Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-03-05
Ohio contemn as they please The instructions of their

move the conumacy Of their Senators. They announc-
ed the principle lS2-They will adhere TO It, through
good aud through evil report, in 1886.
So much for the act itself, and now tor Inc Letter
Had It's spirit cnespDnLrd with its purpose, we should
have been spared the necessity of commenting upon IT,
Blu, is such letter Mr. Tyler nnt TO have atdrss
ed 10 the General Assembly of Virginia: Can II ,raF
any comparison with the manly and StacSianEr Ley
Ter nj Nr Rlvrs in 1854 There m nut'inrry IN
tina, production; very little reference To hlrns' t" his
ll and history: and What is better, there ".' no
bitter spirit towards hr acl Of the General Assembly
lis inueId' 1t his "pI"'nrEts-no 'iaciseo oe
caI Un, that rHs iU0 yO"ng IN SecE pF9ff ny "'"
orcriro.e. Mr. Eyes moreover entered into no srrious
discussion with liIs constituents. But nov different 10
thu letter inurr us Is it not elaborate argument
G.a,nSt Me prOrccdnyS Of That body, rather than dc-
t,nce u himSej' Was it not written and intended Tor
effect with tr People, instead Ut the Legislatures: NO
who reads it tail 10 understand 1t, and me
Mir has urrady given the lie It so! but let The
People a,nIcc Understand it addressed to themselves
Ut thu polls.
The e!,,r contains very little that is i'll fact, or
in argument II merely dishes up "ha has been ll"u
sand llnlrs SAID ant EnbS!rI by the Wing orators anu
prsscs The scrap ol history about Patrick Henry was
put forth but the other day IN newspaper on the otlier
side Ut the iUl,lc-and really must say that most
OF lis statements have been rather gratullousy and mn
necessarily pressed by the author upon the GcnrIal AS
sr.nbIy WHY this doIr: Why, for example, was
all this cmpasis laid upon violated oals, and the bring
ig ui perjury upon his SOUL Alter having declared III
the first part Of his letter that he finds IT impossible 70
reconcile The performance If tic prescribed taSk 'ch the
oLgntionS ot ne suiemn oath aeheh Ihnre nkcn to sup
pUrt the Constitution If the United States, had he not
really said every thing that necessary 10 justify
himself Tor dtsOLryiny and rrs!gniny: Why tell tine Ge
neral Assembly with much suleInnity and display
that "On entering the Senate the only oath winch (he
had laken) 0aM 10 support the ConStitnttOn
ot the tnited States; to SuPp0't an all and each "
rs prOriSOn$ To ye'd mciher u Jorce Prrs~asiOn
nor eIpcliency No matter mhu the Dtjcc.," he would
"rernain uiseduccd:" Why declare that he "and
entered intv rih his Lre9tor to LreuE ,rheh
IL teur and decour m.-Why all this solemn preach
nicnt TO the General Assembly, Who wishes, Mr..
Tyler to violate the Constitution, his oath Certain
" the Legislature Of Virginia. Does Mr. Il. hin.
self believe, that they either intended desired him 10
obey their Instructions, II by doing he would have ~
violate either the Constitution his oath; On the
liary, does not MIR. Tyler know that they nemt such
thing lie must know il IL hav. been The cunsciri.
tlDus conviction of the General Assembly, that they
were nslructing their Senators prinrm al act both
constitutional and prOpcr-but that i The Senators should
think otherwise, they might and should avoid
pancc with their Instructions, by resgnng their seats
1t only necessary then. for Mr. T. 10 hare dcind
without any elaborate argument addressed to the Legs
luurc 10 convict them Of having been guilty Of
constitutional and criminal proceeding. IL doing the
very thing which Governor laZewcll so kindly and 50
cuurtcously asked leave to do.
Nor is that part ofthc letter in which lie attempts TO
defend Resolution OF SENATE against GreSi
dent, Of less cxceponab!e character. II is dIsingenu
GUS lie assumes true that which is denied, viz that
Mr. Clay resolution no violation OF the ConSttu
liol or of tie Rights ftlr House OF Representatives,
because it continued churgG Of criminal dcSign the
Prcsldcnt-and thai il preston Ot OpiniOn
the part Of tile Senate, 10 unlawful act OF the
Executive. Now, tins the Iist OF the whole matter
issue between the Legislature and their Senator's and
between the Senate and the people; and Mr. Tyler Is
wriaware Of the fact. HIS argument is based
rlt Ihn
did contain mpeachnGie matter, aud the evil intent
fairly ~ be implied from the words, aud Intended
by the friends OF the resolution X declared both
before and alter It's adoption, notwithstanding the
ming attempt TO hide 1t by lis pirasrolugy. 1t
infested in the successive chunges which the original
solution underwent, and by The various speeches in
which it supported. The whole country understood
it that sense and still so understand il, and it Is rather
too late in the day for Mr.. Tyler give an aspect
which was never designed-and to say that the Senate
did not intend charge the President gross assuup
ton, and in fact, corruption.
Can Mr.. II. have forgotten the Speeches of
his political friends both within and without the walls
OF Congress: Was he not in Philade phia, with MIR.
Preston and others, when the South Carolina Orator de-
clrcd to the crowd, whom he addressed in the streets,
that :. Jackson kad been arrui gned tOu"d guilty. amt
dcnlnea by Tie Sc,ate-tn The Seute and PrcSden, had
uppeuicd IL their cOuntry-a the issue " The contest
c0aid be Desp0liSm, or Free Government Was Mr..
Preston, or is Mr. Tyler right But, tcmpOra mutuntur,
ct ntutumur Ills! Times indeed have changed,
and the hgs have changed with them. The panic has
gone and the People have uutlivcd it Ihtn the Wings
ghl themselves perfectly safe and strong aud openly
carried Of exermlnation .Eo'c they discover
that they going down-and how SlnguIarly is their
note changed
Nor is Mr. Tyler more fortunate in his uboured az
tempt to prove, that the expunglng Resolution Of the
General Assembly Is contrary to the Constitution. tie
begins W pomouncnga strong euoglun upon the duty OF
kecpay Journa-drclarcs that Ill OF the great
curItIes Of American Liberty that l the Senate sept
ti,
most revolving might be performed sccrcsy and dark
ness-tlat the tram might there be aId the mine pre-
pared and the first knowledge OF the treason might be
explosion, and consequent overthrow OF free govern
mrnt-aud lays down Tie general, unqualified PROPOSE
tlon that the Senate is ordered, by the Constitution, to
keep Journal vi its proceedings, and to puLiSh from
time To lime. Does Mr. T. forget however, that this
Journal is not always puJISed that the Senate Is often
secret concarc where deeds the revolving might
bc performed i'll secrecy-low often they 90 into
session on treaties and appointing nts-ind that the
Constitution itself enlOnS them 10 except such parts (u
their journal from publcatiun rs may in their judgment
require secrecy u Judgment, winch IS doubt carried
in many cases unnecessary, and even dangerous
excess. For we agree fully with Mr. Tyler in the duty
aud advantage OF keeping Journal. But does it
follow that u to keep Journal involves the duty Of pre-
scrrng the Ms. after publishing it, therefore the Senate
has no tight TO cTpnyc IN The form marked down by the
General Assembly: VIII il erase oblcratc SIN
gle line or letter Of the Journai? sill the whole be
legibe it before: Let any try this form Of ex
punging and he will find the So after the
experiment Some waggish Editors have, we know, pub
lisiled formula, to show that the writing must
oblterae the record; but 1t is all trick and sophis
For, the printing will necessarily show the eraslnns
consequence of the solid types which d,rectpn
taking the place Of tuse which the utlerbut not
SO, where tile pen carefully passes surface aIrea
dy written on-and such would be exhibited if the
newspaper Editors would get good cugraver to show
the appearance Of the lattice work plate. There
would BE- such crossing OF the few letters, as to rem
der the writing iegbc-Lrt MIR. Tylerl try it, when
will, or let the Clerk Of the Senate allenpt il, and
will for it that part Of the Resolution will De
des'rOycd but the whole will still be preserved. ii lie
likes the expression better, kr-ad may BE- Hereafter
pubshcd with The expungng lines around or 1t,
yxlulerer Ar u line