Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1833-12-30

-; -. ,oy,awed the laws, and seen whether
Cnnoress ar the President had properly any
r,,ye, ove, this matter; or whether the article
uf the Constitution which f6rbds that the press
shall be touched, and declares that religion sna''
he sacred from all the powers OF 'essia,ioh. op
n,i.d in the case Or not. This the presidenl
has undertaken to do of himself, without the sha
dow Of authority, either IN the Cohs''u'o" "
the Laws. "a.
Suppose, sir, that this contumac'oSs 'ns o,o
ton, which committed the great SIN, IN 1872
of not ap,ointinp new President to certain
one of its Branches-suppcse that the BANK
should 20 OH and vindicatr it|eii against the ca
lumn,es poured out pom i;-that II should contin.
ue to stand upon its defence, how Ineheient VIII
have been the exercise OF power b) Inc rtes''
dent! How inadequate to the end he had !"
vie~, of preserving the press from being maze
use of 10 defpad the Bank. Why, SIR, "ehad
bad the power, and the President had come 10
Us. We could have laid Mr.. Nicholas B'ddIe oy
the heels. if he should have undertaken to pub
lish another Report of General Smith or Mr.. NC
Dufie, or another speech OF the eloquent gentle
man near me. (Mr. Webster.) or any other such
Gbeis, tending to bring the President or his ad'
m,nistration into disrepute. But the Pres,dent
of the United States, who thuught he had the
Bank in his power; who thought he could stop VI;
who was Induced to believe, by that "intuence
behind the throne. greater than ITSELF" that he
could break down the Bank at word, has on.
" shown his want Of power over the press Oy us
attempt TO exercise il IN the manner he mas
done The Bank has avowed and openly de-
clarcd its purpose 10 defend itself on all suitable
occasions. And, what is still more provoking,
instead of being bankrupt, as was expected
with lis doors closed and its vaults inaccessible,
..
knows what to do with; and this greatest OF MI
sers and hoarders cruelty refuses to let out a
dollar of its ten millions Of specie 10 relieve the
suferlngs of the Banks to which the Government,
drposiles have been transferred.
SIR. the Pr. sent of the United States had
nothing to do with the morals OF the cOmmunl-
Is. No. sir; for the preservation OF our NOR.
ais we are responsible to Gnd, and trust that
responsibility will ever remain to Him and his
Mercy alone Neither had the President any
thing to do with the freedom of the press The
power over It rs denied, even To Congress, by
the People. II was sal1, by one OF those lew
able men and bright Iuminaries whom Providence
has vet spared TO US, in answer to complaints ny
foreign Minister, asaint the freedom with which
the American press treated certain French iunc-
! tionarIes, that the press was one OF those con-
Germs which admitted OF no regulation by the
Governments; that its abuses must be tolerated,
| lest it's freedom should be abridged. Such, sir
is the freedom Of the press. recognized by our
| Constitution, and so it has been respected ever
since the repeal of the obnoxious act which |
have already quoted, until the detestab!e Prn-
ciples Of that law have been re-asserted by the
President in his assumption OF power. in no.
wise belonging TO his office, Of preserving the
purity Of the press.
Such, sir, ave The powers on which the Presl'
dent relies to justify his seizure OF the Ireasu'
~ of the United States. have examined them
one by one; and they all fail, utterly Tail, to
bear out the act We are irresistbv brought to
the conclusion, that the removal OF the public
money from the Bank of the United States has
been effected by the displace ment from the head
of the Treasury Department OF one who w"ulG
not remove them, and putting in his stead anoth'
er person who WOULD and, secondly, that the
President had no color of authority in the Con
stitaunn or the Laws for the &C, which he has
undertaken to perform
Let US now, said Mr. G., for few moments
examine the consequences which may ensue from
the exercise of this enormous power. II the Pre-.
siden, has authority, in case in which the II"
has assigned specific duty exclusively to de.
signated officer, to control the exercise of his
discretion by that officer, e has right to inter
fere in every other case, and remove every one
from office who ne states dn his bidding, against
, his judgment Of his own duty. This. surely. is
a logical deduction not to be resisted Well,
st 81 tie law Prescribing how money
should BIZ drawn from the Treasury. and the de.
duction above stated. What. asked Mr.. CLAY. is
to prevent the President from going to The Comp
trotler, and, II he will not counersisn a warrant
which he has found an accommodating Secretary
to sign. turning him out for another; then going
To the Register, and doing the sane; and then to
the Treasurer, ano commanding him to pay over
the money expressed 10 the warrant, or subject
himself to expulsion?
/ Where is the security against such conduct on
the part of the President? Wh.-e the boundary
to this tremendous authority which he ha, under
taken TO exercise? Sir, every barrier around the
/ Treasury is broken d." From the mom.,,
that the President said. - make this mpasar.
myown | take upun myself the responsibility, ;,
from that moment the public Treasury mght
as we'll have been at the Hermitas. a. At t6;s
place. Sir. the measure adopted by the o-ssi,
dent, it without precedent-in our day at 'eas.
{ There ia indeed. a precedent on record, but you