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THE POLITICAL ARENA.** Op« to aU—influenced by non*.°JJohn Bull.—We know* as indeed every bodyelse does, the difficulty of setting limits to the privileges of Parliament, as respects not only its ownmembers, but the country generally; and we are not so much surprised that toe present Speaker is diffident in exercising the authority with which he is invested: .but we must confess we perceive the reign of order and regularity fast fading away, and, as in cases of paternal and other indulgences, so the unrestrained representatives grow more turbulent by sufferance, or perhaps in the belief that they may run riot with impunity, secured to them by their privileges as members of the House’of Commons. We beg, for Mr. Abercromby’s edification, lo call his attention to the following account, extracted from Nile s’ Baltimore Weekly Register, for Feb. 28, 1835, under the head Items —u A, rencontre lately took place in the House of Representa• tives of Louisiana, which produced a great sensation in New Orleans. On the 3d Instant, about ten o’clock, a little before the usual time of the meeting of- the house, Mr. Grymes, a distinguished lawyer of New Orleans, entered the house, and advancing • towards Mr. La-brahcbe, the Speaker, who was standing near the clerks’ desk, raised his cane and struck him, whereupon Mr. Lbrandte drew a pistol and fired at Mr. Grymes; the ball passed thiough’the lappa] of Mr. Giymes’s over coat. Immediately upon being fired at, be dropped his cane, drew a pistol, and returned the fixe of Mr. Labrancbe, who was retreating through the clerks' door, and fell nekr It wounded. The wound we believe is not dangeronk.”So far the fact—the results are even more curious as touching the question of privilege‘♦Mr. Grymes was ttunmoned to the bar of the bouse, to be tried for the assault upon its Speaker. He commenced by pro-testing against the power of the house to arraign him, asserting thau^e only power of this nature granted to k by the constitution* was 'that of punishing its otpi members y esrpyltion or oiherjtite . The question whether the bouse bad jurfidiaioh in '4be «SUt, aftfcr JkwI0 wW-danfal^.-b^thcaffirmtfires Mr.' Grymes *cqa)tcml:'ia' and(answered the interrogatories put to him, admitting that ke had struck the Speedier, but that he had not drawn his pistol until he was shot at, 4d denying that he had violated any of the privileges of the house.”Here we have the admission, first, of beating the Speaker, and subsequently shooting him, ana the manly declaration that neither of these acts ihvohred anything like a violation of the privileges of the house. Now for the result■“ Several witnesses were examined, the substance of whose testimony we have given above. The result was that Mr. Grymeswas—-REPRIMANDED f !When the English House of Commous shall reach this level we do not pretend to guess; but certainly, judging it now by what it was three years ago, we cannot feel quite easy at the very easy manner in which Mr. Speaker Abercromby endeavours to 41 keep it together.’1’
Newspaper Details
London Public Ledger
London, Middlesex, GB
Mon, Jul 06, 1835
Page 1
Full Page
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LA, USA 03 Oct 2022
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