Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-02-14

.nce what is the completeness OF the act OF
sxpunging, or by what means done whether
Dy erasurc, obli;eration, or DETACHMENT, as
,erc proposed, whether one word or many
words arc written on the face Of the record:
little ink or much ink is shed on the
paper; or whether some part, or the whole,
of the original written journal may yet by |
possibility DC traced. If the act done b. an
act to cxpunyc, to blot out, TO oblllc"a;c, to |
erase the record, then it is cXpunged, blo;tcd
out, obleratcd. and erased. And mu'lIa.
ton and alteration violate the record as
much as obli.cruion or crasure. \ record
subsequently altered, IS not the original re-.
cord. IL no longer gives u Just account OF
proceedings OF the Senate. It is no :cagcr
true. |; is. in stort, no journa! OF tue real
and actual proceedings OF the Senate, such
as the Cons:i,uion says each House shall
keep.
The Constitution therefore, is in our dclib.
crate Judgment, violated by this proceeding
in the most plain and open manner.
The Constitution, moreover, provides thai
The yeas aad mys, on any question:. shall,
at the request of one-fifh of the members
present, be entered on the journal. This
provision, most manifes.ly, gives person
al RICH, to those members who may demand
it. to the entry and preservation of their
ocs on the record ofthe proceedings ofthe
body, not for orc day or one year only. but
for all. There the yeas and nays are to
stand, forever, as permanent and lasting
proof Of the manncrln which members have
voted on great and important questions be-
fore them.
But it is now insisted that the woes of
members, taken by yeas and nays, and thus
entered on the journal, us matter of right,
may still be cxPanged so that that, which 1t
requires more than four-fths of the Senators
to prevent from being put on the iournal,may
nevertheless, be struck of, and erased, tho
next moment, or at any period afterwards,
bv the vii ola mere majority; or, if this be
not admitted, then the absrrdity is adopted
Of maintaining, that this provision of the
Constitution is fulfilled by merely preserv-
ing the yeas and nays Oil the Journal, after
having expungcd and obliterated the very
resolution, or the very question, 10 which
alone they refer; leaving the yeas and nays
thus mere lis. Of names, conncc,ed with
no subj ct, no question, no vote. We put
it to the impair ial judgment of mankind, if
this Proc :cding be not i'll this rcspec, also,
directly and palpably inconsisten: with the
Constitution.
We protest, i'll the most solemn manner,
that other Senators have no authority to
deprive us Of our personal rights, secured
TO US by the Constitution, either by expung-
ing, or obi,crating, or mu.ila:ing. or defac-
ing. the record cf our woes, duly entered
by ycas and nays; or by cxpunsins and
oblitcrating the resolutions or questions on
which those vo:es were given and re-
corded.
We have seen, with deep and sincere
pain, the Legislatures of respectable States
instructing the Senators of those States to
vote for and support this violation of tho
journal Of the Senate; and this pain is
infinitely increased by our full belief and
entire conviction, that mos, if not all those
proceedings of States had their origin in
promptings from Washington; that they
have been urgently requested and insisted
on as being necessary 10 the accomplish
mcnt Of The intended purpose; and that
it is nothing else but the influence and
power Of the Executive branch Of this
Government which has brought the LegIs-
latures of so many Of the free States of
this Union TO quit the sphere of their ordin-
ary du'ies for the purpose of cooperating
to accomplish measure, in our Judgment,
so unconstitutional, so dcrogatory to the
character of the Senate, and marked with
so broad an impression Of compliance with
power.
But this resolution is TO pass. We ex-
pee, it. That cause, which has been pow
erGl enough to influence SO many State
Legislatures, will show itself powerful
enough, especially with such aids, to secure
the passage Of the resolution here.
We make up our minds to behold the
spectacle which is to cnsuc.
Wecocct ourselves 20 look on, in silence,
while scene is exhibited which, if VIC did
not regard it as ruthless violation Of
sacred instrument, would appear to us TO
be little elevated above the character Of a
contemplate farce.
This scene We shall behold, and hundreds
Of American citizens, as many rs may
crowd into the lobbies and G llerics, will
behold it also: with what feelings do not
TO say.
But we PRoTGsT, we most solemnly
PRorEsr, against the substance and against
The manner Of this proceeding, against is
objects, against IFS form, and against is
effect. We tell YOU that you have no right !
to mar or mu,ilaic the record Of our votes |
given here, and recorded according to the
Constitution we tell you that you may as