acter. Should, however, the most gross and offensive language be
used by two members for any length of time without any interference,
reprobation, retraction, or punishment, the community as a body must
fairly be considered, by their silence, as endorsing such conduct.

The extract is taken from that widely circulating journal, "the
_Illustrated London News_:--

"In the House of Representatives at Washington, on the 11th ult., the
following amusing but disgraceful scene occurred between two of the
members--Messrs. Stanly and Giddings. The former having charged the
latter with uttering a falsehood, the following conversation ensued:--

"Mr. Stanly: 'It is usual for one who has no regard for the decencies of
life to relieve himself from responsibility by pronouncing statements
false, and it is characteristic of the man who sneaked away from this
House, and took his pay for work which he did not do.

"Mr. Giddings: 'When the gentleman descends to low vulgarity, I cannot
follow him, I protest against Dough-faces prompting the gentleman from
South Carolina.

"Mr. Stanly: 'It is the business of a scavenger to have anything to do
with him, and I will have to wash my hands after handling him; but the
thing has to be done, as he has thrust himself on us as a kind of
censor. It is a small business for me, and I don't know how I can
descend any lower than to take hold of the hon. member for Ohio. (Cry of
'Good.')

"Mr. Giddings: 'Will you hear me?

"Mr. Stanly: 'Nobody wants to hear you, but I will indulge you.

"Mr. Giddings: 'The gentleman is barking up the wrong tree.

"Mr. Stanly: 'The galled jade winces again.

"Mr. Giddings: 'The gentleman sha'n't crack the overseer's lash to put
me down.

"Mr. Stanly: 'I hope that the gentleman will not gnash his teeth so
hard; he might hurt himself. Who is here playing the overseer over white
men--who but he, who is throwing his filthy gall and assailing everybody
as Northern Whig Dough-faces, and what he calls the vile slave-holders?
He is the only man who acts in that way. We don't raise the overseer's
lash over our slaves in North Carolina. If that member was in the
southern country, nobody would own him as a black man with a white
skin--(laughter)--but he would be suffered to run wild as a free negro,
and in the course of three weeks he would be brought up to the
whipping-post and lashed, for stealing or slandering his neighbours.
(Laughter.) If I say that he is a gentlema