The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1836-04-15
IN rae SENATE
SPEECH OF MR. PORTER.
Tor LOUISIANA.
nv ruE gxRUsGIsG KEsoLuTIos


lroaeladsd
na resunIing his remarks The follow
- d,y. MR.. PORTER said: am quite
.ssslbis 81 and grateful 70 The Senate for
,bs indulgence which il extended 10 me
xss,srday. and | feel tha, the best return
ian make Tor is kindness 10 10 con-
dsu,s a. much - possible what | have
f,r,her n ssy on The question now IN
Ter consideration.
Ia .he observations | had The honor 10
oHer % the Senate yesterday. aouched
an all he arguments offered by The se-
n.,or from Missouri which related 10 our
UOwes 10 sxpunge. save that which he
based On . precedent drawn from . for
usr proceedlng Of this body. Sir, | am
Tree % confess. shen the gentleman read
DE resolution which. by ils language. af.
ftn. such a power. | never was more
struck 9ilh aslnnIshmeng in my life, and
il va. under The influence If N iresisli.
BE curiosity shal | asked the Senator the
question | did. and not from the insen.
tOn Of inlsrrupting the train ~ his re-
marks. Tie rebuked me for the inter-
,aplion Justly. bn. gently. and acqui.
s.csd in IL Bon. sir. when The honora-
sle Senator further told me 10 beware
resting the MISTER on 50, small . point.
"er might be blown up" | fell pre-.
nared 10 Join issue with him. and 10
chow him Iha. the point 10 by no means
snail oue. On the contrary. the 10.
auuy suggested = principle on which the
xhale taIue Of the case - . precedent,
depends.
II the Senate, IN the instance relied on,
lad determined they possessed the pow.
sr 10 expunge fren their journal an en-
nv made on il. We should then have had
lhs QUESTION submitted. whether any ex.
ample SET By e,hers could authorize us TO
surrender our clear and conscientious
CONVICTIONS Of constitutional obligation.
But The case. s,r, does not impose ana
such necessity. What. sir. is is his,o.l
~! III this: On the las. day nj ses.
zion Of Congress, in the year 1905.
petition. ur memorial. vas presented
frum certain persons. then under convic-
lion for offences COMMITTED against the
laws OF the Umned States. This memo
rial reflected strongly on The cnnduct Of
The Chief Magistrate, and it, tenor wss
entered on the minutes. How long al
,er The entry vas made we do moi know.
W, 10, many hours after; and on The
sGms day in shich The petition had been
reaged, 4 mnlinn vas made and carried
10 sKpunge !. from the journal. This
notion prevailed. The confusion and
hurry which always attend the transac
ton u business On the last night Con-
gress sits, accounts fully for the inaccu
facy Of expression used in the resolution:
as there was no journal until the entries
made during The day were read over and
sanctioned by the appreciation Of the Sc.
cate. Until ,ha, appreciation is given.
The arts OF the Secretary are no more than
minutes Of proceedings. over which the
body has complete control; jus. ~. in
The same manner. the enlries OF q clerk
Of cour, made during the day are sub
lecs 10 the revision aud correction Of the
Judge when read the following morning.
Had not the Senate been about 10 adjourn
that night. the measure was entirely gra.
tul'ous, as the correction could have been
made al the commencement Of the next
days sitting, when the minutes prepared
by The Secretary were read over. I. did
not, however. sit. and IL is probable this
method Of getting rid Of The obnoxious
matter was preferred, rs il was a period
when party run high, and The step taken
by the petitioners well calculated TO ex.
leI'e the passions which belong 10 such
| lines. BE this. however, as il may. il ID
obvious that whatever form the majority
hose 10 give their resolution, their pow
or over the matter was undisputed.
lsee. sir, some gentlemen dlssen. Il
Ibis position. | consider it. however,
perfectly sound. Il cannot be. il is no
true, tina. the Secretary of Legislature
or the clerk OF a court has the right Il
place any matter he pieases on The mi
na'es Of the proceedings. and tina. nei
Their the judges in the one case, nor III,
legislative body in the other, have III,
power In expnnge from them what is i'm
properly placed there. II cannot be, |
isnest true that, il errors are committed b.
either, they must remain and cannot b.
corrected; all practice and all reason ar
opposed to such q doctrine. But lhi
control over the proceedings. before tn
Journal Of the clerk or secretary is mad
up and sanctioned, is totally difTeren
from the right claimed here to change o
'aeiace the record after il is complete
The court, during It's term. may correc
any error into which it has fallen. Ii
inmates are under It's control Cor the sam
time. But was IL ever heard that il could