The Massachusetts spy, and Worcester County advertiser. [volume] ([Worcester, Mass.]) 1825-1831, 1829-03-11
WORCESTER:
WEDNESDAY. MARCH IL, 1sa,

Tuesday, March 3. The abstract from the Jour-
nal was brought down to Thursday, Feb. &c, in
our last. On Friday, the Senate was mostly
engaged in the consideration of private bills.
An act was passed repeating so much of the
laws relative TO brevet rank as to authorize the
President TO confer that rank on officers who
have served ten years in any one grade In
the House, various bills were passed. none Of
which were of Importance to our readers On
Saturday, protest of the Legislature of Ala
bama against the tariff was presented A reso--
luton, offered by Mr.. Webster, requesting the.
President to lay before the Senate copies oftke
instructions given to the Ministers to the Con-
gress of Panama, and of the correspondence
with other governments relative to the same,
after an animated and somewhat acrimonious
debate was laid on the table by party vote
yeas 90, nays %. The resolution was support
ed on the ground that the administration had
been violently assaed for the course it had
now proper to make the whole history of it
public, and leave the people to judge of it for
themselves. The majority were evidently fear
full of the consequences of publication of the
documents, and, therefore, stfed the INQUIRY.
In the House, the bill to compensate Susan
Decatur, and others, for destroying the frigate
Philadelphia in the harbor of Tripol, was re.
jected by vote Of SO to 80. On Monday, in
the Senate, the bill for the further relief of
revolutionary officers and soldiers was laid ON
the table, and, consequently, lost. The Cum
berlard road bill was passed. The Senate re-
fused to take up the bill providing for an ex.
ploring expedition to the South Seas. The bill
providing for taking the next census was laid
on the table. In the House, bill for the con-
tinuance of the Cumberland road westward
from GAINESVILLE, (Ohio) was passed in concur
renee with the Senate. The bill for the preser-
walton and repair of the Cumberland road was
returned from the Senate, with an amendment,
striking out the provision for the erection of
toll gates, which was concurred in
On Tuesday, the closing day of the session,
the President sent message to the two houses.
communicating the instructions to the Minis
tiers to the Congress of Panama, saying that
the occasion for which they were given had
passed away, and there was no probability of a
| renewal of the negotiations that the motive
for Withholding them from general publication
having ceased, justice to the government from
which they emanated, and the people for whose
benefit the mission was instituted REQUIRE that
they should be made known One COPY only
being prepared, it was sent to the Senate. as is
customary in such cases, with request that it
might he transmitted, also, to the House. Az
soon as the message was read in the Senate.
Mr.. Tazewell moved that the whole subject be
referred to the Committee of Foreign Relations.
before the documents aoere read, which WAS
agreed to; motion to print the documents
was rejected. Mr. Tazewell then moved tn
transfer the message and documents from the
Legislative to the Executive branch of the
Senate, which motion prevailed All the Exc
cutive business of the Senate being transacted
with closed doors, and under the injunction of
secresy, the effect of this motion is to withhold
the documents from the House of Representa-.
tives, and to prevent the Senators from making
them public. That SO open and inexcusable
an attempt should be made, to withhold informa-
ton from the people, in relation to a measure
so important, and one which has been so much
mlsrepresented, is not little extraordinary.
| The National Intelligencer says-
"The Public ought to have these documents
concerning the Panama Mission and they shall,
too, FIVE can get at them We have no idea
that these gentlemen, who have rode into pop
ularity and power upon this hobby, shall now
be allowed to disown and repudate it. Thew
wanted the information, when it would have
been injurious to the public interest to receive
it; and, now that it is no longer SO, they refuse
to receive it -
Thus closed the twentieth Congress, with a
most signal specimen of that party violence,
which has, on too many previous occasions,
displayed itself to the great detriment of legis-
lation, and TO the lasting injury of the best in
terests of the people.
GENERAL CoURr. The General Court of
this Commonwealth rose on Wednesday last,
after session longer than usual, having passed
one hundred and ten acts All those of pub
lie nature will be duly published in our paper
Our legislative journal, last week, was brought
up to the close of the week before. On Mon
day. March 2, in Senate, the resolutions report
ed by the select Committee on the subject of
Rail Roads, were taken up. Mr.. Burnell NOV
ed to strike on: the first resolution, which de-
clares that it is expedient for the State to aid
and encourage the construction of the proposed
roads. This motion was negatived-yeas z,
nays Ia, and the resolutions were they accept
ed. They are similar to those which had be-
fore passed the House, and which we have pub
lished. In the House, the bill for the more
effectual suppression of the sale of Lottery