Constitutional Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1824-1832, 1825-12-13

'"uVes nave indirectly complete cont.ouI over T.,
SUBJECT, by holding the purse .striag. Of tie ration
1" e recess ofCOngcss, lie could create such apnoj,,
'hents-a; least there presidents in fine c,s rs NJ
short sent TO Russia by Air. Jefferson. and in ,ha, ri
Aiessrs Rodney, Bland and Graham sent ont IN so,u
America by MIR. Monroe. But when Congress- is in
session such appointments cannot be created william,
'"e'r sanction, and II is ridiculous suppose that Mr.
'uaS meant any thing else, but his determination to
recommend III persons to Gil the embassy 10 the Seno,e
or III other words, that as FAR as lie was concerned tho
invitation OF the Spanish Republics had been accepted
we know that great doubt has been entertained of the
constitutional right of the President to create mission
without the previous sanction of Congress-and we are
inclined to think that he has no such power But thus
uch may De Said tat II is power he ought to possess
or IN The recess OF Congress- emergencies might occur
20 render IFS exercise ndspensabe-snd il is one which
can never be abused as Congress and the Senate will
at the next session. BY the necessity Of appropatpe
anu oil ratyng the appointment exercise absolute con
uoul overit We say this not in defence of,yhat NAV
be violation of til, Constitutions but to prove tIa,
'here rs no ground of apprehension from the actual ex
ercSe OF the power. From this view OF the question
Is OBVIOUS that Mr. Adams in the passage quoted had
" oer meaning than to express his of the
n''auon 10 attend at Panama and TO recommend il Ia
'ne favorable consideration of Congress--a fact we
doubt not, well known to those who have caveIed at i,
The other parts Of The Presidents Message which
nave met with apprehension those relating to Road
and Canals, National UNIVERSITY, and Observatory
They all belong 10 the class Of power and if Con
hay nrirr 80
" have II TO build tle last. The question Of establish
ing National University at the Seat of Government,
mas been often discussed in Congress- and supported by
many good Republicans. The valuable consequences
OF such an institution cannot be doubted and we orI
regret that lin our opinion Congress have no nowor r.
erect IT, unless in their capacity of exclusive e;sI
tors for the District Of Columbia thew choose 70
! 'he people there Pay for it OF much less consc
quence, though involving the same principles. is the
question OF erecting Observatory, and we could have
WISHED That the President had have left this last 70 IT.
heraty ofthe States, and the exertions of Individuals
On the right OF Congress TO carry on system of In
| terna Improvement we have taken occasion NJ vo,i-
Gus times TO express opinion. We can fnd;no
warrant for IFS exercise in the Constitutions and will,
hour consent, it would be found there 1t apnears
| ,''''
their efforts against it with the utmost irnprudenco
oohhnng themselves almost entirely 20 the argument
oil Inc Constitutional question: they have tacly given
strong raesons to believe, that they would not object tc
ITS incorporation in the Constitutions and in fact many
Of the advocates OF The rights of the States have avo
cd so much. The speeches of Barbour, Randvjob
Smyth &C. insist alone on lis unconstitutionalifv whilst
they fail TO exhibit the tremendous consequences and
overshadow'Hg influence OF the power Itself To on,
minds 1t seems power formidable dian that ~
making war ITSELF for while is limited to short ,er
odS, Roads and Canal may be multiplied infinitely
II tms vast county, from the Guph of Mexico TO the
Lakes and from The Atlantic to the Pacific oce,, :.
ali to be improved by Roads and Canals. and # ION
gress possess the right to tax the people for tIea nh
Jects there can be neither end to Improvement mi
taxation. All the money in the world would moi spf
hce to complete the s} stem The most corrnpt comb
n"uohS would be formed among the States to benef
particular sections of the Union, and exclude others
the burhen would be made to fall on those States hos
Tile to the exercise of the power-and il could not fi
Il TO lead to the mpovershneu of the old States to b
overthrow of Representative integrity to the prostra
Fl ton of State Sovereignty aud 10 the early dissolution
II OF the Union itself We trust that the same zeal ant
ability that have combatted the consiutionalty of thu
power, will oppose its direct grant to the National LIE
gislaure and that the States may be left as thew arr
daily proving themselves competent to improve thei
own territory, al their own good time and in their
way.
So far as these three topics are concerned we arrc
with those who lind fault with the Presidents MESSAGE
But may be confidently sad that all of the ndiydu
ais before the people, thought he does and that ehe
OF them would have thrown his weight into the scale
National improvement.
An article appeared lately in the Enquirer under III,
Signature of Civs. In that article the editors of tho Wi
were most upsenerousy and wantomly assailed. We. i
our paper of the 2d inst INDUCED in certain s,r;c,ue
relation to the gentleman who supposed to have beef
hc author ct that article Since then we are perfec
satisfied that altogether mistaken as 10 the 81,
NOR and this mistake none mot the gentleman him
self who was wronged by it) 1dment more than ON,
selves the Injustice which ~, 49,. L.