Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1837-01-30
VOL. l5-NO. 50.

"st understanding Of mankind
II the senate may NOW cxpnuge one part vi tho
! journal u lo,mcr session, II may. with equal
'u'hofl'y, eNruuge another part, or The whole
u may cNlunge III, entire rrcoid Of any one seS-
sion, 81 ot all sessions.
1t seems TO u uncomfortable how any II an csu
regard such pywer, and lis exercise al pleasure
~ consistent with the injunction of the constiu4
ton. II -an make no difference what is tie conn
plcttncss or Incompetence Of the acl Of expunR-
ing. or by what means done; whether by erasnre,
ohiterntion, or delnccnunt; II hy dela, etnent as
here proposed whether ono word or many words
are written on the lace of The record, whether
lltile Ink or much ink Is shed On the paper I; or
whether sCna part, ~ The whole, oil The original
written journal may yet " possibility be traced.
II the act done be an act 10 eAr0nge, 10 bio, ooi,
10 ohtcratc 10 erase the record then The record is
cxpunRed, hlotted out, olltcrated aud erased
And uutllalion and alteration violate the record
rs much rs oblireralion or erasult A record,
subsequently, altered. j. not the original recoldA
II no longer gives Just account oi the proceed
lngs oi the Senate. II is no longer true II is,
IN short no journal of he real and actual pro-
'cedng' ct the Senate, such a. the constitution
says we sha keep.
The constitution, therefore, Is, in our deliberate
Judgment, violated by this proceeding in The most
PLAIN aud open mannct
The Constitution, moreover, provides that the
yfdS aud nays, on any question, shnil, at the
I''i"'A' W bnt H'lH o lhf Iupnhef$ present ID
! rhiricd on ne JDuiHdI Thu pfuplslon most
mnnltretly, gives II personal right To those mem
beers who may demand IT, 10 the entity and pre-
>efvhtIun ot tliclr votes ON the record OF the pro-
cctdlngs OF The body, MOI for one day or one year
only, bat Tot all time. There the yeas and nays
are To stand, forever as permanent and lasting
proof Of The manner in which members have voI
ted ON great and important questions before
them.
! But II is now insisted that the votes OF mem
ber,, taken hy yeas and nays, aud thus entered
| On the journal, ~ matter oi ri1hi, may be cx-
! plunged 20 that that which II requires more
! than four liIths of The Senators 10 prevent lIem
| beng put on the Journal. may nevertheless, he
struck of, aud erased the next moment, or al any
period atcIwnrd, bt the Will OF mere ma ioriy;
or, 1t this be moi admitted, then the shsurditv 10
adopted OF maintaining. thai this provision Of tho
constitution Is fulfilled by merely preserving the
yea, aud nays ON the journal, alter having ex.
plunged aud ublltcratsd the very question, on
which they were glyeo and 10 which alone they
refer; leaving the yea. aud nays Illus mere list
OF names, connected with noqueslion, no subject,
no vote. We put II To the impartial Judgment
OF mankind, ltthis proceeding BIZ not, IN this re-.
>pecl also, directly and papably Inconsistent
with the Constitution.
We protest III the most solemn manner, that
other Senators havtno authority 10 deprive US of
our personal rights, secured to Us by the consl.
tutnn either hy ctpunglng or CELEBRATING, or
munlaus or deacinp, the record of our votes,
duly entered by y,0s and mays or by expung-
ing and oblItefaIlng the resolutions or questions
on which those votes were gwen aud re- orded.
We have acen, with deep and sincere pain,
rglslalure' Of respectable states in.lrucling the
Senators of those STATES TO vote for and support
tins violation o the Journal of the Senate and
this PAIN i infinitely Increased by our full belief
and entire conviction, that most II net all, these
proceedings Of states, had Their origin IN prompt
my, from Warrington thai they have been
gently requested and insisted on az bsing neces-
AIRY to the accomplishment Of The intended pur.
pose and that IL Is nothing else hut The intlu-
-nce and power Of the executive branch OF thls
government, which has brought the legislatures
Of so many Of the free states OF his Union. 10
quit the sphere Of their ordinary duties Tor the
purpose Of cooperating. 10 accomplish measure,
III our Judgment, 80 unconstitutional, so deroga-
tory he character of the Senate, and marked
with 50 broad an impression oi compliance with
power.
But this resolution is to pass. We expect il.
That cause. which has been powerful enough 10
influence so many State Legislatures, will show
itself powerful enough, especially with such
aId-, TO secure the passage OF the resolution here
We make up our minds to behold the specla-
Gle which Is 10 ensuc
We collect ourselves, to look on in silence,
while scene IL exhibited, which, If we did not
regard II ~ ruthless violation Of sacred instru!
tlenl, NohI appear 10 US 10 De lllIc eleAalcu
above the character OF a contemplate farce.
This scene we shall behold, and hundreds Of
American cltizcns, a. many as may crowd into
these obhies, aud galleries. will behold il also
with what feelings | do mol undertake 10 say.
But we Protest. we most solemnly Protest,
against The substance aud against the manner
of tins proceeding, against il, object. against lis
form, and against It's effect We tell you that
YOU have no ighi to mar mutiale the record
OF our votes given here, and recorded according
to the constitution we tell you that you may as
well erase the pfds and NAYS any other
question or resolution, or on all questions, rs on
this ;wc tell you, you have just much right 10
iuslly the record, by so altering j. 10 make
Us appear to have rotcd o. any question:, as we
did not vote, as you have TO erase a record aud
make that page a blank, in which our votes, as
they were actually given and recorded, now
stand The one proceeding, rs II appears TO US,
IS as much a Justification Of the record as the
other.
Having made this PROTEST, our duty is
performed We rescue our own names, charac-
ter, and honor from all participation in this
matter and Whatever the maynard character Of
the tunes, The headlong and plunging spirit OF
party devoion or the fear or the love OF power,
have been able to bring about elsewhere, we
desire TO thank Cod that they have not, as vet,
overcome the love OF liberty fidelity TO true re-
publican principles, and a sacred regard Tor
the constitution. IN thar state whose soil was
drenched to a n,irc, by the first and b, ST blood of
The revolution Massachusetts, as YET, has not
been conquered E; and while we have the honor
to bold seats here IA her Senators, we shall ne
yer consent 10 sacrifice either of her rights, or
our own we shall never fail to oppose what
we regard plain and open violation Of the
constitution Of the country and we should have
thought ourselves wholly unworthy OF her II we
had not, with all the >oemnity and earnestneS
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