The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1837-02-03

No gioss. - iaeennay. na spseioss |
interpretation. and much less can aay
far o. Just reasoning reconcile ne pro
cess Of expanging wIsh ne plain meaning
Of these words. . the sssixfsefion o. ne
common sense and honesl understanding
Of mankind.
1.-The Senate nav now expanes one
pan of The Journal q . formsr session.
il may. With equal ssshonly. expnnge
another part. orthe whole. Il may en-
puage the entire record Of any one ses-
sion. or Of al sessions.
ID seems % Us incOuceissbls how any
men ran regard such power. and is
exercise q pleasure. a. consistent with
the InisEcii0n oflhe constitution. ltcan
make no difference whai 10 The complete.
ness N incompleseness 81 the act 81 en-
pnnging. az BY shat means done: whether
by erasure, oblileraiion, or delscemens
il BY deiacrmenl. Is here proposed. whe
ther one word 90 many words are wnlwa
on The face OF the record; whether htde
ink OF much ink Is shed on Inc paper;
or whether some part. 90 The whole. II
the original written journal may vel By
possibility be traced. II The arl dune BE-
an act TO exp0nge, 10 bl1s o1i. 10 Oblile-
rate. 10 erase the record. then the record
is expunged. bloued out. obIilerssed. and
erased. And munlaIion and alteration
violate ihe record as much IS CELEBRATION
or srasure. A record. subsequently al
tered. is not the original record. II no
longer gives sjusl account Of The proceed
ings Of the Senate. It's no longer true.
It's. 10 short. no journal Of The real and
actual proceedings Of The Senate, such
as the constitution says each House shall
keep.
The constitution. therefore. Is in our
deliberate judgment. violated BY this pro
cerdlng in the mos, plain and open man.
ner. 49,
The constitution, moreover. provides
thai the yeas and nays. on any question.
shall. al The request Of one fifth Of the
members present. be entered on The Jour
nal. Tbs provision. most manifesily.
glses personal right 10 ihose members
VINO nav demand il. 10 the entry and pre-.
ssfsaiion of their votes on the record Of the
proceedings II the body. nal for one day
or me year only, but for alItime. There
the yeas and nays are u sand. forever.
as permanent and lasting prool &c the
manner IN which members have voted on
great and important questions before
them.
But il is now insisted that The votes nf
members, taken BY yeas and nays. and
thus entered on the Journal. as matter Of
right. may be expunged; so that thai
which j, requires more Than four tiflhs 1T
the Senator'S iu prevent from being put on
the journal. may nevertheless be struck
of aud erased The next moment, or ~
ans period afterward. by the will of a
m - majority; or il this be no, admitted,
then lhr absurdiiy Is adopted nf MAINTAIN
ing. tina, this provision Of the constitution
is fulfilled by merely preserving the yeas
aud nays on the journal. after having ex-
plugged and ublnera,ed the Verv resolu>
tim. or the very question, on which thev
were given. and o. whirh alone thew re-
fer: leaving the yess aud nays thus q
me- list Of names. connected with no
question, no subject, no vnte. We pu,
il to- Inc impartial Judgment ~ mankind,
if ,hrs proceeding b. not, in this respect
also. directly and palpably inconsistent
with the Constitution.
We protest. in the most solemn man
ner, that other Senators have M anthori
" 10 deprive US Of our personal rights,
secured 10 US BY the constitution, either
by expunging, or. nbliteraiing. or mutilat
ing. or ,iefacing. The record of our votes.
dulv entered by yeas and nGys-or by
expIpging and obliteraling the resolu.
tinns or questions nn which those votes
were gwen and recorded.
We have seen, with deep and sincere
pain. The legislatures Of respectable states
instructng The Senators of those states to
vote for and support this violation Of the
josrnal Of the Senaie: and this pain is
infinitely increased by our full belief and
eniire conviction, that most. if not all
these proceedings Of states, bad their orr
gin in prompungs from Washington
tina, they have been urgently requested
and insisted on as being necessary 10 the
accomplishment ofdhe intended purpose
and thai it is nothing else but the lnflu
ence and power of The executive branch
OF this government winch has brought
the legislature Of so mauy Of the free
states Of this Union, TO quit the sphere
Of their ordinary duties for the purpose o.
CO operating to accomplish measure. 10
our judgment, so unconstitutional. so de
.ogatory TO the character of lie Senate
a. marked with SO broad an impression
O appliance with power.
But This resolution is to pass. We
expect il. That cause which has beer
paaerlul enough 10 influence so many
Sac Legislatures. will show itself pow