Project Gutenberg's Henry Clay's Remarks in House and Senate, by Henry Clay

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Title: Henry Clay's Remarks in House and Senate

Author: Henry Clay

Posting Date: July 23, 2008 [EBook #739]
Release Date: December, 1996

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HENRY CLAY'S REMARKS ***

Produced by Anthony J. Adam

Henry Clay, "On the Seminole War,"
U.S. House of Representatives
19 January 1819.

Henry Clay, "On the Expunging Resolutions,"
U.S. Senate
16 January 1837

Part 1

Henry Clay, "On the Expunging Resolutions,"
U.S. Senate,
16 January 1837

Mr. President:

WHAT patriotic purpose is to be accomplished by this Expunging
resolution? What new honor or fresh laurels will it win for our common
country? Is the power of the Senate so vast that it ought to be
circumscribed, and that of the President so restricted that it ought to
be extended? What power has the Senate? None, separately. It can
only act jointly with the other House, or jointly with the Executive.
And although the theory of the Constitution supposes, when consulted by
him, it may freely give an affirmative or negative response, according
to the practice, as it now exists, it has lost the faculty of
pronouncing the negative monosyllable. When the Senate expresses its
deliberate judgment, in the form of resolution, that resolution has no
compulsory force, but appeals only to the dispassionate intelligence,
the calm reason, and the sober judgment, of the community. The Senate
has no army, no navy, no patronage, no lucrative offices, no glittering
honors, to bestow. Around us there is no swarm of greedy expectants,
rendering us homage, anticipating our wishes, and ready to execute our
commands.

How is it with the President? Is he powerless? He is felt from one
extremity to the other of this vast Republic. By means of principles
which he has introduced, and innovations which he has made in our
institutions, alas! but too much countenanced by Congress and a
confiding people, he exercises, uncontrolled, the power of the State.
In one hand he holds the purse, and in the other brandishes the s