The Arkansas advocate., 1837-03-03
24th CozGEs Ess-zd
IN seNArE. .IaaIlarY l6.
THE EXPUNGING RESOLUTION
 MR WEp sasRils.l lgllaa4.Is..I

The dshate hssiHg closed, and tle question aelfs aboetto De taken, alr Webster rose, and addresseo the Senate as follows
 .slr Pfesideat: Upon Re truth and Justice of tha original resolution of the Senate, and 9oa the authof 4ty of the senate 10 pass that resolution had an op portinity toexpress ny opinions d subsequent perl od, when 1 PresAents protest was before liios; opinions reinain altogether unchanged.
 Ard now had the Consultation secured the privilege of entering Peoresr the journal, should nol saj one word on this occasion; although il what is now proposed shall be accomplished, l kilow not wha would have been the value of such proyisien how ever torlnally carefully fl might have been aserst in the body of that instrument
 Buf there IS no sech constitutional privilege, can only effect my purpose by thus addressing h' Senate and rse therefore, to make that Protest Il ths manner, n the face of inc Senate. and n the Iae' l of the country, which cannot presea n any olhe form.
 ! speak a my owa behalf, and in behalf of ny col leagGe; we b8th speals Senators ifon the State Q Alassaehnsetis, and as such soe:any PROTEST ag.;nsi fhis whole proceeding,
 1 We deny Cha; Senators ifom other States have am power or auAeflty to expange any vote or votes whef we' nave gwen here, aad which baye recorded asfeeahlf to ihe express provsioB O, the Constitution
 We hhve hiah personal interest, and the 2tai, Whosezrepfe are, has also hieh nteres in the eatiFe preservation of every part and parcel ( the fesof o auf conduct, as members 6t the Senate
 fhf fecod tbe constitution solsmnly declares shai be heQ tul the resolution baiore the Senate declafe tdat ts record sbali De erPHHsed.
 Whether snhterlGse sia sg8si n, and as ii appears to ps, the degrading aeohffy oi drawing black line upon he journal shai er slatl na eaye ant eur votes aglbe, ,fhen4bs violation of the ecord sha have leen eesPiete5 illi the terms sto expuHge ae flle tefHs 'to keep nhen applied to q record imp4f ideas exactly Contradictory; as much as the term "to preserve7 and be eflus "io destroy"
 record winch IS efpaegcd, a no record whiel is @ef any more than a record which s deS3oged ca 1 be record winch k p4eserped. The pat expunoel ls ne ongef part of fae recofd it Las DO longer e ssl existence. Ii canaot be certified us a part Of th pfoeeedag oi the Senate tor any purpose o proof Q evidence.
 4beobiect of the provisions in the Constitution, a sse lklAk, most ebviepsY IS, thai the proceedings c fhe eRaie shall be preserved in writing, not for th I2re esi only, tuata published only, aeeadse cop 7t he printed journal is ael regular fvience; but pre-
 fged adehaGetKs HEe4e rKel-ZAs= =at5aeF records ar preserved, tii deslresed i.s hae .. acaideut.
 EYefy one must see taai matters et tae highest in aoHaaeo depend Inc permanent preservation of th journals of Ae two Houses. What but tie journal show that bils have been regularly passed into laws through fife several stages; what bat the journal show who members, CT wb0 Is President or Sneaker o Secretary, CT Clerk of the bpdY What hat the iour aal conlans the proof, necessary fof the justification ot those Hhe aci under authority, and who wihou the power ol producing such proof stand as tres passers ' hat bu the journals abavg ,3 ls appoint cd and who rejected, by Us, on the Presidents nonin alton wilo s aeeei'ied, who convicted, in iria on lnpeachmeut h sher' is there, a; any time an, other regular dad legal rgoef o aW act done by kt Senate than.tbe ieuro4l itself!
 The dea, therefore, that the Senate is bound fo pre- serve is journal only unal it is published, and taef may aiter moiilae, of destroy pleasure appears 10 us one ot ihe most extraordinary sentiments evel advanced.
 Ees4e deepe grateful to those friends who have shown Elh ooz3ehele7rHes ,tbaf ai he precedens, relied an 10 ia#55 6 81ease 'fis proceeding, are eithef het te 5ise Tan the iiales agsl ef- ea@ss9ae a da eaapersst, aye po way ehil-ea te fs fFof!eae8f eE under a wafffea .,ast 4,B. .a- aals staad on i14 p.aa saaa at iasf 7ns
 th@sand. F1srsdeass efse'ghete
 c!ent ag faeaeso, eaa aaHef reseiat,
 explain aua4 fassa masil~
 fbe words afa- 'aa' sya.f Bo9sa sl..a 6sEf sa#. itat o tts pr5cegaiags so aiesss no= iuaaalsfv a8 spacious interpretation, apd e4aetl les eae aa7 ftz 5r just reasoning reconcile tbs process o sn8ieals .eh the pata ueasing oi these uoYeF. tle sftt. u ae eonmon sense aad honest uads ts,aed4a as iaa... kind.
 Il tae Senate may now expunge one part If t5e iaug nal of former session il may, wiih equal authority. eypunge anoher part, or the whole ii may ex5on@e the enlfe record of any session or o aI sessions
 Ii seems 10 Us ineoneeivabe how any men can re- gard such power, and is exercise al pleasufe Us consistent with the injunction of be Constitution Il can make no difference what Is the completeness or mcomPeieness ot the act of eypuneing, or by what means done; whether by erasuIe, obiteratlon or de- tacement; fby defacement, as here proposed, whelh CT one word or nany words are written on the face of the record; whether ae ink CT much ink shed oD the papers or whether part, or the whole, of the or glnal written journal may yet by possibility be traced | the aci done be an act to exponse, to blot out, 10 ohlefae, to erase the record then the record is ex- paAged, plotted out obliteraicd, and erased. And
 aaiion and alteration violate the record as much as