Daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1865, 1865-03-03
onBressional fReprtmand-aootl
. 4aAdyic0 to Mr. FGteld. f..r,i. ~

HH
A Congregational tReprimand-Good
syitg5 gnAdytcS to ME- Field. I.orii+ a.
The following is the reprimald which,
in accordance with q vote of the House,
Speaker ooIfax, on Wednesday, adminisi
tered to Mr.. Field, Of Louisiapa, the asssil,
ant of Mr.. Kelley of Pepnsylgania: dyi5siis,
o Mr.. Field The duty has been devolved
upon me by'.the Representatives of the
American people, to express to you their
condemnation of the act for which You
have been tried before a committee Of their
membersj and ordered to be repFiniSnded
at the bar of the House, by.their presiding
officer. In this hall assemble those who
have been chosen by the SURFACES of their
constituents throughout the constitutional
area of the republic, to deliberate aud DEF
eide upon the gravest matters of national
concern. Differing often widely from each
other their acts and votes on many cues.
dons may prove ,distastefuld to large por.
tions of the peoplefo whom they legisiate,
and the Constitution has therefore wisely
declared that no representative shall be
questioned elsewhere for words spoken here
In debate, accountable as every representa-.
tive isI 20 this body, with which he is asso.
ciated, to which is reserved the right of
worthy of its membership. The House
has repeatedly decided that menace or as
sault by one member upon another is
fragrant breach of privilege, rendering the
offender amenable to, whatever proper pun
ishmentit may see fit to inflict: and while
thus subjecting sworn associate to its
discipline, 1t claims and exercises the righ:
to fix the penalty against those, not 0f the
body Itself, who ehdeavor by threat or at.
tack, to interfere with the freest action OF
it's members. In your case the offense
seems more inexcusable, because you
yourself were a claimant of seat on this
floor, and the question involved in the
decision of that claim was one OF far more
than..ordinary importance TO the nation and
your State. The representative who was
first denounced and then attacked by you,
was not q member of the Committee before
which the issue was pending, and whose
report wss necessary to bring it before the
House. He had himself joined in the unan-
imous vote by which you were author.
floor, pending its decision and to
the question should come before this
body for its action. Yet, without provo,
cation, without any preliminary personal
controversy, you frst -insulted him at a
public table, and followed it with violent
attack with an open kuife, inficting pain
full wound upon his person, aud with
threats that you would shoot him before
you went to bed You must rejoice
that your assault did not, terminate in
graver results than those for which you
are now arraigned. 1t is but, Just to You
to state that the testimony of your friends
before the Committee declsre you to be
geutleman Of correct department, kind and
amiable in your intercourse with Others,
aud unexcsptionsble in demesnor, except
on occasions of indulgence in conyiviality;
and the Unpleasant position you occupy
to- day is, therefore, only another illustra-
ton Of the existing vslne of that warning
| voice Of inspiration ';'Look not upon the
wine whenit is red, when it giveth it's
color inlthe cup, for at last it biteth like a
serpent and stingeth like an adder" In
viting you finally to remember that wheth!
er an Individual or a legislator, "He that
is slow to anger is better than the mighty,
and he that ruleth his spirit than he that
taketh a city" il only remains for me to
direct the Sergeaut-at-Arms to discharge
you from his custody. ss..
Mr.. Peld was accordingly discharged.