Mr. DELANO. Whether the House has now or not legally the right to inflict the punishment that has been ordered upon the Gentfrom Kentucky [Mr. ltot'ssiziu] do not propose to consider. I know that according to the parliamentary precedents that have been referred to by the Gentfrom Massachusetts, [Mr. B.ixss, ] a member cannot resign while the legislative body of which he is a member is in session without the consent of the body. But I am not quite clear that those precedents are applicable to us. I remember that a few years ago, on a certain occasion which must be fresh in the recollection of my honorable colleague from the Daton district, Mr. SenENCKF] a number of the members of the Ohio Legislature resigned and broke up the quorum for the purpose of preventin a very unjust system of districting the State or representation in Congress. I know that the result of that was to cause the insertion of a provision in the present constitution of Ohio requiring all members of the Legislature, when the Legislature is in session, to resign to the presiding officers of the ir respective bodies, and requiring that such resignations shall be accepted before taking effect. New, sir, I will not undertake to say positively what is the law of Congress on this subject; but I think that it is a question of great doubt whether a member of congress may not resign to the Governor of his State and cease to be a member of this body withoutany action of the body upon the question. My impression is that a member has this right. If so, sir, this resolution, in the form in which we now have it, would, in my opinion, he improper to be passed, because it avers that Lovnm. H. Rousseau is a member of this House, and we are bound to punish him as such. If he has resigned the resolution would be false in its terms. But, sir, passing by this question, I beg to call the attention of the House to a question of policy and propriety. The House as now before it the noteworthy fact that LovsLL H. Rorssnw has resigned and ceases to be a member of this body. He stands before the House condemned for a breach of its privileges. I am no apologist for anybody who violates the privileges of this House. But there exist in many cases certain extenuating circumstances which no just man can fail to consider. Now, sir, I do not desire to reflect upon the Gentfrom Iowa, [Mr. Gum NELL;] but I do say that the circumstances which caused the assault made by the Gentfrom Kentucky