Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1837-05-12

well known opinion Of Congress. Tha
act altered the law of The land, or purpor'
ed 10 alter il, against the well known vii
Of the law.makng power.
For one, ! confess, ] see no nu,horl,
whatever in the constitution, or in any law
for thi. treasury order. Those who hav'
undertaken to maintain it, have placed i
on grounds. not only different. but inconsis
tent and contradictory. The reason which
one gives. another rejects; one conlutes
what another argues. With one it is the
Joint resolution Of 1916, which gave the
authority; with another it is the law Of
1890, with third it is The general super
intending power of the president; ana TINS
last argument, since 1t resolves ltseli In'o
mere power, without stopping TO point out
the sources of,hai power, is not only the
shortest, but in truth the mos, just. lie is
the most sensible, as well as the most can
did reasorcr, in my opinion, who places this
treasury order on the ground Of the pleas.
ure Of the executive and stops there.
regard the Join. resolution Of 1916 as man.
dstory as prescribing legal rule; as put
ting this subject, in which all have so deep
an interest, beyond the caprice, or the ar
bi,rory pleasure, or the discretion of the
Secretary Of the treasury. believe there
Is not the slightest legal authority, either
IN that officer, or in the President to make
q distinction, and TO say that paper may be
recoivnd f,- dobtS ut tho custom house, but
that gold and silver only shall be received
at the land Offices. And now for the Sc.
quel.
At the commencement Of the last session
az you know gentlemen, a resolution was
brought forward in he Senate for annul
ing and abroga,ing this order, by Mr. Ew.
ing, gentleman Of much intelligence, Of
sound principles, of vigorous and energetic
character, whose loss from the service Of
the country regard as public misfortune.
The Wing members oil supported this res
olulion. and all the members, believe with
the exception Of some five or six, were
very anxious, in some way to get rid of the
treasury order. But Mr.. Ewing's resolu,
ton was too direct. 1t was deemed poin
ted and nngracious attack on executive
policy, Therefore it must be soft ened,
modified, qualified, made to sound less
harsh to the ears of men in power, and 10
assume a plausible, polished, inof1ensive
character 1t was accordingly put into
the plastic hands of friends Of the executive
10 be moulded and fashioned, 20 that 1t
might have the effec, Of Kidding the coun.
try OF the obnoxious order, and yet not ap
pear TO question executive inGallibiity All
this did not answer. The late president is
not a man to be satisfied with soft words
and he saw in the measure, even a it pass.
I'd the two houses, substantial repeal Of
The order. lie is man of boldncss and
decision and he respects boldncss and de.
cison in others. il you are his friend he
expects no flinchng; aud # you are his
adversary, he respects you none the less
for carrying your opposition TO the full
limits Of honorable warfare.
Gentlemen, | most sincerely regret the
course Of the President, in regard to this
bill, and certainly most highly Gisapprovc
il. Blu, do not suffer the modification Of
having attempted 10 disguise and garnish
j, in order to make it acceptable, and Of
still finding it thrown back in my face. All
that was obtained by this ingenious, dIplo
matte, and over courteous mode Of cnactinG
n law, was a response from the President
and the attorney General, that the bill in
question was obscure. i'll penned. and not
easy to be understood. The bill, there's
fore, was neither approved nor negatvcd.
lfit had been approved, the treasury order
would have been annuled, though in
clumsy and Objectionable manner. Ifneg
a,ived, and returned to Congress, no doubt
it would been passed by two thirds Of
both houses, and in that way become law,
and abrogated the order. But it was not
approved, it was not returned; it was re
tanned. 1t had passed the Senate in season;
il had been sent TO the House in season
but there it was suffered TO lie so long
without being called up, that it was COM
pleteiy in the power of the President, when
it finally passed that body; since he is no,
obliged 10 return bills, which he does rot
approve, if not presented to him ten days
before the end of the session. The bill was
lost therefore, and the treasury order re.
mains in force. Here, again the represen
tatives Of the people, in both houses of
Congress, by majortIes almost unprcccden-
ted, cndeavored 10 abolish this obnoxious
order. On hardly any subject indeed, has
opinion been so unanimous, either in or out
of Congress. Yet the order RENAME.
And now gentlemen, ask you. and
shall ask al men who have not voluntarily
surrendered all power and all right of
tiIIHhlIH WI "bN'hS' ~ oHI loc
10 the present moment, the executive au-
shortly has not efiectually superseded the
power Of Congress, thwarted the will of
the representatives of the people, and even
of The people themselves, and taken the
whole subject Of the currency into its own
grasp? In 1882, Congress desired to con-
tinue the Bank of the United States, and
a majority of the people desired 1t also; but
the President opposed it, and his will pre-
vailed. In 1888, Congress refused to re
move tho deposites; the President resolved
upon it, however. and his will prevailed
Congress has never been willing to make
a bank, founded on the money and credit of