Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1836-03-08


the resolutions nor eau the defacenent of the
record of historical fact, in whatever manner il NAV
be chected, annul alter the fact itself or i'm the
present case impair, in the slightest degree The rms.
mary ct the traosaciinn Some hundreds Of comics r
,s journal containing this resolution have been print
Gu some deposited in the public archives and s,mo
a'iyered 10 members of Congress for the time I.
my winch have thus becoine private property, aud
been dispersed throughout the Onion: the frs,lu-
uon was published too, in all the public jour mails OF The
day IT stands recorded the journals OF all the State
Legislatures that have thong proper to take the subject
in'o their consideration the General Assembly of Iir
gha has Itself recorded il, in the very resolutions i'm
Witch directs the Senators oil the State Congress
-. S'e 'or eSpunging IT from the manuscript ourna Of
tue Senate For any direct purpose therefoe which
me expuncton of il serve, viewing the act apart
sa'ry. he resolution itself the evidence of it, aud
ue opinion II declares, will all be handed down To
pos,sLny ny faithful history; nay by the very
TO say, the General Assembly has sad in The nre
emDie TO It's resolutions that the resolution of the
senate Is =" an assumption Of power not warranted
by the Cons,i'u,ion and calculated TO subyert The rh,s
oi the House OF Representatives and the fundamental
principles of ec instituons:' for IL th;s Ill.
Tie case, the General Assembly should have Ieyecd
see oil ITS ccnsurcs against the House of Represenia
yves, Tor negecllng its high trustor ncglecling to
.nuica,e the fundamental principles Of free nsti-
tucons, and especially its rights and privileges
against inc encroachment of the Senate am not
aware that that house has made any complaint
T. 'he subject too well TO do so. Ii is the
Executive only that has protested against this
ing OF ,he Senate; and the only conceivable purpose
wheh the proposed cxpuncton of can answer will ne
10 signalize the triumph of executive power over de-
paftment OF The Legislative that has had the rnncss to
oppose ITS measures--o set mark of DISGRACE and
humiliation upon the Senate aud to bind wreath IF
VIGOROUS victory around the brow of the President
a,na wen Tor ts purpose, stroke of the pen was
ever more vuin than that which shall mark those black
lines around the resolution of the Senate and write
.hat sentence OF expunction its face--if, indeed
DC not calculated to work the direct contrary eff.
iect oil that intended. The victory of The Presn, over
ihc Senate may be as complete without IT, And IL nm
me iir's OF mat victory shall rpen into their
iui maturity OF bltternessin times come when the
constitution OF the Senate shall be The
check IL was ordained To hold upon the power of the ex
ecuive, and OF the popular national branch of the ens
laturc, shall be renoyed-when the substance of ie
Constitution shall be destroyed and nothing but i,s ,,
" forms femain; history will paint those black lipas
drawn around this resolution aud those fatal ,vor s
condemnation written its face and hold them nm
as noufnu memento TO ourselves of departed liberty
ana warning TO some happier race of mankind If on
me other hand the Senate shall by the blessing of Pro-
violence, continue to maintain lis place in the system
sun exercising the functions for which it was designed
enjoying freedom of deliberaon and independence OF
ACTON then will the manuscript volume of The journal
;i ~, 'ne single page, containing those memorable
piack INES, be the only volume, the only
page, that will be sought after or read The nro
cess OF exPungng the resolution the surest way TO
render The memory of il immortal
IL cannot be forgotten that very shortly before voa
hist elected to the Senate the General Assembly of Vir
gina, upon long and solemn deberntion resolved .I
That the recent of the President of the United Sies
eNertng control over the public Depositcs by caus;o
mem 10 De withheld and Withdrawn his own respon,
sbiiy from the United States Bank in which thew had
oeen ordered to be placed by the of Congress cha.
erng the said Bank Isl in the judgment of the General
OF uotv |
or oy that oibce (which be too strongly
ca That, while the General Assembly will eyer he
ready TO sustain the President in the exercise of ali sch
powers as me constitution has condcd TO him. they ne
veriheiess cannot but regard with and ds
the disposition 10 extend his official authority be-
you us just and proper limits, which he has so clearly
manifested In his interference with the reosr
ny Department of the Federal Government in The |
exercise OF sound discretion which (,ongress Nd
coniided TO the head Of that Department SIona q |
mat our Senators in Congress be instructed and our re-
% requested TO use their best endeavors
hu -.
Tor restoring the public moneys the Bank of the II
States or ut least causing be deposited therein
10! me iuure recording the direction stipulation
OF the act of Congress chaering the said Bank IT, n,
the time of their action the subject the said Rank he
sure Thus, the General Assembly at hat session
piessy anred the very proposition (and in far
terms contained in the resolution of the Senate which
e present General Assembly condemns and the reso.
iutions OF the former manestly pre Tim,
~ was within The competency ofthe Senate well as the
iouse OF Representatives, upon that pronoston
tnen In TACT pending in the Senate In CONSEQUENCE ~
those resolutions, of the Senators from Vrooio m
signed his seat resignation certainly most une necied
70 me-equally unexpected, believe TO the General
Assembly. Neither have | ever believed that H. |
resolutions had adopted designed 10 produce anv
such result was after elected TO fill the yacancy
shall not say that the resolutions which had rccenv
peen adopted by the General Assembly, constituted INV
motive Tor Young tor the resolution passed by the Senate
some lew weeks alter took my seat; for in t h this
resolution expressed The sentiment ali along
entertained and expressed But surely have a rigt TO
Iele 10 the INSTRUCTIONS of the General Assembly of
loS requiring me to vote for the resolution which the
present General Assembly instructs to expunoc and
TO Wnacae and sustain mysefby their authority; other
WISE no Senator can safely obey any instructions
ne must incur the danger of being TO the alterna
i've now presented to me, of dshonoring himself by
voting against his conscience of resignno his nIoc
whenever, IN the ycissltudes of party warfare subse
quent Legislature shall think the Instruction vrono-It
Is with the deepest conviction and heartfelt pain that
say, as must say, that the proceedings of the General
Assembly OF Virginia the present OCCASION are calc
lated above all things 10 impair the right ofinstruction
itself
should have right too after having acted in con.
torinity with instructions given by the General Assem-
bly, at one session, and seeing the same opinions
at succeeding session, TO appeal from tie mandate of
the present Assembly TO the people the next elections
And this would the reasonable IL il should
be considered that Of the State Legislatures have
at their sessions of lo345 instructed their Senators TO
vote for expunging the resolution of the Senate in oes
cd have, at their last declined repeat ind en-
force them But choose 10 place my self at once upon
different aud higher ground and up TO the princi
pies, reasons and motives, which reality dictate tho
conduct am going 10 pursue.
IL cannot escape observation, that while the General
assembly inslructs me to ezange the resolutions of the
Senate, which voted for conformity with the nstruc-
tons OF the Assembly Of 1884, the present Assembly
has not expunged the resolutions Of the former
And though Of am rightly nformed) proposition has
been made 10 TesciHd the former resolutions even that
proposition had not yet been acted on So tiat | am to
undersland that the General Assembly is instruclne me
TO do IN respect TO former resolution oe Senate that
which II will do ITSELF respect 10 resolutions pass
cd at former session Of its body. must bcspeak
pardon for rcDarkiDg further that though proceedings
nave been had IN Congress, and laws have been
passed. violating in the opinion Of the General Assem-
by me dearest rights Of Mc Peopie-take for example,
the sedion law; and though too many laws have bern
hts tl.r Ed