Columbia Democrat and Bloomsburg general advertiser. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1850-1866, 1863-02-28
TreaSOnable Offences.

SENATE, MONDAY, FEB. l6, 1868
Bill (Sen. No. ;42 entitled A joint
resolution instructing our Senators and
requesting our representatives in Congress.
to procure the immediate passage Of laws
defining and Furnishing offences treas
enable character, came before the Senate
in regular order on its final passage.
Mr.. LOWRY. ] ask for the reading
of the bill.
The Clerk read as follows:
WHEREAS, 1t appears thai the existing
present crisis therefors,
BE ii reSolvel By nc Sen1te anR Ho,s'
of Representatives. Of The ComWo"W "Wenitb
of peaasgEvan1n, IN Geae'M ASSemJN
met, That the Senator's from this State be
instructed and the members of Congress
requested to procur the immediate passage
of laws defining aud punishipg offences
of Reasonable character not amounting
to high treasont and progdinl for the fair
and speedy trial by an impartial jury of
persons charged with such offences in the
loyal and undisturbed States, SO that the
guilty may Justly suffer and the Innocent
be relieved.
Mr.. CLYMER. Mr.. Speaker, l meyc
that the Senate 20 into committee OF the
wholec for special amendment of the bill,
as fellows;
First. TO insert afterrhe words "pass-
age or laws" the word, sin accordance
with the Constitution of the United States
and of the State of PGnnsylvali
Seeoua. 70 insert after the words
"speedy trial. the words Sin the district
where the alleged crimes hive been COM
mitted
Mr.. CLYMER. j did not desire and
do not now desire to enter upon discus
sion Of any constitutional principle which
may be raised by the amendments of,red
by myself One Senator upon this floor
considers those amendments as surplusage,
another eonstrues them TO be opunciatory
OF dangerous doctrines believe them to
be neither the one nor the other. | do
not consider that they ere surplusage,
because they are designed to throw around
the people the guards Of the Consultation
of the United States and of the State of
Pennsylvania. They demand for our
people whatis guaranteed tothcm by those
Constitutions, and they say, in unmi+tak
lble tcrms to those whom | charge with
having deliberately, wilIully and repeat
edly violated both OF those great fonda
mental charters, eve will not put it in
your power by our votes to tranrple upon
our vested rights,
The Senator from Northumberland (Mr
BoUND) says that he would deem it an
Insult thus to instruct members of Cor
gress. deem i. TO insult to tell men
their duty when on repeated ac,asous
they have violated it. Sir, say it delib,
erately that will never vote for this res
oluton as it has been reported by the
Senator from Erie, giving to our Senators
and Representatives blank instructions TO
pass! laws binCiug citizens OF this State,
hand and foot, to obey their accursed in
novations upon the fundamental laws of
our State and nation.
Sir, am unwilling to instruct in any
vague or indefinite manner body of men
who, according to my belief OF the country
generally, have for the sake of mere ex.
! pediency ever and over again violated the
Constitution of the United states. | wish
these amendments TO 60 into the bill be.
cause | do not trust the majority in the
present Congress Of the United States
because | can prove by their record that
they have at different times wilfuly, de
! liberately, and knowing that they violated
their sacred oaths, inlringed upon the
Constitution Of the United States. l say
| ~ haro | mill Nronlo;,, - Il Al
it is the duty Of citizsns Of Pennsylvania
no longer to submit TO these infractions
Of the Constitution of the United States
and Of the Constitution Of this State
emphatlcaly declare it that the citizens Of
this State have ghts Of person and lights
property guaranteed to them which 10
Congress can take away. Aye, sir, Penn
sylvania has a history extending to
period anterior TO the formation of the
Federal Government. She had govern
ment which guaranteed to her citizens
rights of property and rights of person
long before the Federal Government was
formed; and | tell you, sir, that she
never ceGed to any of her citiz 4, any of
those rights. l viii never vote for reso,
lutions, telling our Senator'S and Repre-.
sentativos in the present Congress, to pass
laws leaving their character to their dis
crstioH Whist kind OF laws are they likely
to pass! Shall | point you to their past
acts as samples
Te do so would be to produce a record
at which the mind of every good man
would stand appalled,. Confsoation and
oonscription acts, acts indomnifying rulers
for unconstitutional and arbitrary deeds
OF oppression, an act making mere evi-
dences Of Indebtedness legal tender, and
an act dividing a sovereign State without
the assent of that Slate-thsse are fair
samples of the charatcr of laws which we
might expect from the present Congress
did we leave it to their discretion.
Sir, that body has, within the last six
months, been visited with the denuncia.