Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1909-01-27
HOUSE EXPUNG(%
NlLET1' 5 SPEECH
Decides That Personal Attack
on President Can Not Go
in Record
COMMITTEE FINDS PRECEDENT
Holds That Neither Privilege Nor De-
mands for Impeachment Permit Of
Exchange Of Personalities Between
Departments Of Government Few
Vote to Uphold WilIett.

washington, Jan. ELECTROMAGNETIC
that the speech delivered in the house
last week by Representative Willett, Of
severely criticized. be expunged from
the Congressional Record, the select
committee appointed to consider the
speech submitted its report to the
house today. A letter written to the
committee by Representative Wiilett
urging that his speech should remain
pm record, accompanied the report.
Declaring that "the consideration OF
the speech in question involves con-
sideration OF what is and what is not
orderly debate in the house." the COM
nlittee's report defines the privileges of
members of the house and the limita-
tions OF debate. It discusses at length
the relationship of the two houses of
congress and the relations which must
be maintained between the house Of
representatives and the president, In
accordance with the constitution.
Criticism Personal and Irritating.
The report declares that it would
seem that the peculiar constitutional
duties of the house in relation to the
power of impeaching the president do
not preclude u clear line of distinction
between that criticism of acts and con-
duct necessary for performance of the
unconstitutional duties of the house and
q criticism merely personal and irri-
eating" 1t also claims that it is es-
pecially the duty of the house itself to
protect the president from that per-
eonal a buse, inuendo. or ridicule tend
ang to excite disorder Al the house
4tssslf and to create a personal antag-
Dnisin on, the part of the president to-
ward the house, and which is not re-
dated to the power of the house under
the constitution into the acts and con-
duct of the president"
Rem arks Not Justified.
"Your comn,itte has carefully con-
isdered the remarks of the gentleman
..and finds that his remarks concerning
the president are not justified by any
considerations OF the constitutional
duties or powers OF the house: that they
Transcend proper limits of criticism in
debate; that they are destructive of
the courtesy, respect and dignity which
ought to be preserved, and that they
ought not to remain in the permanent
official record Of the proceedings in the
house."
The committee claimed that It was
impossible to sseperate the objectionable
remarks from the remainder of the
speech and that the only way to elm
tnate the remarks considered out of or
der would be to strike out the entire
speech It cite1 as a precedent for such
action by the house the speech of Rob-
ert p. Kennedy, of Ohio. attacking the
senate made In the house on Sept. 8,
1890, which was excluded from the
oermanent record.
WiIlett's Plea.
In his letter to the committee, Mr..
willett claims that he did not tran
ocend the rules OF the house. but that
he was entirely within his rights to
make the speech, under the order of
general debate. Freedom of speech has
always been held so sacred" he de-
clares, "that the utmost latitude has
been allowed In debate. and respect
fully submit that to strike my speech
from the record in this instance will
establish precedent extremely dan
gerous."
The resolution recommended by the
special committee for adoption by the
house, reads:
Resolved, That the speech OF Mr..
Willett, printed in the daily Congress
ional Record ef Jan. Is, 1909, contains
language improper and in violation of
the privileges of debate, and that the
same be stricken from the permanent
record.
.7 Speech is Expunsed.
The house, with burt a few nays, to-
day adopted the report of the special
IL. -txxs