The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1870-06-04
tcCHE PR ESS.
Saturday Morning, June 4, 1870.
WhitteniOre.

This scoundrel who is determined to be no
torious if not famous and prefers to be display
ed upon gibbet higher than Haman's rather
than pass unnoted to his dishopored grave,
has undoubtedly been returned to the seat
he dssraced and was recently compelled TO va
cate. 1t is 70 small, and probably not the least
bitter part of the'cup of humiliation which
the high-spirited Southerners have been COM
PEELED to drink on account Of their sins against
humanity and democracy that they see these
miserable demagogues practcing upon an TO-
noraht ana credulous constituency, to whom
Tie use OF the ballot is new, and returned by
t,'eui 10 seats once filled by srch men as Chas.
Ootesworth Pinckney and John C. Calhoun
II Is reproach which we have to share
thoagh hardly responsible for it. Nor is it so
singular as it looks at first sight AS gen
erai rule men of ability and with keen sense
OF honor will not 90 South and accept nomip-
atoms which subject them to insult and social
ostracism. and the cultivated native citizen is
excluded by reason OF his political opinions and
action; while the men OF inferior talent and
toarser natures who " i'll accept Office no mat
Ter how attained, are more ready to Weld TO
the pressure which compels them to consort
with, and rely upon, the more ignorant and
Inscriptions part of the community whom
they corrupt, and by whom they are corruntcd
I'LL the sense OF shame and all idea of official
integrity is lost so that the incumbent M lon.
ger bushes to receive bride nor do the con-
stituency hesitate to endorse him in his az.
ceptance of it. But have rot the national
representatives the rightful power to refuse to
recognize the validity of this shameful re.elec-
ton, due to local and temporary causes. so as
to prevent its becoming the national disgrace
that it will be, if Whittemore be allowed on;
city and as matter of course to resume the
seat he vacated so hastily to avoid expulsion ?
The Constitution provides that Each House
shall be the judge of the elections, returns and
qualifications of its own members" This
may, and perhaps does, merely mean that they
shall alone determine whether or not rem
resentative possess the requisite constitution
al qualifications as to age, residence, &C.. but
II this clause be thus restricted, is not the ac
OF reslgning his seat pending an inquiry into
his right to retain it and then seeking and OBJ
tanning reelection to the same House at the
same session contempt of the House which
it may properly take cognizance of and pun
ish? Certainly he is chosen in defence of
public sentiment, of common decency and of
common honesty: and as certainly the choice
directly tends to bring the whole BODY OF
which he becomes a member into disgrace and
contempt. Nor can he escape punishment by
resigning, since the Supreme Court long ago
(1S2l, in the case of Anderson VS.. Dunn, 6
Wheat, 204) decided that Congress could
punish for contempt of that body, persons not
members. We are aware of the difficulties
attending such procedure and the danger of
converting an Inscriptions, dangerous and
disreputable demagogue into an apostle of lib
erty and a champion of popular rights as was
the case of John Wilkes who was thrice re-
elected to the seat in Parliament from which
he was expelled, and thrice rejected only to be
at last admitted. 1t was claimed, and would
be now, that the constituents had a right to
select scoundrel to represe, them if they
preferred him; and as John Morissey and
Fernando Wood have been received without
objection il would be difficult to depy this
proposition. If nothing more can be done
the House Of Representatives ought, by reso-
lutions unanimously passed, and by excluding
him from the committees, to mark their dis
appreciation OF his audacious rascality in in
truding himself again into Congress, and each
member ought SO to treat him in private in
tercourse as to make his return to the next
Congress as undesirable TO him as it is to the
nation.