none of these
things; nor, as il seems to u.s. can the Senate, as
body under the existing circumstances of the case
initiate Mr.. Douglass quiescence without placing it
self in precisely the same category.
The case stands now very differently from what
it did at the time Of Mr.. Douglass special involve
nent in it. The idea then put forward, the basis
IN fact on which Mr.. Douglas rested his attempt
at expIsnsnatiop, was that the assault on Mr.. Sum-
rer was, as to its physical features, quite a trihpg
oftnse-a few blows on the head with Ii sht walk
ing stick which accidentally drew blood, aud
which, however they might operate to disgrace Mr..
Sumner, were otherwise quite insignificant. The
result has shown the outrage under which Mr. Sum.
ner has sutfered to have been of the most serious
physical character leaving it still doubtful whether
be ill ever be able 10 resume his seat in the Senate
Surely. under such circumstances, that body cannot
remain quescent. Our Constitution assures to
Senators and Representatives the same security 10
the discharge Of their ofc al duties which attached
tO the Tribunts Of the ROmsn people. The disre
gard Of this official invOabiity, by the murder Of
the Gracchi, was one of the first symptoms OF an
iDcpient revolution which ended in the extinction
of the Roman Republic. If the outrage against
Mr.. Sumner passes not only unpublished, but with
out any steps being taken to prevent its repetition
Will il not afford like indication Of the growing
prepondersncy among ourselves Of similar aristo-
cra,ical element The great ofense of the
Gracchi-that which caused their murder-was
their desire TO secure for the mass Of the Roman
citizens their share ia the lands acquired by the
Republic, instead of having them all eDgrossed BY
the aristOcrstc class. The offense committed by
Mr. Sumner, in opposing the extension of Slavery
into Kansas was precisely Of similar sort. Hence
the attempt to murder hm-an attempt made in the
interest and with the approval of the arstocratic
cass-to murder him, too, in the very Senate
House. and while engaged in the discharge Of his
Senatorial dulies-or ii not 20 murder him out
right which, but for the interference ofthird parties,
there is every reason TO suppose would have hap
pered to disable him forever from political life.
II remains to be seen whether, as the Roman Senate
approved the murder of the Gracchi because they
advocated the rights of the poorer classes, our
senate at Washington will give their tscit approval
TO similar outrage perpenated on Mr. Sumner
because he dared TO assume the advocacy Of those
h;ch Ra..lhE. nrufaas.as