The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1845-12-23
SENATORIAL, RESPONSIBILITY.


SENATORIAL RESPONSIBILITY.
According to our observation for many years past,
some one or more of the sovereign States of the
American Union have from time to time, through
their senators in Congress, been grossly misrepre-
scented upon important occasions-misrepresen,
bv ags,is accredited to the national legislature, and
bound by the nature Of the service in which they
are engaged, and by the spirit Of our constitution,
10 see that the will Of the constituent body, and not
their o,cn will, if it be in conflict, shall be expressed
in the councils of the country.
We think il not altogether improbable that this
sort of representative treachery will be repeated in
some quarter during the tendency of the present
"long session." This will be the case, no doubt, il
opinions ascribed to certain senators are really en-.
tertained and shall be adhered to.
Under these circumstances, and with this pros
oect before us, il would seem that the doctrine Of
Instruction. is spontaneously presented for conside
ration wherever the mischief Of senatorial infdeity
is likely to be felt.
The right,o instruct" and the resulting neces-
sy of OBEDIENCE have been long recognised by many,
if not all, of the staunch republican States. Very
early in the history of party differences, The doc
trne of the right Of instruction appears conspicuous
for its agency in widening the gulf Of separation
The federal party of another generation always
srenuously contested the right of the State legsla-
lures to instruct the senator's In Congress. The wings
Of this erawho seem to be the nheritors of all but
the name of the federalists--are establishing, by a
rigid fidelity TO old opinions, an abhorred identity
with that party. This they have accomplished in
part, through an opposition loud and vehement,
against the doctrine Of instruction, that evinced
by their predecessors in days that are past. The
democrats for the most part--with consistency as
perfect, and little more commendabe, we think
yindcate their origin by the process Of adher-
ing to the cold landmarks" We trus, they will not
cease to abct this great republican doctrine--,he
right to "inslruc, assured, the country must
have been, that detriment has resulted from the
practical operation of this most essential privilege
ofthe constituent body.
The strictly representative character of our gov
eminent forces the admission that the members Of
the House of Representatives are amenable direct
ly in this form to the constituent body. The denial
Of that proposition would, in fact, be reputation
Of the principles upon which representative re-
under mixed monarchy, the popular right to in
sruct the representatives in Parliament is founded
upon the same conception of representative respon-
sbility. Mr.. Burke, apostatizing from the more
liberal opinions of his earlier life, yentured, in an
elaborate argument, to convince his constituents
that what they had commanded him to do involved
an arrogant assumption Of authority. Bat whoever
will read the immortal werk of the philosophical
orator. upon the French revolution, will find opin-
ions and sentiments expressed equal to anything of
Filmer, in favor Of the jue Dirino.
Few or none will question the obligation of mem
bers Of the House of Representatives TO obey in
strnctons but it is argued that the constitutional
extension Of the senatorial term the long period of
six years. carries with it the idea ola stability and
an exatation in that body designed by the trainers
of the constitution to counteract the inevitable fuc
tuations Of the popular will. No doubt the trainers
of the constitution did consider the necessity
of supplying some corrective Of the popular
caprice. They considered il unwise to separate
the members of the lower House from their con-
stituen,s for longer time than two years; and
TO remedy the mischief which frequent
change as that might lead to, longer term Of ex-
istence was conferred upon the Senate. But The
inquiry resuts--dd these great men, who were so
deeply imbued with opinions favoring the capacity
Of the people for their own government, mean to
place the Senate in position insulated that il
could not be reached authortativeIy by the interme-
date representatives of the people themselves The
great luminaries of the republican party---the
fathers OF the church'--have thought that no
such dangerous pre-eminence was designed to be
conferred.
None ofthe evil consequences which il has been
apprehended would spring from the exercise of the
right OF instruction, have yet been realized. The
Senate is secure enough, by the interpostion Of a
third body, from the popular impulses.
The history Of the past will not warrant the be-
iet that a resort to this right Of instruction will
occur except upon occasions Of transcendent in.
'eres and when the retention Of his seat by a scna-
Tor would do such violence to the public sentmen,
as TO make it important to himself the State he
represents, no longer TO continue detested Dcu.
ous So sensitive is the legislation Of free and pop
a'ar governments to the censure Of the governed
that II becomes affair OF supreme importance thn
the most absolute appreciation should attach to
'hose lntrnsied with the making Of the laws.
In our congressional report Of yesterday, touching
the particular referred TO below are requested TO
make the following corrections. The great difficulty
IN hearing members IN the ;p,n,en,e hall n, u,hich