Southern Argus. [volume] (Columbus, Miss.) 1834-1842, 1840-02-11

AOs patttllby anu 4kinuIeSSy WIFI the declaration
on my lips, II havesviolated my oath for office
and sooner than surrender my place in the
Senate, have struck down the Constitution ~
If the Senate has right to touch the Jour-
i nal under Instructions, it has the right to do
so without if t 0 cancel part. right to ex-
punge the whole If to use ink from pen
right to pour it from bottle to DESTROY the
i Journalin any other way to burn it: 10 make
bonfire of al that is bright and glorious in our
history. / know It has been said, the process
directed to be adopted by your resolutions is
not designed to expnnge. | cannot believe
this, and reject it as cqually injurious TO your
selves and unjust to those you represent. Yon
direct the words " expnnged by order of the
Senate" TO written across the resolution on
which you have made war. / viii not believe
that you merely design to ensnare nv con.
science--Inuch less will indulge, for mo-
Iment, the idea that you direct falsehoodto be
recorded by me. Those do not understand
i you who make such descriptions to you, and
am not rn;sled by Them The General Assem-
bly, O. proud and lofty state s incapable of a
mere quib s,and such one as would disgrace
a Kings Jester. No, gentlemen, the act which
you direct to be performed Is designed to be,
and is equivalent to an actual obliteration in all
its practicable results. The manner Of accom-
pshing this act Of cancellation is wholly i'm
material. In publishing this Journal, from
time to time, hereafter, tie resolution thus can
celled cannot be published as a part oft. it
p is declared to be expmged on IFS are. But {
in this, could possibly be mistaken-if, after
alit is merely chd's play, the making few
flourishes, and putting the Secretary of the
Senate TO the trouble to write few unmean-
ing words, the question would not be changed.
Such as is the Journal, so shall it remain. un-
altered IN letter, unchanged in a comma
the same as 1t now is $40 the last syllable of
recorded time" such is the fat of our Consti.
tuition. There Is not clerk or a deputy clerk
IN the commonwealth of Virginia who would
execute such an order in regard to his records.
The people would be alive to the question and
in vindication Of their rights, would erpurge
the court, sooner than permit the record cor.
tanning the titles to their estates to be cancel
led IN any manner whatever. They surely
cannot take less interest in the preservation 81
the Constitution, the great charter of all their
rights.
The effort has been made to hunt up prece-
dents to just ify this act. The pages Cling
lIsh Parliamentary history have been ransack-
ed, anc an array has been made of examples
drawn from the time of the Jameses and the
: Georges of England. With equal force might
examples be quoted to justify an American
= President IN executing captally citizen off
ny one of the States without the form of a tri-
al. He might equally De justified in the use
OF the bow-string, because such is the power OF
the Grand Selgnor The power of the English
Parliament IS unlimited; so is that of many
States of his Union in regard TO this particu-
lar subject. No precedent can have force to
overthrow an express enactment of the Con-
: stltution. Under its provision, the Senate is
directed 10 keepa Journal of lis proceedings.
to preserve it, and to publish Il from time to
time. If were permitted to look elsewhere
: than 10 that Constitution, would 90 10 Viz
ginia for bright and glorious examples to con.
duct me in safety. The first in point Of prom.
inence, although not IN point of time, was the
+, course attempted to be adopted by the King:
! party in TIE House of Burgesses, In 1865. a.
to the celebrated resolutions of Patrick Henry
of that period. Those resolutions were de-
:; claratory of the right of British America. AT
e ter their adoption, many oftlose who voted
for them left the city Of Williamsburg, thereb,
giving to the opposite party The accidental, as
tendency and they Immediately formed the
r resolution TO expunge them from the journal
But, by stroke ofpolicy as bold as it was sue
: cessful, Mr. Henry saved those resolution:
7 from being expunged, which form at this dal
0 one fthe brightest pages in Virginia history
S and, recorded on any mans tomb; would eter
: nlze his fame. And yet to expunge them from
: the journal was regarded as much an act of du
Il ty by those who proposed it, as you, gentlemen
can esteem it TO be III the case under consider
] alton. They failed; and my prayer as citi
zen of free country is. that you too may bC
S unsuccessful. Your posterity may have goot
: cause TO rejoice in your failure.
}. Another example, almest as illustrious, is t.
q be found in the conduct of Robert Reverly
It during the administration of Lord Culpeper.-
: The history of the incidents of that transaction
r is not only instructive, but highly interesting
+, Lord Cnlpeper, armed with all the authority Q
y the King of England, his master, ordered tina
u ares olution adopted by the House of Burgess
: ses, during the administration of Aerbert JET
S fries, should be erpatnged from their records
: "as highly derogative to his Maiesty's prero
e gative.' Robert Reverlv was clerk to tn
d House of Burgesses. Every effort was mad
e TO induce him to produce the Journal in order t
IS have il erpungcd; he was subjected to a
II manner of persecution, but he gloried in hi
c offerings, and his noble spirit rose in proper
q ton to his persecution. He peremptorily re
/ fused to comply, alleging that his masters
= the House of Burgesses, had alone right {
u make such demand, and that their authorit
, alone he burst or would. obey" And /, to
n reply to those orders which are now given nj
ID that will not eypuDge the records of the Sen
e ate until the Constitution, which, while it
d permitted to remain ss it is, master over al
/ should be changed, altered or abolisr ed. Yo
= will have full opportunity, gentlemen, 10 aE
o point another IN my place. For my part, ] wi
/ not consent TO be made an instrument to &C
le complsh such an object, nor shall envy an
/ successor whom you may send on such mis-
4 sion.
Had your resolutions directed me to rescin
or repeal the resolution of the Senate, wonI
?, have obeyed your orders-although with gree
a. reluctance, I would, nevertheless, have fe
e myself constrained to do SO by myrecognition
\ your right to instruct me. That proeeedin
would have reversed and annulled the act con
u planned of IF your object was to vindieate Ii
6 President 10 the authority which he assume
y and still exercises, over the public money, ar
:. you esteemed it necessary,in order to do S
= to have your opinions expressed through me
e the Senate Chamber, they should have bee
E faithfully represented. His vindIcation aft
% all, cannot consist in the form IN which It me-
70 be urged. It is to be found alone in the legi
~ lative expression Of opinion; and even if yo
y declarations in his behalf were confined
- your own journals, the historian would not Fl
II to avail himself of them as efficiently as if thu
e 5. stood ernblazoned on the heavens From n
~ ~ knowledge Of you, am sure that you won
- not be wiling to pull down tie Constitute
- unnecessarily and without object
z In your effort to indicate the President, >,