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WRITINGS OF SAM HOUSTON, 1824~1825
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To Hrs CONSTITUENTS 1 Extract front Cli Cfrcular of Mr. Houston to the Freemen of the Ninth Congressional District of the Sta,te of Tennessee, clct.ted ll'ashington., D.C., March 3, 1825: "At a late day of the present session an appeal was made b~• the Speaker: of the House of Representatives, in his official char- acter, requesting an investigation of some charges that had been made against him by a member of Cohgress from the State of Pennsylvania, which appeared in the character of a letter in one of the public journals of that State. A motion was submitted to appoint a special committee for the investigation of the subject, which, after consuming two days in discussion, was adopted. To this course I was opposed, because I did not think Congress had anything to do with a difference which had been made personal by the course pursued by the Speaker himself. The imposing situation of the Speaker of the House of. Representatives is such that I am never willing to give my vote for an extension of his power when I can either suspect the existence of personal feel- ings, or that there is even a remote possibility of rendering Congress a court of inquisition, or that it may become an engirie of oppression to either members of the House or individuals in society who may choose to exercise their constitutional privileges in the expression of their opinions. The courts in our country are open at all times to the redress of grievances, and to them individuals can have recourse, where justice can be administered to the party aggrieved. There, every man is presented upon a footing of equality, stripped of power and patronage; no adventitious circumstances of official character or extensive influence can bias the minds of an impartial jury. The case is then determined upon its merits. There is no danger in _this course; the Constitution has prescribed it. There is no danger of rendering it the fire-brand of partisan zeal. But it will assume a very different aspect if Congress is to become a court for the trial of personal altercation and disputes. It will render it a scene of confusion, and the whole of legisla- tion will become a scene of uproar, party rancor, and personal animosity. The subject of the Presidential election, which agitated the American community so long, and was of so much interest to the nation, has resulted in the election of a candidate 3 who had
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