of prosperity and gladness, had now come hither by thousands, with the language of gloom, and sorrow, and dismay. It was from the same source, it was under the same roof, as has been so well remarked by the gentleman from Massachusetts, that memorials, protests, and petitions, were transmitted to the British Parliament. Those memorials, protests, and petitions, denounced, at that time, an act of political power, seizing their money without the consent of either themselves, or their representatives. The descendants of those people come now, and protest against an act of political power; also, seizing their money without their consent, or the consent of their representatives. The memorials, protests, and petitions sent to the British Parliament, were contemned. He trusted that a different fate awaited those which were now sent to Congress. The memorialists had come hither, because they thought that they lived, or ought to live, under a government of laws. They have come here with faith in law, and in the national legislature, and ask for relief and for redress. It had been remarked, that they did not go to the Executive mansion, they did not pass by the Halls of Congress, to lay their complaints at the feet of the Executive. They believed that the Executive had no right to interfere; and the manner in which the other committees, who had come hither, were treated by the Chief Magistrate, had prevented them from exposing themselves to similar treatment. Their behavior to the Chief Magistrate in the city of Boston, shows that they know how to respect the official dignitaries of the country; their refusal now to go to him, shows that they know how to respect themselves.

25

PRESIDENT'S PROTEST

PRESIDENTIAL PROTEST.

MR. CLAY'S Resolutions, condemning the conduct of the President, in removing the Deposits, passed the Senate on the 28th of March, 1834. Those Resolutions will be found prefixed to a preceding Speech, page 335. On Thursday, the seventeenth day of April, President Jackson sent in his famous Protest against those Resolutions. It was immediately read by the Secretary, and took the Senate, or, at least, all those who were opposed to the Administration, entirely by surprise. Nothing could have been more unexpected. The instant the reading was concluded, Mr. Sprague and Mr. Poindexter both rose to address the Senate. The latter, being in front of the President, was first seen, and obtained the floor. He spoke for about five minutes, vehemently and indignantly. As soon as he had concluded, Mr. Sprague arose, and made the Speech which is here given.

The Protest, when read to the Senate, was in manuscript. In it, the President called the Heads of the Departments, "his Secretary." This expression was several times repeated, and is pointedly animadverted upon in the following Speech. Afterwards, when the Protest came to be printed, it was found, that, in every instance but one, the expression, "his Secretary," had been changed to "the Secretary." Mr. Sprague, recollecting how the document had been read, called the attention of the Senate to this change. The Secretary of the Senate thereupon stated, that the day. after the following Speech was made, the private Secretary of the President of the United States came into the Senate Chamber, and requested him to make those alterations, which he declined doing, because the decument had been read, but that he placed the word "the," in pencil, over the word "his," on the manuscript. This statement, and animadversions upon it, will be found in Gales & Seaton's Congressional Debates, Vol. X. Part II. page 1421.

On the 21st of April, four days after the Protest, the President sent in an explanatory Message, intended to obviate the force of some of the Remarks in this Speech.