The Cadiz sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1864-1911, 1866-06-20
Ecclesiastical DespOttsm.

The Reverend w. NJ. Ferguson, dele
gate to the Old School Presbyterian Geper
al Assembly at st. Louis, from the Preshy
terry of GAINESVILLE, has been expelled from
that body by resolution of the majority upol
a charge Of SANDER, said to have been con
tanned in letter addressed to the Colum
bus (Ohlo) Statesman: the subject of tn,
slanderous utterance being the Hon. Sam
Galloway. We take the materials of thi
statement, thus far, from the Cincinnati
| Gazette, which, while it warmly approves O
the act ct expulsion, does not give the word
upon which the charge of slander was found
ed-representing the letter as having heap
ed the most bitter abuse upon the Hon. s
Galloway for his loyal speech against th,
rebellious Louisville Presbytery," and ast
having 'called in question the uprightnca
and general integrity of the majority of th,
Assembly"
| The difficulty with Mr. Ferguson appears
to be that, like St. Peter, he was a little toe
impetuous. He could not despise the vain
| and malignant fanaticism by which he wa.
surrounded, without telling of it; and con.
tempt is thing which even the humble anc
devoted ambassadors Of Christ find it impos
sible to forgive. Our loyal cotclnporary
above named, however, enters its protest
against any notice Of this case By disloyal
newspapers saying:
That the offender will he culogiscd as 9
martyr by the whole rebcl-sympathizine
press, and the Assembly denounced as civ.
| ing over to Radicalism. Is to be expected
No tsir-minded man can, however, fail tc
| see that the Assembly only acted for the pro.
lection of its own dignity, just as any secu.
lar tribunal, legislative or Judicial, would
have done.
That the Assembly was given over to Rad
icalism is proven by all of its proceedings.
The speech of Mr.. Galloway. so far as /;
was argumentative, was devoted to an at,
tempt TO demonstrate the right of the ma
jority Of deliberative and judicial bodies ia
expel the minority by resolution. either
with or without charges; and that which was
done in the case of the Louisville Preshytey
ry was afterward done in the case ofMr.
Ferguson Mr.. Galloway cited the case of
the present squatter Congress as authority
in support of his position, and it was accept.
as such; and it is not by any means impro-
badly that the vote which MIR. Ferguson
gave in the Louisville case prepared the way
for the speedy application Of the principle
to himself
The Gazette ismistaken in itslaw. There
is no case on record in which judicial body
has expelled one Of its members for the pro
lection ofits own dignity. There is no case
in which a deliberative body has, without
formal trial, and simply on motion or BY re-
solution, expelled one of its members for
writing letter disappearing of the man
ners or conduct of another member. The
members of representative assembly hold
their seats, not merely in their own right,
but in that Of their constituent bodies; and
there is no common law power, in such as.
semblies. upon a pretcnse of wounded dig
nifty, to disfranchise such constituent bodies.
The existence of the rights of the constitu-
encies Of its members. the General Assem-
bly, at ST. Louis saw fit, throughout oil its
doings, to ignore 1t took upon itself all
the airs Of a self existent and absolute dig
archy; and was as domineering in its spirit,
and as Incorporate in its language, as it was
despotic in its DEGREES = Cm Emo,