Daily Ohio statesman. [volume] (Columbus, Ohio) 1855-1870, 1866-06-08
EccIesinsticnI IIesDotfsm.

The Reverend w. NJ. Ferguson, dele
gate to the Old School Presbyterian Cen
eral Assembly at ST. Louis, from the Pres
bytery OF ZanesVille, has been expelled
from that body by resolution of the MAJOR
ity upon a charge of slander, said to have
been contained in letter addressed to the
Columbus (Ohio) STATESMAN: the subject
ot the slanderOus utterance being the Hon.
Sam. Galloway. We take the materials of =
this statement, thus far, trOm the CinctnHGtt
Gazette which, while it warmly approves
of the act of expulsion, does not give the
words upon which the charge Of slander
was fOunded-representing the letter as
having ''heaped the most bitter abuse,npon
the Hon. Samuel Galloway for, his loyal
speech against the rebelliOus Louisville
Presbytery," and also having scaled In
question the uprightnesS and general in
tegrity of the majority of the Assembly"
The difficulty with Mr.. Ferguson appears
to be that, like St. Peter, he was little too
impetuous. He could not despise the'vaih
and malignant fanaticism by which he was
surrounded, without telling fit; and dcon-
tempt is a thing which even the humble
and devoted ambassadors of Christ find it
impossible to forgive. Our loyal cotempo-
rary above named, however, enters its pro-
test against any notice of this case by dis
loyal newspapers, saying; sllHJ l'
THAT the offender will be eulogized as =
martyr by the whole rebel sympathizing
press, and the Assembly denounced as Civ
EN- over to Radicalism, is to be expected
No fair-minded man can, however, fail to
see that the Assembly only acted for the
protection of its own dignity, just as any
secular tribunal legislative or Judicial,
would have DONE" zs0l
That the Assembly was given over to
Radicalism is proven BY all of its proceed
ings. The speech of Mr.. Galloway, so far
as it was argumentative, was devoted to
an attempt to demonstrate the right OF
the majority of deliberative and judicial
bodies to eXpel the minority by resolu-
.tion, either with or without charges;
and that which was done, in the case
of the Louisville Presbytery was after
ward done in the case of Mr.. Fergu-
son. Mr.. Galloway cited the case of tne
present squatter Congress as authority IN
support of his position, aud 1t was accepted
as such; and it is not by any means I'M
probable that the vote which Mr. Ferguson
gave in the Louisville case prepared tue
way for the sPeedyapplieation Of the prlnS-
ciple to himself. ~
The Gazette is mistaken in its law. There
is no case on record in which q judicial
body has expelled one of its members for
the protection of its own dignity. There
is no case in which deliberative body 'llas,
without a formal trial, and simpl yion mo-
-tion or by resolution, expelled Que of its
members for writing letter Disappearing
OF the manners or conduct of another inem-
Der. The members of Representative iase
.semblyihold their seats, not merely intheir
own right, but in thatof their constituent
bodies; and there is no common law power, In
such assemblies, upon apretehse OF wouhd-
ed dignity, to disfranchise such constituent
bodies.iaF The existence Of the rights of the
constituencies of its members, the. General
Assembly at st. Louis saw fit, throughout
all the airs OF selfexistent and absolute
oligarchy; and was as domipeering in. its
spirit, and as intemperate in its language.
asitwas despotic in its DEGREES. -cincian06
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