Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1913-05-09

speaker called them sharply to order
and insisted that it was unfair to seize
any man by the leg while he was fight.
ing. They must take him by the shoul-
ders in their efforts to remove him
from the body Of his antagonist.
Hair.PulIins Enrages Speaker.
Speaker Dayton would permit nc
striking below the belt. Following his
ruling the peacemakers took Griswold
by the shoulders and pulled him of
Others helped Lyon to his feet and the
house began to consider the second
breach Of peace. While so engaged
Lyon and Griswold met at the water
cooler on the opposite side Of the cham
Der and renewed the fight, this time
with fists and hair pulling and very
little regard for the Queensbury rules
This so incensed the speaker that when
they were separated he had them
brought to the bar Of the house and
compelled them to give their personal
pledges that they would in future OBJ
their personal quarrels elsewhere. The
speaker did not propose to act as ref
cree between men who would indulge
in hair pulling or other disgraceful and
unmanly demonstrations in a personal
encounter. f n,..
The investigation Of the charges
against Lyon were resumed, the COM
mittee disagreed on the resolution to
expel him, and the house refused to
vote for censure. The delay in Girls
wold's resentment seems to have lost
him sympathy for the insult he had
accepted in silence. Lyon was defeated
at the next election, moved to Ken
lucky, and was several times elected to
the house from that state. The dra-
matte and significant feature of this
first fight on the floor Of the house was
the firm attitude Of Speaker Dayton in
enforcing the Marquis of Queensberry
rules at the same time he was enforc-
ing the rules of Jefferson's Manual. He
established a precedent that may be
valuable for Speaker Clark and enable
him to referee fight at the same time
he is presiding over the deliberations
Of the house.
Attack on Presidents Son.
There have been other contests in
the house that were not strictly parlia-
mentary and some affairs outside the
chamber which called for investiga-
tion. In May, 1928, John Adams, son
and private secretary Of President
John Quincy Adams, delivered a mes
sage to the house, and as he was leav-
ing Russell Jarvis assaulted him at the
door. The president directed the at
tention Of the house 10 this outrage on
the executive in a special message, and
there was an investigation. Jarvis ad-
mitted the assault, and justified it on
the ground that the presidents son had
insulted him at White House recep-
ton, and the Capitol rotunda was no
more public place for punishment than
was the place where the insult was
given. There was long debate and
divided councils in the house. One fac
tion insisted that the house should re-
sent an insult to the executive Office
when committed in that part Of the
Capitol under the jurisdiction Of the
house. Another faction contended that
the house could not punish citizen
for contempt when the assault was not
on a member, but on the presidents
secretary. A resolution was finally
adopted, declaring that "the act was q
violation Of privilege and merited Gen.
sure, but that no further proceedings
be taken"
Again in 1882, Samuel Houston, the
turbulent patriot whose name adorns
Statuary Hall, wayls.id Representative
Stanberry, Of Ohio, and punished him
for some remark in debate few days
before Houston had sent challenge tc
Stanberry, which was ignored. He ther
met Stanberry on the street and
struck him with a cane. Stanberry re-
ported the assault to the house, and
an investigation was ordered. This
raised the constitutional point as tc
whether a member OF congress should
not be protected under the guarantee
of the Constitution that he could moi
be held to account anywhere for words
spoken in debate. Houston was called
to the bar Of the house and put or
trial. He admitted the assault ant
sought to justify 1t, but he was censur'
ed by the house. He had been a mem
Der of congress from Tennessee, bu
had resigned, afterward went to Ar
kansas, then to Texas, became com
mander-in chief Of the Texas army
was elected first president Of the Texas
republic, and first senator from th'
Lone Star State. Houston's attorne!
in the contempt proceedings before th'
house complained that one Of the Of
ficers of the house controlling the pres
had prejudiced the case. He said
while the accused is held in silen
and submissive durance by one of tn
officers of the house, another of Its OF
ficers is daily pouring upon him all tn
overflowing Of his wrath and doing ev
erything to excite a degree of indigna
tion against him which would make
fair hearing of his case impossible"
Houston's assault on Stanberry grew
out Of the feud between the friend
and opponents of Gen. Jackson, an
such assaults were common in that pc
riod. Sometimes the quarrels were be
tween members of the house and some
times between members and outsider
who did not hesitate to call men to &C
count for words used in debate on tn
floor. Generally, resentment took tn
form Of challenge to duel, and
the member did not choose to fight, h
was liable to attack and punishment a
coward. One of the most serious re
suits of a quarrel over words spoken Il
debate was the death Of Representa-
| tive Cilly, Of Maine, in duel with
personal friend, Representative Graves
of Kentucky. The two men had n
quarrel and no other excuse for due
| 80 ho a.