Year: 1862

| final adoption of the Senate resolution. All


yes they will arrest the proceeding to night.
| Well, every man here must vote himself. AS


to myself, shall vote for no party TO night. l
shall vote as think l am consc:entiously


bound to vote--for the good of the country,


and the whole country | shall not seek TO
give such vote as will be favorably regarded


by that government" which Senator Jesse
! D. Bright addressed in this reasonable letter.
| Now, sir, if there is any gentleman or any


party here desirous to say that Pennsylvania


shall not be heard upon this question in the
councils of the n6tion, it is the right of such q


man or such party to be put upon the record
| in that way. / shall not interfere with those


who wish SO to act. had however supposed


that when this resolution had been passed in


the other end of the capitol-when it had come


over here by the unanimous endorsement of


that body-I had supposed that whatever


might have been any gentIeman'S predictions
previously, we should now be a united body


upon this question representing united


people.
! But, sir, We are told that we must not pass
/ this resolution in such way as will speak most
/ decisively TO our SeDators-that it must be so


amended as to mean nothing-as to instruct
| nobody-to allow our Senators to vote as they


pease-in other words, to smother the voice


of Pennsylvania upon this question. We are
| told that unless we consent to have the plain,
emphatic resolution of the Senate thus amend
ed, it will be arrested in its progress here to


night.


say again sir, if tha: is the determination
| of the gentlemen in this body, the responsible
ity is with them. For myself | shall vote for


the original esolution-believing it to be q
high duty-a duty beyond all party and all
party questions


But it is said by the gentleman from Cam
hria, Mr. PerShing) that we have no power
to instruct these gentlemen. Why, sir, think
that the very amendment offered by his friend
from Bedford, had conceded that we have
power thus to instruct. thought that was
conceded everywhere.


Mr. PERSHING. The reason why I am
in favor OF the amendment is that it still leaves
something to the judgment of the Senators.


Mr. TRACY. 1t still leaves the Senator
to do as be pleases Now, si7, l do rot de-
sire to have him do as be pleases, after the ex
hibition of bis sentiments which be has made
before the country.


1t is said by the Senators to whom l now
refer that this is judicial question--that be
is trying 10 judicial way fellow Senator
That view, sir, is somewhat different from the
view which have taken. | do not claim to
be any lawyer do not pretend toset up any
hairsplitting distinctions but, sir, l did sup
pose that We have right to instruct upon this
question. did suppose that our right to in
struct is not the less because the Senate of the
United States are TO be the sole Judges Of the
,Ena oF tbnir =.
they are the sole judges Of the laws which they
are to pass as we'll as the qualifications of their
members. We are the sole judges Of the laws
that We are to pass here for the good of the
Com nonweslth. And yet, are We not to be
instructed by our constituents And have not
We, as the constituents Of the Senators from
Pennsylvania, in the United States Senate
have We not right to instruct them ? Why,
sir, | had supposed that this question of the
right of instruction had been long ago settled
10 the affirmative by the Democracy of the
country /; and hope that gentlemen, who DO
not happen to have the fortune to belong to
that party, will not raise hair.splitting ques-
tion Of this kind when there are ct stake such
interests as those in question here.


But ny friend says, can it possible that
with forty Senators in that BODY, we cannot
trust them, because they may have one traitor
among them r Why, sir, is it safe to trust
traitor even among forty good aud true men,
when that traitor can expose all the rational
secrets to the enemy of the government In
time Of war ard rebellion like this, is it safe
to let in 8 spy among these forty good and
true men Is it safe 10 allow the presence of
a man who is prepared to introduce q rebel
emissary to the president" of a rebellious
government" and to say that this emisSary is
reliable in every respect" Reliable for what?
Reliable for reasonable purposes


Sir, / have already extended nv remarks
beyond the time which l intended TO occupy
shall merely conclude By saying that hope
every gentleman who desires TO maintain this
government, every gentleman who desires to
thrust cut treason from the Senate of the
United States, viii come forward and let
Pennsylvania be beard in that body upon the
question of the expulsion of Jesse D. Bright.