Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 182?-183?, 1832-08-10


troduce The initiative here? Are the now
ers Of recommendation and that of veto. not
sufficient? Must all legislation, in its COM
mencement and in its termination, concen-
! trate IN the President? When we shall
have reached that State fittings the election
| and annual sessions of Congress will be an
useless charge upon the People, and the
whole business of government may be eco
nomically conducted 10y ukases and de-
Crees.
Congress does sometimes receive the sur-
gestIons and opinions of the Heads of De-
partments, as TO new laws And, at the
commencement Of this session, in his An
nual Report, the Secretary of the Treasury
stated his reasons at large, not merely in fla
Vor OF bank, but in support of the renewal
oil the charter OF the existing Bank WHO
| could have believed that that responsible Of
hcer was communicating 10 Congress opin-
ions directly adverse 10 those entertained by
the President himself? When before has
1t happened, that the Head ola Department
recommended the passage of law which
being accordingly passed s. presented TO the
President, is subjected to this veto? What
sort of hank it is, with project of which
the President would have deigned TO fur
nish Congress, if they had applied 10 him,
he has not stated. In the absence of such
statement, we can only conjecture that il is
his famous Treasury Bank, formerly recon-
mended by him, from which the People
have recoiled with the instructive horror ex-
cited by the approach of Cholera.
The message states, that can investigation
unUilingiy conceded, and so restricted in
time as necessarily TO make it incomplete
and unsatisfactory, disclose enough to ex-
cite suspicion and alarm" AS there is no
prospect OF the passage ofthiS bill, the Pres-
dents objections notwithstanding, by a con-
stitutional majority of two thirds, it can
never reach the House of Representatives
The members of that House, and especially
It's distinguished Chairman ofthe Committee
OF Ways and Means, who reported the bill,
are therefore cut off from all opportunity of
defending themselves. Under these circum-
stances ALLOW me to ask the President has he
ascertained the investigation was unrilling-
ly conceded? | have understood directly
the contrary; and that the Chairman, alrea-
dy referred TO, as well as other members in
favor of the renewal of the charter, prompt
ly consented to and voted for the investiga-
lion. And we all know that those in sup
port of the renewal could have prevented the
investigation, and that they did not But
suspicion and alarm have been excited. -
Suspicion and alarm! Against whom is this
suspicion! The House, or the Bank, or
both ?
MIR. President, protest against the right
ofany Chief Magistrate TO come into either
House OF Congress, and scrutinize the mo-
tlyes OF It's members TO examine whether
a measure has been passed with prompttude
or repugnance and 10 pronounce upon the
willingness or unwillingness with which il
has been adopted or rejected. 1t is an inter
ference in concerns which pariake of do
nestle nature. The official and constitu-
tional relations between the President and
the two Houses of Congress, subsist with
them as organized bodies His action is con-
fined to their Consummated proceedings, and
does rot extend TO measures in their incipi-
ent stages, during their progress through
the Houses, nor 10 the motives by which
they are aCtuated.
There are some parts of this message that
ought TO excite deep alarm; and that espe-
cially in which the President announces
that each public officer may interpret the
Constitution as he pleases. His language
is "Each public officer who takes an oath
TO support the Constitution, swears that he
will support ii as he understands it, and not
as it is understood by others"
1.-The opinion of the Judges has no more au-
thority over Congress than the opinion Of
Congress has over the judges and, on that
point, the President as Independent ofboth."
Now, Mr.. President, conceive, with great
Difference, that the President has mistaken
the purPort of the oath TO support the Con-
stitution ofthe United States No one swears
10 support il as he understands il, but TO sup
port ii simply as ii is in truth All men are
hound tO nhpU ba Df tui, 4 L. n.
stitution is the supreme but must they o.
hey them as they are. or as they understand
them? If the obligation of obedience is lin
tied and controlled by the measure of infor-
nation ; in other words, ifthe party is bound
to obey the Constitution only as he under
stands it, what would be the consequence
The Judge of an inferior court would DISC
hey the mandate of superior tribunal, be-
cause 1t was not in conformity TO the Con
Stitutlon, AS he understands il; a custom house
officer would disobey a circular from the
Treasury Department, because contrary to
the Constitution, as he understands it; an
American Minister would disregard an in
struCtion from the President, communicated
through the Department of State, because
not agreeable to the Constitution, as he I'M
derstandS it; and any subordinate officer in
the army or navy would violate the orders of
his superior, because they were not in ac-
cordance with the Constitution as he under
stands it. We should have nothing settled
nothing stable nothing fixed. There would
be general disorder and confusion throughout
every branch Of administration, from the
highest TO the lowest offices-Universal
notification. For what is the doctrine of
the President but that Of South Carolina ap-
pied Throughout the Union. The President
independent both Of Congress and the Su-