The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1909-01-29
DIATRIDE
AGAINST PRESIDENT
ESPUNGED BY HOUSE
rgrMITTEE REPORTS THAT
SPEECH CONTAINS LANGUAGE
IN VIOLATION OF RULES.
MANY PRECEDENTS ARE CITED
ne. York Member Who Used offen.
s.e Terms Makes Protest, But in
vsln.-Vote To Strike From The
Fecord Almost Unanimous.

WASHINGTON, Jan. 27.-Recom
q lg that the speech delivered in
: rouse last week by Representa-,
te Willett, of New York, in which
President was severely criticised,
b. eXpuuged from the Congressional
Record, The select committee appoint.
10 consider the speech, submitted
s report to the House today. A let
Err written TO the committee by Rep
sentative Willett, urging that his
saeech should remain on record, &C.
Eompanied the report.
Declaring that the consideration OF
ae speech in question involves a con.
deration of what is and what is not
#brderly debate in the House," the com
Inttee's report defines the privileges
If members of the House and the limi
tons of debate 1t discusses at
i myth the relationship of the two
Aouses OF Congress and the relations
which must be maintained between
he House of Representatives and the
President in accordance with the Con-
sttution.
The report declares that it would
seem that the peculiar constitutional
|iuties of the House in relation to the
power of impeaching the President do
bot preclude a clear line of distinction
Between that criticism of acts and
conduct necessary for performance of
khe constitutional duties of the House
Slnd criticism merely personal and
Irritating"
1t also claims that it is especially
Ahe duty of the House itself to protect
- President from that personal
abuse or ridicule, tending to excite
Disorder in the House itself, and to
create d personal antagonism on the
bart of the President toward the
House, and which is not related to
lie power OF the House under the
Eonsttution to examine into the acts
$Hd conduct of the President"
Your committee has carefully con-
kidered the remarks of the gentleman I
from New York" continues the re-
bort, and find that his remarks con- !
eeTning the President are not justified |
b. any consideration of the constitu-
tiOnal duties vi powers of the House;
that they transcend the proper limits
pf criticism in debate; that they are
destructive of that courtesy, respect
Rnd dignity which ought to be pre-
seryed, and that they ought not to
Temain in the permanent official rec
Drd of the proceedings in the House."
The committee claimed that it was
impossible to separate the objection
bible remarks from the remainder OF
the speech, and that the only way to
eliminate the remarks considered out
Jt order would be to strike out the
entire speech.
|
ion by the House the speech of Rob- ,
.rt P. Kennedy, of Ohio, attacking the
Senate, made in the House on Sept. 3,
$50, which was excluded from the per-
nanent record.
In his letter to the committee, Mr..
Eillett claims that he did not tran
cend the rules of the House, but that {
e was entirely within his rights TO
lake the speech under the order OF I
eneral debate. S
Freedom of speech has always been
cid so sacred" he declares, that the
tmost latitude has been allowed In
bate, and l respectfully submit that
) strike my speech from the record |,
this instance will establish pre-
dent extremely dangerous" &
The resolution recommended by the
,ecial committee for adoption by the d
ouse reads:
Resolved, that the speech Of Mr.. &
'illett, printed in the Daily Congress
onal record of Jan. Is, 1909, contains
nguage improper and in violation OF b
e privileges of debate, and that the
me be stricken from the permanent G.
cord"
The resolution was adopted by a
actically unanimous vote. h,