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Show Senatorial Dignity Disturbed. THE PROPRIETY and dignity of the senate of the United States, which has always been maintained as rigidly as that of the supreme court, received a severe shock In the fistic encounter between the two senators from South Carolina the other day. Pending action thereon, it may be remarked re-marked that the power of the senate to punish the action of both senators is complete, and may take the form of a reprimand, a suspension until the senators have purged themselves of contempt, or the expulsion of one or both. Recalling similar occurrences, there are only two of which there is any record. rec-ord. One was the Benton-Foote incident, inci-dent, when Benton, during, an exciting debate, started threateningly down the main aisle toward Foote, who, retreating retreat-ing a few, steps, drew a revolver, other senators got between them, but Benton exclaimed: "Let the assassin shoot!" This occurred during a session of the senate, and was made the basis of a committee report, in which both senators sen-ators were mildly reprimanded. Another An-other incident was the attack of Representative Rep-resentative Preston S. Brooks on Senator Sen-ator Charles Sumner in 1856, which was not during a session.. The senate had adjourned and Sumner sat at his desk writing, when Brooks approached and struck him over the head with a cane. Technically, this was not an act 6f contempt con-tempt of the senate, but the cowardly manner in which the assault was made excited the whole north and added fuel to the flame of sectional strife that even then was beginning to envelop the nation. |