§ Mr. Hart Davis roseto call the attention of the House to a subject, which was connected, in some measure, with its privileges. The hon. member held in his hand "The Times" paper of this day. He said, it was therein stated, that in the course of the debate of last night, a gallant colonel opposite had said, that "if he had been so disposed, he could have placed before the House some transactions in which he (Mr. H. Davis) had been concerned, which might bring a blush into his check." These, if not the exact words, were very like those used by the gallant colonel. Now, either the gallant colonel was acquainted with some circumstance of his life which deserved the terms in which he had spoken of him; or he had used those terms in consequence of the excitement to which debates in that House sometimes gave rise. He hoped, in the former case, the gallant colonel would, in justice to himself, state if he knew any such disgraceful facts; and if not, he trusted the gallant colonel would say that he had been betrayed, by the warmth of the debate, into expressions which he would not otherwise have made use of.
Mr. Calfraftobjected, that the contents of a newspaper should be quoted as an authority upon such a subject in that House.
§ Mr. Hart Davissaid, he was obliged to take some steps in the matter, and he should, therefore, move that the printer of "The Times" be ordered to attend at the bar of the House.
Colonel Daviessaid, he was ready to admit that he had used the words attributed to him, under very considerable excitement. That excitement was caused by what he considered a very irregular mode pursued by the hon. member, in alluding to circumstances wholly foreign to the matter then before the House. He had now no hesitation in saying, that any thing which might have fallen from him in the heat of debate was not intended by him to hurt the feelings of the hon. member, and he trusted that what he now said would be perfectly satisfactory to the House and to every body else.
§ Mr. Hart Davisexpressed himself satisfied with the explanation, and offered to withdraw his motion.
§ The Speakersaid, that the motion not having been seconded, this was not necessary. He was extremely glad of what had now been stated by both the hon. members. Of all the breaches of privilege which the House were called upon to punish in persons out of the House, none were so difficult to deal with as those which arose from a breach of the rules within the House. He thought the matter would rest very well as it now stood; but he trusted the House would permit him to remind it, that any deviation from the rules of debate was liable to produce misunderstandings, and to give offence often when it was by no means the intention of any party that offence should be given.