Cheraw gazette. [volume] (Cheraw, S.C.) 1835-1838, 1837-03-14
RESULTS OF THE SESSION.

. . Win congress, we nave never Known SESSION.
so barren in valuable results. With great
difficulty, and at the very last moment, most
! (but not ally of the common appropriation
bills, it is true, were got through. So that
the machinery of Government will 60 on
! And this short sentence describes almost the
whole of the actual doings of the session, if
we except the bill for increasing the number
of the Judges of the Supreme Court by adding
: two members to that body.
! Congress has not reduced the rercnue, the
leading object presented to its consideration
! in the Presidents message at the opening of
the session. 1t has not reduced the duties on
! importa.ions: nor has it restrained the sales
of the public lands.
! The Treasury Order thc Specie Circular)
of July lltl, 1886, so much, so universally,
and SO Justly complained of, is not rescinded,
! repealed, or superseded. Both Houses, it is
true, by very large m1jorities, passed an act,
| resembling and superseding thus obnoxious Or
der; but the President neither approved 1t
nor negatved it. He put it in his pocket. 1t
was presented to him some days before the
adjournment but these days not being ter,
! he had a right as he construes the Constitu-
ton, to do neither one thing nor another. lie
did not even inform the Senate, with whom
the bill originated, that he had not time to
consider the bill. lie had doubtless abun-
! dant time but. as the bill had passed both
: Houses BY more than two-thirds of each, he
probably foresaw, that if he returned the bill
with his objections, it would still be passed by
the constitutional majority, and so become
law, without his consent. lie chose, there
fore. 10 hold it back from all further proceed
INC or action of Congress, and in that way to
defeat it. We hold this to be the most ey-
cept!onablc of all the modes of exercising the
veto rover, because it is the least responsible,
and because it deprives Congress of an op-
portunty of exercising its constitutional au-
thortv of passing law by the votes oftwo.
tn rlS of each House, without the consent or
ara.nst the will, of the President. On this
occasion, the strongly expressed, undoubted,
and notorious will OF much more than two.
thirds of both Houses has been knowingly and
Intentionally disregarded.
The Fortiicaton bill has been lost by
disagreement between the two Houses. We
DO not mean Mr. Benton's bill for new works;
that never breathed breath (some peop.c
think it did not deserve breathing .time) after
it reached the House of Representatives. But
we speak of the common, annual appropriation
for works already begun, and now in progress.
This appropriation has failed, by the disagree
nlcnt Of the Administration House of Repre-
sentatives md Administration Senate, on the
subject of the distribution IF the Treasury sur
, y!as, a measure which was connected with
the bill making this appropriation; SO that all
the works, where prior appropriations are eX-
hausted, must await the provisions OF the next
Congress. And this leads US 10 say that,
while Congress has adopted no measure to
reduce income, it has refused to make distri-
button of large and clear asccrtained sur
plus; VIC say ascertancd, because, as was
urged in both Houses, it is now obvious that
there will be a surplus next January, as 1t was,
on the III OF July last, when the late act pass
cd, that there wonld be surplus the lst OF
January of this year. The Land bill for re-
ducing duties not passing. another surplus IS
a thing OF course. 1t may not be as large as
last January, but we regard it as being equally
certain. This surplus Congress refuses to
dcposite with the States. 1t ordalns, on the
contrary, in effect, that it remain with the de-
posite banks. The House of Representatives
insisted on distribution, if there should be sur
plus, and would not yield the point; the Adj
ministrat;on Senators refused to assent to dis
trbution, let the surplus be what it might
/ The final vote in the Senate against 1t was
/ p TO %. So the Fortication bill, DIstribu-
: tion section and all, was added TO the list OF
! lost measures.
! The commercial community earnestly de-
sired the passage OF the bill anticipating the
I payment of the remaining instalments expect
ed soon to be received at the Treasury unde.
; the treaties with France and Naples. At
the present moment, such measure was
! looked for as one that would afford cons;dera-
bic relief to the pressure for money. The
! bill passed the Senate, but was lost in the
House.
Then the bill for restoring the duties on
goods destroyed by the great fire IN New York
"a measure of obvious Justice to individuals.
and. from its extent and Importance, dcsery-
ING to be regarded as public measure-pass-
cd the Senate also, but parsook OF the fate OF
so many OF lis companions, and failed In the
! House.
/ Among the other bills of pubic nature
which pissed the Senate (and failed in the House
of Representatives was the bill for increasing
the Military Establishment OF the United
States. Though this was measure upon
which there is great diversity Of opinion, it
! must be confessed to have been defeated by
other circumstances than the hostility OF tho
House TO it.
The whole number of Senate bills not acted
upon by the House was about one hnndred
nadtwfn;v: amongst which as of the greatest
rencral interest, We may instance, from an eX-
animation of the file of bills, those authorising
the REIMBURSEMENT of the 10th sections grant,
ed for the use of schools, and the entry of 9TH
cr lands in lieu thereof; to revive and contin-
uc in force the act "to provide for persons who
were disabled by known wounds received IN
the Revolutionary war; TO provide for the
erection and repair OF custonl-houses, (at
Philadelphia and New Orcans:) to author
ize the Ohio Railroad Company to locate
rod tLroucrh thn n,lhlc lands: 10 give effect