Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-02-13

49,, ,,h trell az civil liberty IN this country
Iybnresoeyer The power the purse and the sworn
s united in the hands ofone man. there Inc noNefne'
Is despot;c fauy Executive Magistrate be ne h'hg'
ar he he President possess the sole power 10 declare w"
-. ,;o ornos to impose taxes and 10 expend the pup.
IL c,, n his Measure, there must be end OF civ
I;tr, IN that country This, and this alone, - what
understand TO be union Of the sword and the purse
H., ,ndor our Constitution and laws the President ne
Their has, nor can have the power over e'heI' N
he declare war? No. sir the Constitution expressly con-
Eers this mower upon Congress Can he enlist soldiers
No sir he could not raise single company 10 60 TO 10
rdn because Congress alone have Inc power 10 raise
and support armies Can he impose taxes upon the Peo
lo ~ horrow money: No, sir; Congress is exclusive
f. vcs,cd with the power of laying taxes and borrow
mr. money But after this money shall have reached
the Treasury he apply dollar OF 1t to any use'
nnblic or private; No, sir; no money can he drawn
from the Treasury but in consequence OF aPpropra.
lions made. bv Congress Nay, more; If the President
we're so far TO forget the duties Of his high station as
70 enter into collision with any OF the deposarles,
and draw one dollar of public money out of their pos.
session he would like any other citizen, subject him.
self 70 fine and Imprisonment. And this is the union
of the nurse and the sword which the Senator has
feelincy described This phrase, thought had had
ia day and had passed into oblivion; but the Senator
has again connred up the spectre, for The purpose Of
alarming our Tears
win for the last seven years. !ans the extension Of
Executive power and influence Now, sir, If he had
informed us that he had been wiring against the Ex-
ecutivc but in favor otnn increase OF Executive power
and influence in my humble opinion lie would have
come much nearer the mark. |. is perhaps the srang
est spectacle which has ever been presented the
face of the EARTH that in this war between the Execu-
tive and the Senator'S political party, he has been en-
deavoring to deprive himself power whilst they have
been struggling to prevent hm from making this sell
sacrifice.
| Let me remind the Senator of few instances and
first in regard to internal improvements happened
member of the other House during the admins
tration Of Mr. Adams. do not intend now to cast any
ccnsure upon that Administrations speak merely of
historical facts In those days. by virtue OF an act OF
Congress, the President exercised the discretionary
power of making many surveys Tor internal improve
ments he thought proper all of which, II was hoped
by those interested would future day, be con-
structed by the General Government. Splendid pro.
jccts of such improvements were presented TO dazzle
the fancy and excite the cupdy, OF almost every man
in the country. Our engineers were constantly ira
versng the Union from east to west, and IRON north to
SOUTH and before they arrested IN their career,
the estimated of COM letng the improvements
which they had surveyed projected, II my memory
serves me, amounted to more than one hundred millions
of dollars Here was vast field Tor Executive nfiu-
cncc and power The fat Jobs which might have been
bestowed on ;ivortes; the actual expenditure OF I'M
mcnsc sums Of money and the aluring hope presented
bv the mere survey o! any railroad turnpike road or
canal in which masses Of people felt an interest; all,
all contributed to swell the tide OF Executive influence
Now sir was there ever lure more tempting TO Exc
cutlvc umbton:-thc power OF pouring out Tie public
treasure 10 benefit and in their estimation, TO bless
large proportion Of the people Of this country What
was the conduct OF the old Roman in regard to tins
question: For the good of his country, lie sacrificed all
his power and all this patronage. His veto OF the
Mavsvillc road biz arrested the whole system; and,
strange il may seem, portion OF Tic T"ncInnn
So ven years against the Executive, consisted IN
dcnouncng this voluntary surrender Of Executive pow
or and influence ruinous 20 the best interest Of the
country.
Again: the very bill before the Senate, against
which the gentleman has been warning is CT the
strongest proofs which the present Chef Magistrate
could give, that he is willing to abandon large por
ton of Executive influence In 1857, there were be-
tween eighty and ninety Government dcPostc banks,
scattered every Stale IN the Union. W hat an I'M
mcnsc political power might have been exercised by the
President through the agency of these banks. We
know from letters read at the called SESSION, that they
very scrupuous, 'whcrc thrift would follow
fawnng. Affiliated they were, if the President
had been disposed to exert improper influence over
them, they might have been used with prodIgous cf-
feet to accomplish his purposes The selection of these
depostaries-the amount of the public money which
they should rcceive-how lon. they should retain ii,
and in what manner they should conduct their busi-
ness-all, all was left 10 Executive discretion. What
a boundlcss field for Executive influence il that
which the present President desires 10 aban.
don! And yet the Senator, both at the called session,
and the session succeeding A. warTcd IN favor OF com
I
source nfpolitcal patronage and power lie preferred
then, and such his deesal!cr for the present BILL
would, presume even now prefer, the depostc bank
system to the Independent Treasury.
Can any n sober earnest compare the influence
which the Executive will acquire, under this bill, by
the appointment Of four general OF public mo-
ney, with that this affiliated league OF State banks,
which he desires to abandon; Think ye, sir, that
ifany of the leading officers of Government or any of
the favored minions Of Executive power, had desired
loan from Of these banks that he would have asked
in vain; Under the Independent Treasury bill, such
favors be extended without subectns both
the officer granting hem and the recipient, to punish
ment in the PentcntIary.
The Senator complains that the power OF removal
from office should exist in the President and says that
he is at all satisfied with the argument in the first
Congress on which il was rested This power has been
exercised, without interruption, ever since l7c9. II
is not then, recent usurpatIon The first Congress
of the United States which assembled, by their
construction of the Constitution, solennly declared
that the power OF removal vested in the President;
and many Of the members Of this Congress had them
selves been members of the Federal Convention
Since the gentleman addressed the Senate, have ex
amincd he debate, and particularly Mr. Nladson's
marks, upon this subject and think they ought to
prove satisfactory TO every mind lie sketches tie
/ gument i'll favor Of The power with masters hand.
How could the President execute the laws at all, if
| this power did not exist Suppose he should discover
that ofthe general created by this very
bill applying the public money to his own usc-h
he were deprived ofthc power of removing him from
office, he would tc obliged to look patiently on aud
suffer him to cmbezzle millions. Suppose n foreign
minister violating his Instructions and betrayed
the best interests of his country abroadwnat is to be
done; Without the exercise Of this power, the Pres
dent would be compelled to wait until the mischief
might be entirely consummated-until the country
might be ruincd-beore he could recall this corrupt
wicked minister. | might present hundred similar in.
stances This power essential 10 the performance of
the duty imposed upon the President ofsccIng that the
laws faithfully executed Without it, he would be
deprived Of the necessary means Of executing this
high trust reposed in him by the Constitution 1t is,
therefore, wonderful how the existence of this power
could ever have been seriously contested.
Ifths power ofreEoYal did not exist in the President,
it would follow necessary consequence that the Sc
must remain in permanent session for the purpose
of sanctioning removals from office; they might be-
come necessary, tiiroug hou this vast and growing
country, The public interest mpcriously demands
that power should always exist competent in
stantly all officers the they dis