The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1836-04-15

u
iis being carried further. As 10 nv own
opinions ! can SPEAK with great exact.
ness. for think now Of thr whole MAI.
ter precisely as | thought lhsn. did
not then believe. and do not now be-
lieve. that The chiei Magistrate was i'm
PEELED BY any corrupt motive. or that he
thought. when committing those acts We
found fault with, that he was violating
The Constitution and laws; and the liltIs
! said on the subjec.. for 1 was then q
new member here, distinctly expressed
this conviction.
But. sir. | considered the conduc, of
the President wrong. | believed that
neither The Constitution nor lhe lsM au.
shorized him TO interfere - he did with
the public Treasury. and. 90 thinking, /
did not hesitate 10 say 50, and sustain my
opinions by my vote. The thought ne.
YER crossed my mind that Vas prejudg.
ing his case. if he had been impesched;
nor can | now see the slightest reason
for alleging that I did. And | cannot
help, cir, remarking that they Who press
such an idea pay poor compliment to
the President. when they contend that
! whoever differs with him in oplnlon a.
10 the legality Of his acts. necessarily asa
cribe 10 him bad motives for them. and
decide the question Of guilt which we
would have to Try if We were in the ex-
ercise Of our Judicial functions.
But, sir, when The Senator from Miss
sour was about 10 bring forward this mo-
lion Tor expunging, | marvel he did not
carry his attention 10 another resolution
which is 10 be found on the journals Of
the Senate, and which. according To the
doctrines he labors 10 establish. IL in 40
great degree violstion Of the Consti.
tuition as that selected by him. slluds
To that passed by this body IN relation 10
the late Postmaster General tMr Bany,l
al the close If the session Of 1884. That
the Senate may see the perfect analogy
between the .wo eases. shall bring them
ia jux,a position. That whlch relies 70
the President IL in these words;
Resolved. That The President. in The
late executive proceedings IN relaIinn 10
the revenue. has assumed upon himself
authority and power moi conferred b, The
Constitution and laws. but III derogslion
Of both"
That which regarded Mr.. Barry is al
follows:
" Resolved. Tha, IL is proved and ad>
mitied ths, large sums Of none, have
been borrowed al different banks b. the
Postmaster General in urder 10 maxi up
the deficiency in the means Of carr, inp
on the business Of the Post Office De-
par,mens. without authority given BY any
law of Congress; and that. as Congress
alone possesses the power 10 borrow mo.
ney on the credit Of the United States,
all such contracts for loans by the Posts
master are illegal and void"
| Now, sir. cannot see any the sights
| est difference between these cases, and I
defy the mos. subtle intellect to show
how they can be distinguished from each
other. And. sir, on examining the vots
given on that case, we do no. find il was
party vote. Far from il; il was the
unanimous voice of the Senate, and The
vote of the Senator from Missouri stands
recorded among the number. Well, sir,
may | not ask if il was a violation of the
Constitution Of the United States to vote
that Gen. Jackson had exercised pow.
er not conferred on him by law, was II
not an equal violation of il TO vote tina,
| Mr.. Barry had acted contrary to Law, Do
the names make any difference! Or il n
that the action which is constitutional in
regard 10 Postmaster General becomes
heinous offence when committed against
one clothed with the power and upheld
BY the popularity Of The Presiden, Of the
United States! | trust not. But still il
is left to gentlemen who are now prepar-
ed TO expunge this resolution because ii
prejudges Gen. Jackson. 10 explain why
| they voted Tor that against Mr. Barry,
which equally prejudged him. They
must also explain why they leave the lat
ter resolution untouched on the journals,
and expunge the former. Is il because
they voted for that against the Poslmas>
ter that il is sacred. or has slow repent
snce not yet reached theml Sir. il has
been said that the most ignorant man
may ask question which the wisest
cannot answer; and appehend they
will find themselves pretty much in that
condition in relation to these inierroga,o.
ries.
| The Senator from Missouri, however,
| who takes time by The forelock. has anti.
cipated this objection, and has given his
explanation. He says the vote was fore.
ed on him. and, finding himself compell-
ed TO act in this unconstitutional way, he
conceived that he was in no respec, sane
tioning the course which the Senate pur>
sued; tina. negative vote would have ad-
mitted the jurisdiction just as much as an
affirmative one Without in the sights
. | est resDect imnuuninu The sincerity oc