Mr. SHELLABARGER.Mr. Speaker, I will state to the House I would not have stated it but for the inquiry just presented by the Gentfrom Permsylvania why the committee, after having found a flagrant violation of the privileges of a member oi the House and of the house itself, stopped without recommending any proceeding by the House against the cul prit. The inquiry is very pertinent, one which would nature l occur to every mind, and one which received, the careful attention of the committee. The committee did not deem it outside of the powers conferred upon it by the resolution to recommend such ) proceedings against GenlFry as the House might deem to be due in the premises. The committee report to the House its reasons for omitting to present any formal resolution upon that subject. I will state those reasons. he 1st, which is not stated in the report, is this: GenlFry bein connected with the Government and a member of the executive dept, thereof, any proceeding by this House would be communicated to the POTUS, layin the facts before him. At any rate this is the judgment of a majority of the committee. Now, sir, a communication to the POTUS laying before him the facts in regard to this matter might now be made by the House. The committee has said in the report that this is a matter resting so peculiarly within the discretion of the House, a matter so peculiarly, proper to be decided by its sense of fitness, that a mere recommendation or opinion of the committee would not be useful to the House. The committee has done everything else than simply express its opinion; I mean that it has done everything in its power toward aiding the House in coming to a just conclusion as to what it should do. The committee has reported all the facts; it has reported all the law bearing upon the facts; but it. has refrained from making any recommendation as to the institution of further proceedings against GenlFry. Then there was another reason the most potent of all that operated upon the mind of the committee in omitting to present any further resolution. It is that the breach of the privileges of the House was committed so entirely in conjunction with the action of a member of this house that the 2 acts cannot be separated. The letter is written containing upon its face the evidence that it was meant to be used somewhere, and was not designed simply for the information of the Gentfrom Maine, [Mu BLAINE] to whom it was addressed. There were other facts which came to the knowledge of the committee. It was stated to the committee, for instance, that no comElaint was made by GenlFry that Mr. LAINE had violated his confidence or wishes in presenting it to the House. These considerations induced the committee to believe his letter was written to be used in the House in the manner in which it was used by a member of the House. "Therefore, sir, the committee was brought clearly up to the question, whether further proceedings could be taken against General ry except as connected with those against a member of the House, one of them having violated the privileges of the House, and we deemed it air and just the proceedings should be a unit against both. hat. I believe, answers the inquiry of the Gentfrom Pennsylvania. I do not wish to detain the House longer. I repeat what has been said in the report, that a more careful and more malicious and wanton violation of the privileges of the House and of its members has not been brought to the notice of any member of the committee. There is not to be found any more hurtful libel upon any member of this body in the history of its proceedings. It is due to ourselves, it is due to this body, if we are to preserve the dignity of the character of a Representative of the American people that such indignities should cease. My unwillingness to detain the House at this late period in the session does not grow out of any belief on my part that this is not an important matter. Gentlemen of the HoRep, it is time steps were taken to stop this parade of plantation manners and ruffianism here at the center and heart of the nation where the laws are made, and where law is esteemed to be sublime and sacred in its sway. I have not spoken, because the mat ber has been broughtso eloquently and fully to the attention of the House, on the question of privilege just disposed of. It has fully been brought to the attention of the House by the report of the committee. I am unwilling to consume the time of the House, but I am unwilling to sit down without saying the House should do this justice to my friendfrom NewYork, [Mr. CONKLING, ] a justice he is entitled to, havin been in all of this matter in reference to which he was assailed, not only innocent, but eminently patriotic and valuable step by step to his Government at a time of imminent peril. It is due to him and the House we should call the yeas&nays expressing the judgment of the House in condemnation of this act of indignity which one of its members suffered. Unless some gentleman desires to address the House, I shall now demand the previous question.