Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1843-12-16


;,stice The report, when made by the coihi''ee W
ON this subject would probably be me. oy tioass
rsnost When the question came oe,o,a w, ,man,s
sentlemen might come forward WIN ne, m, - NC
and record their votes upon the journal w r.
;;n ne Tho Constitution about which they were haA
;rr snch ella nor furnished, IN TACT, suos"u y, ~
the recording of protests upon the J'urnss'. "a
fo,s.aen he had doubt, by !ae trainers o' TIC -
,;,n,;on nat 10 give the right OF inserting PROVES
,,nan me Journal would be giving to an iaoiv'uua
rnhar the right to spread his arguments upo" tue
;,nrnal To AVOID this difficulty, the po"ef was 81
- -. fifth of the members to demand the yeas a"u
NAYS; and that was the only protest WHICH w., ,ha
Ism "a Inc Constitution Of the u S. la we OF tne
constitutional question, and OF the fact that 'hs no"'
had already decided that The paper should ho' ~
the journal, he hoped the House wouu !. o"0e p ns
nroiect in the bud. He asked tor Inc yeas anu my
upon his motion. :, - r.,nc,ont
"a say word upon The subject, feeling altogether III
different whether the protest were enerea upo' ~
;ournal of the House not. So much had oeen saw,
however that he felt disposed TO sdu ie" very -
remarks That House, at some time or o'nef' "oui.
he c,lled npon TO adiudcate this question, wnicn u
was now proposed in some degree to preJuuica'e'
Constitution had gwen to the House power ana ~. ~
ri,y 10 Judge of the election returns, ana
f -, own members 1t would be, therefore, not ony
tho roht but the epeca! duty of that House 10 coos'
der the matter when brought before Il 10 us uacai
capacity The judicial funcons OF that House CONSIST
ed not only the applcat on OF ex's''ng ID" 10
lar
mere expounder of the laws upon the sta,ute-oo
nev snpped all Deficiencies by creating rules u sui
.u eo,eroences By an of that House, reiiei was
GRANTED 10 particular individuals Why! Because 'iefe
wos no general law applying TO those 'haiViouai'.
Mr. OWEN said: confess my surprise OF Inc COURSE
,b,, has been taken and the denuncaiions mat hdse
been made by The minority during the Debate on '"e
present question. The gentleman from fennsl .a"-
INT j. r. ugersoll claims Tor his parry tnat they nave
asid no hard things OF u.s. must differ from h'u';-
They bring against US accusations OF no ordinary ca
racter They declare that we, IN that want 'nness u
power lin winch admit that successful malor''es ae
100 prone to ndulge) have tyrannized over the mho
w. They say that not content to vote down the pro-
nosals OF the minority, are not even Wiling TUE
country should be informed through the journals "na
it is they propose, what 1t IS we vote down. lhey 90
further VET They add that, by our arbitrary acts We
tear up the Constitution by the roots P's as we P'
coed one act of nullihcation on another
These are grave charges The right OF the minority
"a holy thing; the Constitution is 4 sacred one. IL
in very Decd either directly indirectly by any act
or Implication we violate the one, or trample on Inc
other, terms OF reprehenslon are 100 strong 20 s
matze our conduct. Ii, in support of such charge,
substantial proof could be brought against the mhJoty'
wholly unworthy wond tina, majority be OF lis place
md its power on this floor.
will not stop here TO inquire whether, even then
If Ue did press unscrupuously on the rights oil the
Observation-Disclosures in thnt case, the denunciation
would come with good grace from the minority VINO
complain of | will not remind these gentlemen
how ihey-a minority now, majority once-theh
acted towards will not call up the memory o. ihe
instruments of Parliamentary torture once employed oy
them and but few days since, on the mo,ion Oh Inc
gentleman before me, from Virginia, tNlr. "ise'l
broken up and thrown from US, even ss men penetrated
10 the dungeons Of that alrocous tribunal the lnqu'si-
1ion when civilization swept It away,) anu oroRe up
and scattered 10 the winds of Heaven its horrible IN
s.ruments constructed. TO torture The ooay-not IKE
those we destroyed, the mind From such ie'ore Us
that will abstain. will not even say to that mnor'
lt
ale that is without blame among ye, let Jim cast Inc
FIRST stone - / take higher ground than tha'' Il ne
errors Of others are no apology Tor our own. ina,
they, when the power was with them unfairly uea.eu
u.s. is no justification of our course, should we, Until
ling bad example, unfairly treat them. We propose
!, ourselves-may not in this speak in the name OF
the majority higher standard OF political lnoralty
than theirs. If we do wrong, Ut matters not after VIVA
example)-as wrong doors let US be judgedas wrong
doors let US be condemned.
Bnss Sir, 81 deny ,hat we have done wrong. dsnj
in pursuit Of sinister object. I utterly de"y,
have refused to the minority any right OF record lt
which, either by Parliamentary practice, or by the dc
taes Of natural justice, and common sense, they are
entitled.
very preny It Smart ue-f know the House IS wearet
out this subject briefly all,w 10 place in re
view, before the House, the facts connected with th
much vexed question.
The gentleman from New York, [Mr. Blrnard,l or
the frat day of the session, offers to read to the House
Iiot YET CfItatH PaPeT tl"HSS, VII iu
iIon refuses II hear ha, paper read The journal, OF
the gentleman s own motion, amended by the gentle
man from Virginia, on my lett (Nf. Gilmer) - made
10 show these facts This has been done almcstby COIN
mon consent The journal sets forth, that certain pa
per offered by the gentleman TO be read and was re
fused But now, the gentleman from n. York complain
ing moves next morning amendment, To the effect
that he (Mr. Barna,d) asked leave 10 read the follow
ing paper to wit and here the paper itself IS reearsed
in terms foowng "rhc roll OF Representatives elect
cn md on ptvf ha nttyad ,Sft
this The ma orty denurs. l demur to 1T. say, that
point Of fact never did refuse, By my yo;e to ia Vt
read tna special paper, proposed n be spread out
refused, and the maturity refused to have read aHs
paper. Had the paper been wholly different had i
not contained one single word which in fact i, doe:
contans,l we should have voted against its reading
IL was not then, naains, the reading OF these specific
WORDS thus urgently sought to be ret forth, that we
voted. Ii the Journal says it was, Gays that which
is, substantially, not true. We voted against the read
ing of n cert,n paper. That what did; and i
was all we did. When the Journal declares his-ant
il does declare tit declares the truth, and The
whole truth And sir, it it is to contain nothing b4
the TRUTH II must no. declare as The gentleman from
York would have do, that refused to read paper
IN terms and language expressly set forth. This woult
be false history. We did not do it; aud the Journal i
historically false, if, either directly or oy inference
says we did It,
that te:c disposition in the House to suppress s
matter. Wicrc is the evidencc-the shadow, lest CO.
Tor Of evdence-,o sustain that CHARGE Did not the
gentleman my left from Virginia, mir. GilmeT, on
yesterday propose to the gentleman from New York
that il he would withdraw his various proposals t
amend and, coming in with his protest, ct the main
and regular, and honest enhance, would ask in i
straightforward have that protest spread IN TIE
Jounals would oil cheerfuily consent TO its adniis
sion. And did the gem,len from n. with sing
lar petnacy refuse This most reasonable proposition
le must have in his way or not at all. lie asks
The gentleman from Virginia, what mpapabic scrupes,
what distractions prevent him from admitting tho pro-
lest mot on to amend What scruples Why, n
most Legitimate ard most proper scruple Oar Journal
is historically true, and we scruple at the request OF
the gentleman from New York. t, declare tina; II his
,orically false. 1ha, is The nttnre Of our scrrpe.
We cannot to please the gentleman, say By oar vot@s,
what is untrue and what we know t. be We
will not. by our votes dsclaye 10 The couairy-os such
in effect, what he asks of ustha you, sir, in d
rectng how the Journal of The rst days proceedings
should be made up, falsfed The record; while
and know, that it mos, fairly aud fully ard accurate
~ made up
But the gentleman from New Yor, has another CON-
paint cit is the first tine, SAYS he, sin the annals