The Washington union., 1858-02-26

sell WITHIN the pubic gazehad Withdrawn himself from
observation because far he could Judge the House
looked upon him a moral carion. What public ad-
vantage to bo gained by the passage of the resou
tons In November next the constituents Of that mem
his course and he had doubt they would visit him
with the most severe punishment and that he would
cease to have political exstence-would die political
death According to his view il would be dangerous
precedent because it would imply determination the
part of the House to punish crime act which the
House had not before declared should be considered
crime. Under these circumstance he in favor of
laying the resolution the table with view of having
the House hereafter imbody in its rules provision gov
ernng such this
MIR. GlDDINGS of Ohio, desired that the House should
act to-day boldly The people of that district had right
to represented the absence of the member imp
Gated showed conclusvey that ought to be
Neither the sickness of his wife, the death of his father
the illness of his family, could exempt man from
standing here in his place to answer such charges He
desired that the majority of the House should take the
into their own hands, and that member his
side the House should throw himself in way of
ecutng justice of establishing precedent which should
govern them all.
Mr. HUGHES, of Indiana discussed the power and
jurisdiction of the House He conceived that the House
had absolute jurisdiction but such the importance of
the questions involved that it meet and proper that
the House should approach them with due deliberation.
He prepared for the resolution in its present
FORM and hoped to it modified and for that purpose
moved that it be referred to the Committee the Ju
dietary
discussed without the Indulgence Of partisan feelings 1t
commendble to purge the House Of those who
obnoxious Neither party had evinced any hesitation in
acting ut the last session. and he expressed his surprise that
gentlemen should allue to the struggle an exciting The
member had resigned his seat to escape the action of the
House, but the House unwilling after his resg
nation to permit him to go scot free and passed the
luton his resignation to the contrary notwithstanding
and the question up whether member thus driven
from the hall by public confession of guilt and by the
Judgment of the house upon resolution, could
and take his seat their peers and represent portion
of the sovereign people The gentleman from Louisiana
Mr. TAYIOR] had said that legislative body had inhe
rent power. He against the doctrine Of inherent
powers beyond what legitimate He called attention
to the constitutional of the House. and contended
that sufficient power would be found there to meet the
present and all similar He would go cheerfuy
for select any other committee but it due to the
people that there should be final action in order that
they might settle the precedent for the control of the m
ture.
Mr. NICHOLS, of Ohio remarked that, in his judg-
ment the question should at first have been referred to
select committee with instructions to inquire and
port upon the powers of the House He believed
that should be referred to the Committee the Judi
ciary. The resolution of the last House, which had been
adopted virtually expelled the member and he contend
ed that under the constitution could not be pun
shed twice for the offence and protested, in the
of fairness, against furnishing a member for
offence for which he had already been punished
Mr. SMITH inquired whether he would allow OBJ
noxous member to escape their judgment and the udg
ment of their successors by resignation
Mr. NICHOLS replied that they had virtually expelled
the member and his resignation no reason for fur
her action, because he had incurred all the penalties
Mr. JONES' of Tennessee, said he should vote against
the reference of the subject and should vote for the
luton, not punishment of that gentleman, but
justification and publication of the House. and should
vote to expel him if his constituents should reelect him
and send him back He thought it fully demon
straed that he IArsos morally disqualified to sit
in the American Congress- and he should always vote to
exclude such men from the House.
Mr. of Tennessee.
ceedingy desirable that early action should be had in
reference the right of MATTEsoN to continue
Der of the body and that such should be pur
sued would procure it. He thought that the reference
of the subject to select committee preferable to the
proposed reference to the Committee the Judiciary
which was too much engaged to act with expedition.
Mr. CURTIS, of Iowa. said the whole matter came up
the proceedings of former Congress 1t seemed that
the member before them for trial had been considered
unworthy of association by former Congress 1t in
the power of that member to have gone before his
stitents and obtained their decision He had prop
not to do and had escaped the action of the House
by his resignation AS member OF this Congress, and
not member of the preceding one, if thak gentleman
unworthy of association there he was unworthy of
association here Therefore, he felt it his duty to go
against him here.
Mr. HARRIS, OF Illinois, then proceeded to reply to
the various arguments which had been made in opposi
ton to his resolution and conended that its passage
necessary for the publication of the House.
Mr. GROW of Pennsylvania called the attention of
the House to the fact that the letter by MATEsoN
Wm. ". johnson, upon wh1cn the WnOle cnaf8e was
based, was known to his constituents before he
elected to Congress He stated that atnought tes-
tilted that Mr. MATTEsoN and some thirty others were
banded together yet the committee had not called upon
Mr. MATEsoN to give their He protested against
this assumption Of power the part of the House to
punish a second time and contended that Con-
gress had power the character of its members
except their official conduct while members of the
House.
Mr. RTTCHIE, of Pennsylvania stated that Mr. MAT
had been invited to attend the committee repeated
y, but had not done In conclusion he moved the
previous question.
The previous question having been seconded and the
main question ordered,
Mr. SHERMAN, of Ohio, moved that the whole sub
ect be laid the table which motion not agreed
to--yeas 6l, nays 1872 as follows
YEAsMessrs Abbott Bennett Bngnu Bliss Brayton runln.
Burngame Campbell Case Caee Ezra Clark awson Coax
Covode Cragn Timothy Iowa. Dean Dick
Dodd Dicc Ee Farnsworh Gdding Goodwin Granger Grow,
Humphrey Marshall Maynard Morgan Oliver A. Morse
Pct Potter Purviance tce, Robbins
Thompson Tompkn weic walbge Walton Cadwaadcr
c. Washburne, and Wood-61.
NAysMessrs Adrain, Ah Atkins Avery, Bsrkdale Bingham
Bishop ocock, Bonha Bryan Burnett Burns Burroughs
ke Chapman John B. Cnrk, Clay, Clemens, Cngman Cobb
Cocrane, John Cocane Cockerel Comns Craig
Crawford Curry Curtis, mmrei John G. Davis Reuben Davis
Fcnton Florence Foley, Foster Garnett, Gartre Gis Gilman
elmer CooJe Greenwood Gregg Grocsbeck,
Hawkins HILL Hoard Hopkins Houston Hughes Huyer Jackson
ewc Geo w Jones' Owen Jones Ke Kelly Kgoe Knapp
Kunkel Lawrence Macy Mcqueen, Samuel Marshall Mason,
Miles Miller Mson, Montgomery, Moore Morrill,, Edward
N Norris Mott On Palmer Pendlcton Phelps
cand Rfu RUSSELL Sanddge Scales Seward, Henry NJ Shaw,
shorter les Singleton Samuel Smith spinner Stevenson
washburn White whicey wnsow woodson Augustus
r. Wright John V. Wright, and zollconer122