Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1864-04-07

0VerrldeS the laws OF TIE Ian0; all VINO or
pose the wickedness and corruption of
the present Administration, and proclaim
that it should be expelled from Office and
powerat the very first that pre-
sents ITSELF all who oppose the changing of q
war for the restoration of the Union into
an unconstitutional crusade against slavery;
all who oppose political Abolitionism in all
its phases, and deplore its bitter, destruc-
tive, bloody fruits; all who are devoted
to the Union as it was and the Constitution
MS 1t is. In other words, all Democrats are
stigmatized as disloyal ren,, .Copperheads
III this view, Mr.. Speaker must freely
acknowledge, on my own behalf, and on
behalf of all my Democratic friends around
me, that we are firm, determined, and, #
YOU please, most inyeterate copperheads!
In this view, we are proud Of being stig-
matized as disloyal rnenl In this view |
claim, that all true friends of the Union, all
who love our country above party and self
interest, should be aud Gre disloyal men!
Sir,s I am glad to see that the country gets
awakened to the dangers threatening us
from all sides. j rejoice to see that the gei :
tleman from Butler had courage enough to
place before the people the true character
of the Administration! And your inactivity
at first and the peculiar species of your
coerced final action, furnish the best Illus
tration for the correctness of the gentle
mans argument. Ek G.g.f4 EffL
Sirs, If You adopt the substitute, reported
by the Judiciary committee, If you censure
alike the gentleman from Butler, for re-
marks he made in his argument, and the
gentleman from Perry, for his assault upon
the Speaker on account of those remarks,
you not only wink ut, but you directly in
dorse and justify one of the most brutal
attacks ever made upon the freedom Of
Legislative debate! Are you seriously pre-
pared to do so? Are you willing to cover
all such and similar violations of parlia-
mcntary decorum and privilege with a
shield Of indemnity for the past and pat
ent for the future? Will you drive us, the
minority, to the extremity, that hereafter
we must come to this Hall armed to the
teeth; that henceforth, while speaking, we
must clutch our revolvers, in order to OBJ
tain protection by force, which you deny
us by law? or do you think you can fright
en- us into submission to your behests such
as you yield to the behests of your master
in Washington? Sirs, if you think so, you
are mistaken, sadly mistaken! We, all of
us, are ready to die at any moment, here or
elsewhere, in defense of our liberties, who
ever the assailant may be! No, sirs. let me
appeal once more to your cool judgment,
to your sense Of justice and propriety.-
You can not, you will not, am confident.
inaugurate such dreadful state of affairs.
If you do, then the responsibility rests solely
upon your shoulders.
Let me close by inviting your attention
to the protest of the Democratic members
of the House against the action of the ma
jority i'm my case last winter. The protest
is equally applicable to the case of the gen
tleman from Butler. 1t reads as follows
"I'he undersigned, members of the House
of Representatives of the State of Ohio,
deem it their duty to enter on the Journal
of the House their protest against its action
in the matter of the resolutions of censure
against the motives and conduct of the Hon.
Otto Dresel. ...--.
"In the discharge ofthisd duty, we put out
of view all questions of construction and OF
approval or disapproval of the resolutions
offered by the member from Franklin. We
base our objections solely on the following
considerations, viz:
"The member from Franklin was not ar
raigned for any disorderly words or con-
duct, or for any otfense against the order,
safety or dignity of this body; for such of
fenses alone, in our opinion, is a member
amenable to the Judgment of his peers. This
is the extent of their judicial jurisdiction,
as limited bv the Constitution. f,f
"A member cannot be made responsible
to his fellow-members for any opinions he
may entertain, however erroneous they may
be- or however distasteful to them, without
at once constituting the majority the absO-
lutte masters of the minority. The equality
of members on this floor is thus at once
destroyed, and free representation stricken
down. Ii a member may be arraigned and
condemned for his opinions only, expressed
by word or resolutions. the freedom of de-
bate is restrained, and the voice of the peo-
pie may be stified in their own Legislative
halls. There may be no limit to the exer-
else of the power of the majority thus as
sumed over the minority. II they may fix
the offense, they may determine the punish
mcnt, and we are at once remitted to the
scenes Of the French, Revolutionary Con-
vention, when the Girondists were the VIC
tins of the mountain, and the guillotine
was the measure of their punishment.
ave regard the action os the House, In
this behalf, as an assumption of power
totally foreign to the Legislative functions
of its members, unauthorized by the Con-
stitution, and precedent dangerous to the
peace of legislative deliberations, and the
usefulness of representative government.
ave, therefore, solenlnly protest in this
behalf, and ask that this expression of our
objections may be entered on the Journal Of
| the House, q ft5syT3EN ,tSItBa-sg5
Who can deny the truth of that protest?
None, who is sincere enough to admit the
truth. Sir, listen TO its voice! However
distasteful the argument of the gentleman
from Butler may have been to you, uphold
the sanctity Of the freedom of legislative
debate by voting against the Resolution
censuring the speaker for uttering 'disloyal
sentiments" while addressing you! Pro-
tect your dignity, the dignity of this House,
the majesty of the sovereign people, by
manfully recording your vote In favor OF
the original +, solution! = sirr-l-, =, 60