The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1836-03-04

TO guard against such interference for the future
as actually prevented both Houses, though ready
and willing, from doing their duty. Yes, sir The
gentleman iron Kentucky Mr. II. NJ. johnson
challenged me, at the beginning of the session, TO
specify acts OF Executive intcrmcddling or inter
ference with the independence OF the legislation OF
Congress. gave hun, sir, one pretty strong case
but here is one still stronger. None could be
stronger On the last night Of the last Congress-
both Houses OF Congress- | assert, and have prov
ed, were not only ready and willing, but ANXIOUS.
} LY EDEAvoGING, 10 pass law, which the Presi-
dent himself say 5, and which admit was very un-
Porant TO the public interests, with large mIlorl-
ties in each in favor Of the law and the two Houses
agreeing, by special conference, and THEY COULD
NOT AND DID NOT get the bill through, IN CoNsE-
QUENCE or TIE MINloNs AND riNPs or THE ENECU
TIVE rANrERiNG WITH THEIR TOOLS in the House OF
Representatives, :! Now, sir, ii tie gcstleman
wants stronger case than that, cannot imagine
1t. know such was Tie fact and though all " the
Government should swear TO the contrary, |
should know and believe the fact until the day OF
my death l. II To be borne, that some twenty or
thirty Of a trained band snail, by reducing as be-
low quorum, reduce majority Of both Houses o!
Congress below the loot Of Tic Executive! Shall
we be thus interrupted N our business by" irag
mcHtn OF the party" dong the bidding OF their
idol? Is this an administration ul the Govern
meLt IN the spirit aud letter q! the Constitution,
which makes the Legislative Department lndepen-
dent of the Executive, and intends that II SHAH be
check upon the Executive? viii the People
suffer ills moustrous violence TO the theory and
practice OF their Government? Oh. that could
raise my voice to a pitch OF renonstrance which
could 90 forth throughout this land which could
reach every hamlet, every nome, and every heart
oiihe People which could speak Tumpet-longued
/ 10 every man who has in bis bosom 4 spark OF the
split Of the free! | would rouse resistance TO
this misru.G this corruption, TINS parrlclde of" the
/ parv," which would soon determine whether the
nuny tie few shall rule the dcstlnes OF this Re
public
/ Sir, the whole mass ofpower wAich is conferred
+ by the Constitution IN all the Departments OF this
Government is nearly as great as The whole power
OF any Government Oh any civilized People. But
the theory OF our Government SO distributes this
power among different branches or departments,
as to check and counerbalance, restrain and con-
troll, each other mutually. Power with us is SO
ncutra!iLed 10 DO harm, and well poised TO Go
good, in the theory oI our Constitution, that the
Government was made free at The same time it
was made efficient But sir, the practice Of the
Government has of late SO perverted the theory OF
I the Constitution that; through corruption, we are
last becoming bound hand and foot, and a single
Department l. absorbing the whole mass Of pow
or. The principle Of 1.-THE party p" rs row warning
upon one oil the cardinal principles OF the Constl
tutlon to keep separate, distinct and INDEPENDENT
/ the Legislative and the Executive Departments.
4 That principle, without which this Government
I cannot remain free is totally undermined by the
policy of parties to elect Legislators 10 support
that is TO DO the viii of-PresldentS, Is there
10 jealousy Of the Executive left No esprit du
corps in Congress Gone gone!
Sir, must remind the House that on the Cum
berlaud road I'LL there were III members present
and voting. That tic very next vote there was
no quorum
Here Mr.. Wise read list of the names Of mem.
bers who voted on the Cumberland road bill, and
did not vote Oh the next vote or Moore and LetcA-
cr resolution. There were 66 in number. Ofthese,
Van Buren men, so; Opposition and for White, 10.
On the Cumberland road bill there were "A votes.
OF these there were, Van Buren, men, a.; OPposl-
ton and for White 81. Parties were equal on that
vote On the fletcher resolution thtle were Us
votes. Van Buren, men, 80; Opposition and for
White, So
Can this extraordinary dcserton of Van Buren,
men be accounted for but upon the snppositIen OF
design? And TOO, when it was known they were
nearly all lItNbItl III Nilt lIhuSN " nv tS W
position and White men had retained their num-
bers to :, there was falling off of Van Buren, men
of "a 81 out of e. While the Opposition and
White men continued in their places, giving their
votes until the close Of the session, the Van Buren,
did not again, except small minority, answer to
their names.
On Mr. Jarvis's motion 10 adjourn, there were
lis votes Van Buren, men, IL; Opposition and
for White II,
On Mr.. Carmichacl's motion to adjourn, there .
were | IL votes. Van Buren, men, 80; Opposition .
and for White, -.
Is no; the conclusion irresistible that the chair
man of the Committee OF Foreign Affairs (Mr.
Cambrcleng) might, at any moment after his re-
turn from the conference, until the Adjournment OF
the House, by NOD Or whisper, have summoned
from their hiding places 4 quorum, and saved the
loss Of the fertilization bill? Would not Rhode
rick'S men have risen up at the whistle Does not
the gentleman from New York know that he might
at any tine have had a quorum Did he exert
himself to get quorum Did he not, and dld not
YOU. Mr.. Speaker, busily ondeayor to persuade
members no had conscientious scrupics not toyOte
to make quorum Did not Churchill {. Cambre.
leng protest, by speech on the floor See Globe Of
the 9Th of March, 1850 against the right to COM
pei members to answer the call for quorum, when
he all the time was voting himself? Did not Nh
Barringcr of North Carolina charge the intrigue
at The time, and offer 10 specify names Was not I
Ahiiah Iiann, Jr,, ,of New York; who refused to
vote on every question from the last quorum to the
adjournment, sitting in the House calling for the
yeas and nays when attempts would be made 10
get along without a cali Did not Mr. Barringer |
tel him be had no right TO call for yeas and nays
as he said he was no longer member; and did he
not claim 10 be as much member as any body 1
Having. pledged himself to vote for the Letchcr
resolution did he not inform Nr, lctcher he could
not then vote for il And did not Letcher replr,
i" knew the Van Euren colts would slip their brl-
dies" When Samuel Beardsley refused TO vote,
did not the honorable gentleman from Tennessee,
IL L IL