New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-14

ATTENDED "a cad ~. no q. IMPLIED Sc ues oapos in the
sourse Of he Committee, against which asa 90 ny
protest, the msenous experiment iaed Of ne am.
dspsS by III. Committee Whist motive induced ]: }
Wh.t ruyr,.e vss N be accomplished ~ III Wns'
consideration Of either pubic policy or pfva,s >.
soulo ynd;c,.e IL Wac the State IN such peru tn,.
ali the naval safeguards Of the righ's OF lndv1aAs
needed FOR The moment TO be sacntced ior us s1l.
Wa the Committee itself 50 fearful toat c1IrupaI
might reach even lie purity unIess its sttngs auu
doing. were shro1ded n secrecy ana s .n Ind,
vb,.ever hollow and specous plea suc1 Vioisnon OF
a.. rights OF member ofthis House may De aem2,ed
IN be excused it can never be Jushhed beore zoe
.o,H And though il m.y be said that 10 some other
&C member may have been - Indifferent. 70 the To-
onrv or cek NJ OF nights ur der The ci cuus.ances
ID, existing, dem i, my duty to pIote t against IL
protest az anst the night Of this Committee thus to
mt n . IN trial 10 secret and without notice q. the
very BE- gin ming of the trial. and without the specd
thorty Of The House therefor.
protest sesiDst The taking and recording of tesi-
noDy by the Committee in the recesses of a chamber
made secret by Agreement among themselves bat not
entered on their Journal.
protest snst the secret examination Of WITNESSES
summoned from fer AMI near for the purpose Of n.
peacbir without notice 10 me tha, such in
vesiigstion was in progress.
And protest sgsnst the condemnation OF that Go n
mtee which has been reported 10 the House, which s
founded alone on an iDqusitlon thus conducted and
testimony thus obtained 20 being In tiagrant violation
cipes Of ju.tcel
The Committee In ito report attempts TO smooth over
this departure from both primo and justice and Par
Hsmentdry law, by saying that ts course was " more
liberal toward members whose conduct might be
"caled in question: than to pursue the practice IN
former Of merely reading the testimony 70
Them" When and where did these former csses"
occurl Where are thee precedens Of more iilberd
and more Unjust practice TO be found In what year,
or what pages of the annals Of Congress IL would
have been more satisfactory if the Committee had
given to the House reference 10 these former
csses which in their researches they have found and
which showed that members implicated by secret ex-
smiostion Of Witnesses, had only been allowed the
privilege Of having the testimony read over to them
after ii had b. en- taken and completed.
If there be any lists OF such cases. surely this Com
mittee should have cited them. We could have for
Ourselves looked 10 the records and have ascertaned
how far the Committee justified or excused by the
precedens. The Committee assert, upon their respon-
sbility that such former cases are TO be found. l.
upon equal responsibility deny it, and challenge
examination of the journals of either House of Con-
gress TO urnish thing like the record which this
Committee has furnished to this House. II has, indeed
been said the oor Of the House, in debate that in
single instance at the last session, testimony iupli-
cstipg a member Offered to be read over to him
after had been TAKEN have only to cay, in refer
eDce TO hat Gaze that the proceedings were open and
public instead OF being held under the seal Of secrecy
but that if there in that single case in
relation 10 single individual who declared that he
cared nothing about the matter, 1t can by no means
Justify repetition Of the wrong nor much less an 1t
authorize Committee TO say that " former cases are
to be found in which the practice referred to has been
Iesorted to.
Having thus exposed to the House the manner in
which became known to me Ii at was and had been
secretly on trial before this Committee, now proceed
to wholly deny its power right TO place me on tIsl at
all.
Without special authority for that purpose to be
found on the journal Of the House. the FIVE members
Whose name. signed to the various reports had no
more right to examine and pronounce upon the case
which they have presented here than any other FIVE
members Of this House. Their power is TO be found in
the iesouton under which they were appointed. That
was their commission and they held no other. That
commission gave them no power or right to inquire or
pronounce upon the individual conduct or character OF
any member by pane. 1t vas combinations OF men,
bers' for corrupt purposes which had been charged;
and II was to investigate the truth or asehood OF that
charge that the Committee appointed. II had no
general rowing commission to inquire into all sorts oil
oenses either ainst good morals or good manners
1t was not charged with seeking for breakage Of the
whole ten COMMANDMENTS and yet 1t had the same
authority for trying members for adultery, fornic alton,
or theft TO try for the ofeDses upon which they
have pronounced ud smeLt and for which they invoke
punishment by TIE House. And yet what do we see 7
Would II be believed, unless 1t stood there openly on
the record, that this honorable Committee have besn
sitting in solemn well as secret conclave hearing and
weighing evidence for the purpose OF convctng me oil
the crime of hbe and gravey declaring In their reso
luton inasmuch had been guilty Of the high oense
Of having "asssied and DETAINED the character OF this
Houre," that, as punishment therefor must bs eI-
PEELED. Scdndalum Observation-Disclosures OF the nobility
was once heinous in the nostrils OF the British
Hou.e OF Lords But it remained for ms ority of a
Committee of the Houie of Representatives OF the
United States Of America of the 34th Congress TO in
.ttue and complete trial for Islander against of
their fellow. members In the year 1888, law, COM
monty called the Sedon law, was enacted which pro-
Weed punishment for libels upon the high officers OF
the Government. That law was coon repealed, and
has become by-word and reproach ever since. But
this Committee have proposed to enact 1t in its es-
sentia spirit They aege that have spoken evil OF
the dientAes who sit in these seats, and must there
fore be puniehed by expulsion from among them
And all this they have done by virtue OF the authority
given them In the following resolution, to wit:
Whsa' Certain statement. have been uo.hoa eh.,sns
certain during the present CoHse aud whereas
member OF this House has stated that the article referred 70
Rs.ord That Committee consisting ofhve members be ap'
poned by the Speaker with send M persons and
ps vesse said charges and that said COMMITTEE report
necessary part Of the House. without any unnecessary
delay"
Under this authority the Committee was organized
and entered upon It's duties: They have held secret
teesons for forty days. and the result of their nvestga
ton of the charges set forth in the resolution s that
they reported to the House the 18th of February
large mass of testimony and o. their judgment upon
IT, they declare a. follows:
"Ihe COMMITTEE do say ttdt no such general comb
nations az hare ben charged prored TO erN -
Page % Of Com Rep
This was their Judgment upon the only matter com:
mitied to them. They h.d then and thus exhausted
their duty we'll their whole power. Nothing ore
bad been given to them in charge by the House; and
where then did they get their right or power to 60 fur
tber BY what right did they pry into private letter
written by me TO constituent, which had no possible
reference to any possible combination" of Members OF
Congress- Who clothed them with authority to put
me on trial for defamation or Islander They might,
with good and Just right put trial those OF
their fellow members who, Saturday last voted In
Committee Of the hole for the book appropriation,
and who sirius sed in the House to prevent the taking