The Massachusetts spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1831-1858, 1832-09-12

ike atty millions OF dollars mare. ne |
had voted for every appropriation of the kind
that was proposedt He nulh6ed, in fact by !
this Veto, all tho principles he had formerly |
sanctioned by his votes, and left his Internal
Improvement friends Petrfed with astonish !
Inent and dismay, for which they found little I
consolation in the ungIa cious animation in the
Veto Message. Remarkably analogous TO tina,
in the late Bank Veto Message,) that he had
in his Message at Ihe commencement Gf the
session expressed his views of the subject of
Internal Improvement, and that ihe bill which
he returned had been passed, therefore, with a
knowledge oil them; in other words that it
ought TO ne rejected because his consent had
not been asked by Congress prFriouSiy to the
passage of the bill To this notable suggest on
1t would have been sufficient reply, had 1t
been worthy Of reply, that Congress had, in
fact, his previous asseHt for, few DAYS be-
fore these four bills were seat 10 him, he had
actually approved and signed bill for inlprov-
ing the harbors at TIE mouth of a number of
creeks and rivers, among which were several
of so little national Importance that we never
heard their names before, and do not re-
member them. The grounds Oh which the
rejection Of these bills was iust,sed, we're thus
not only urteuabe upon fair argument but
were lrreconclleabe with the uniform tenor OF
General Jackson's votes few years ago, and
equally with his aelinn mediately before, as
Ru, there was a general objection 10 this ex-
ercse of power by the President, which though
raised at the time, has grows greatly IN impor.
lance from subsequent events We objected TO
1t at the time, bu: we now more earnestly pro
test against the free exercise Of the Veto as
contrary to the spirit Of the Constitution. The
application of it TO ordinary legislation is using
All extreme medicine in perfect health. The
medicine becomes poison. That this polrer is
IN fha ~,
tion so any act of Congress, cannot be doubted
But il is given to him TO be exercised wisely and
considerably, not wantoIly, capricously, or
out OF mere stubbornness. Thus tho President
may, on extraordinary occasions, convene Con
gress But may he therefore convene them so
as to keep them continually in session, upon
occasions which he chooses 10 consider extTaor
binary lie is Commando in Chief Of the
Army and Navy but may he therefore make
war upon whom he pleases He has a power
to refuse 10 approve bills which have been pass
| ed by Congress Has he therefore the power
SO reject all bills which Congress may present
10 him If SO, what is the meaning of the
| enumeration in the Constitution oi the powers
which Congress may exercise Ii he may not
constitutionaliy refuse to sign all bills, may he
| arrest arbitrarily all Legislation Of particular
! description
| Tine answers which naturally present them
! selves 10 these questions, leave no doubt thai
! the Veto is power which gu hit to be regu.
! lated 10 lis exercise, not only BY a sound dis
cretion, but by due Difference, as well 10 pub
| lie sentiment, TO The rights OF the Lcgisla
tive Body That in the cases befnre us In,
President did not exercise a sound discretion
we have shown by comparing his rejection q
bills which had passed Congress. with thos
| which, when member of Congress, he hat
assisted 10 pass. Was he Influenced by defer
ence 10 public sentiment' Public sentimen
can only be correctly asceftained through the
medium Of elections. The House of Repre-
sentatiecs in general faithfully reflects it. Ac.
cording TO that test. what was public sentiment
on these rejected bills The Maysville Road
Bill passed the House by 4 vote of 1902 to 85-a
majority too decided to allow Of doubt whelh.
er the vote was a clear expression of the sense
of The House But on the 27;h oi May came
| in the Veto Message. On the 10Th of the same
/ month, notwithstanding the Presidents scru-
I pies and his anxiety to pay off the National
/ Debt, and if with determination to leave
80 pretence FOR doubt ON the subject III,
/ House sat all night, ana me FREDERICK h0aC
/ Bill passed by "a Yeas tc 80 Nays the Louis
vile Canal Bill by 20 Yeas 10 q Nays ani
the Harbnr Bill by % Yeas to Al Nays Here
was undoub,ed evidence of public opinion, ant
a decided effnr, on the part of the popula
branch Of the Legislature, TO recover the power
r. which, bv the principle Ut hls AlaysvIlle Veto
Z
cou'4 not he doubt on the mind Of the Presi
: oent, alter ,hase votes what was the settle,
opinion either OF Congress or the Pennle Ye
he rejected all these bills The first by returnin,
1t with a reference TO the Veto Message for IN
4 objections, aud the other two by retaining then
until alter Congress adjourned. 1t is a fact 10,
remarkable to be overlooked in the history o
this entertainment by the Executive on tn
: powers Of Congress, that the two bills. whcI
passed by mojorites Of more than too thirds q
, the House, he would not, by returning them
allow the House 10 exercise its constitutional
, power of re passing them after considering hi
, objections.
We have thus seen that hefnre the close q
the first session Of Congress rfier he came in
very strong disposition was evnced by til
President several occasions, to subject al
the action of the Government to his will, il
the higher duties of legislation. as he had dom
from the first day of his Administration in re
gard 10 appointments TO office.
, ABUSE OF Tug FRASKiSG PRIviLFGE No
the least among the abuses praciscd under III,
present administration, is that of the privileu
r granted to members of Congress of franklin,
letters and public documents 10 subserve cleo
tioneering purposes. We saw in Connection
on Friday last. letter written some time sine,
| by the Hon. Isaac Hill to gentleman IN tina
| H'"tS, hHCbsiH2 d prospectus LOT lne EXIT
Globe, and urging him to use every possible
! exerllon TO procure subscribers for that Eek
, cretive organ" of corruption. Ii so happene.
that the gentleman TO whom the letter was ad
dressed, although he had been Jackson man
had turned from the error Of his ways; an,
thinking that such a gross and palpabe system
Of electioneeTng deserved exposure, permitted
people to see the letter along with the pfospec
tus, that they might have an opporuniiy u
seeing what gross system of ecctioheerng i
carried on under the mask OF " REFORM" an,
through department which was Instituted 70
| the public good instead of the accommodation
of unprincipled parIisans
This is hut a faint aud trivial specimen o
existing abuses. 1t is only bubble in the
great cau.dron of political corruption. Ii i,
| probable that at least ten thousand copies o
the pros2eeluses Cor the Extra Cube we're SEN
| to pnst-masters and ranked 10 individuals b,
the Jackson members Of Congress-nceompa
MED with the most earnest requests that those
TO whom they were sent would use every
! means TO procure subscribers. Thus the com
! piete patronage Of tic post Office has been
! Drought to bear upon a single newspaper and
because that newspaper, with all these iaclli
! ties' has obtained few thousand subscribers, i,
is trumpeted abroad as u manifestation of pub
| de eptntOn '-LoloeH Journal
JACKSON DEMOCRACY. We heard il dis
! q L., 4