The Project Gutenberg EBook of Thomas Hart Benton's Remarks to the Senate
on the Expunging Resolution, by Thomas Hart Benton

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Title: Thomas Hart Benton's Remarks to the Senate on the Expunging Resolution

Author: Thomas Hart Benton

Posting Date: July 23, 2008 [EBook #741]
Release Date: December, 1996

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THOMAS HART BENTON'S REMARKS ***

Produced by Anthony J. Adam.

Thomas Hart Benton,
"On the Expunging Resolution."
U.S. Senate,
January 12, 1837

Mr. President:

It is now three years since the resolve was adopted by the Senate,
which it is my present motion to expunge from the journal. At the
moment that this resolve was adopted, I gave notice of my intention to
move to expunge it; and then expressed my confident belief that the
motion would eventually prevail. That expression of confidence was not
an ebullition of vanity, or a presumptuous calculation, intended to
accelerate the event it affected to foretell. It was not a vain boast,
or an idle assumption, but was the result of a deep conviction of the
injustice done President Jackson, and a thorough reliance upon the
justice of the American people. I felt that the President had been
wronged; and my heart told me that this wrong would be redressed! The
event proves that I was not mistaken. The question of expunging this
resolution has been carried to the people, and their decision has been
had upon it. They decide in favor of the expurgation; and their
decision has been both made and manifested, and communicated to us in a
great variety of ways. A great number of States have expressly
instructed their Senators to vote for this expurgation. A very great
majority of the States have elected Senators and Representatives to
Congress, upon the express ground of favoring this expurgation. The
Bank of the United States, which took the initiative in the accusation
against the President, and furnished the material, and worked the
machinery which was used against him, and which was then so powerful on
this floor, has become more and more odious to the public mind, and
musters now but