Show AN IMPORTANT DECISION WE wn notice thab that sonae of our exchanges have fallen into eiron elron on the effects of the recent ruling of the united states supreme court in the kilbourne case they think it has haa sustained the right of then the national I 1 legislature to punish witnesses for contempt the ruling is to the exact reverse the case in question was this nellet bellet kilbourne was summoned as a witness before a committee of the house of representatives in in an investigation into the a affairs of the district of columbia he was supposed to have some connection with a ring ring bing that had run tb the e district in its own interest and he was required to produce some books and accounts which he refused to present continuing his contumacy he was ordered into the custody or of the sergeant at arms and placed in jail jall where he remained forty five days when he was released on a writ wrid of habeas corpus by the su preme Court of the district he then commenced suit against again at the speaker of the house and the sergeant at arms for false imvris and lost his case in the lower lowen court but he took an appeal to the supreme court of the united states which reversed the former decision and laid down the law jaw that neither house of congress has the right to punish a witness for contempt congress may enact laws lawa for the tho punishment of private citizens for contempt but the courts only can inflict the penalty an attempt was made to introduce in evidence the rules of procedure in the english parliament but this was ruled out justice miller holding very properly that congress was not governed by such rules nor anything else not in accordance with the constitution ution it was decided that the action of congress in the matter was not due process of law and as the constitution provides that no person shall be deprived of hi life e liberty or property without due process of law that the course taken with mr kilbourne kil kii bourne was unlawful and actionable the ruling was to the further effect that neither house ot of congress has the general power to inquire inho into the private affairs of citizens of course this ruling does not apply to cases of impeachment or of claims which either house buthe has the legitimate right to decide but it will have the efrece effect of preventing the pressure which has been frequently brought to bear upon newspaper correspondents and others with the view to the tracing out of secret matters that congress desired to uncover it is an important de and tends to preserve I 1 the rights of citizens the I 1 sacredness of private papers personal correspondence telegrams etc and will be bar in the way of the national legislature from encroach ments upon individual rights |