, 1840-03-21
WHOLE NUMBER s35.

confers this power upon congress. Can he
enlist soldiers! No, sir be could not raise
a single company to 60 to Florida, because
congress alone has the poweI TO raise and
support armies. Can he impose taxes upon
the people, or borrow money? No, sir:
congress is exclusively vested with the pow
er Of laying taxes and borrowing money
But after this money shall have reached the
treasury. can lie apply a dollar Of it to any
use, public or private No, sir no money
can be drawn from the treasury, but in con-
sequence of appropriations made by congress.
Nay, more ; if the president were so far to
forget the duties Of his high station as to enter
jsso 4 collision witt, any Of the depositaries,
and draw one dollar Of pnblic money out Of
their possession. he would, like any other CT
tizen, subject himself to fine and imprison-
ment. And this is the union Of the purse
and sword, which the senator has 50 feeling
Ily described This phrase, / thought, had
had its day, and had passed into oblivion
but the senator has again conjured up a spec
tire, for the purpose Of alarming our fears.
The senator tells US that he has been war
ring in vain for the last ten years against the
extension Of executive power and influence.
Now, sir, if he had informed US that he had
been warning against the executive, but in
favor Of an increase Of executive power and
influence, in my humble opinion he would
have come much nearer the mark. Il i, pet.
haps, the strangest spectacle which has ever
been presented on the face OF t e earth, that
in this war, wased by the senator's political
party against the executive, he has been en-
deavoring to deprive himself OF power, whilst
they have been struggling to prevent him
from making this selEsacriice.
Let me remind the senator Of a few instan-
ces and first, in regard to internal improve
ments. ha ppeaed TO be a member Of the
other house during the administration Of Mr..
Adams. / do not intend now to cast any
~censure upon that administration | speak
merely OF historical facts. In those days, by
virtue of an act Of congress, the president ex-
ercised the discretionary power Of making as
many surveys for internal improvements as
he thought proper, all Of which, it was hoped
by those interested, would, at some future
day, be constructed by the general govern
ment. Splendid projects Of such improve
ment, were presented to dazzle the fancy
and excite the cupidiiy Of almost every man
in the country. Our engineers were con-
stantly traversing the union from east TO
west, and from north TO south and before
they were arrested 10 their career, the est-
mated cost Of completing the Improvements
which they had surveyed or projected if my
memory serves me, amounted to more than
one hundred millions of dollars. Here was q
vast field for executive influence and power.
The fat jobs which might have been bestow-
ed on ~favorites the actual expenditure Of
immense ans Of money. and the allaring
hope presented by the mere survey of any
railroad. turnpike-road, or canal. in which
masses of people felt an ~iaterest. all. all con-
tributed 70 swell! the tile Of executive infu-
ence. Now. sir. was there ever 4 lure more
tempting TO executive ambition than this
power of pouring out the public treasure TO
benefit, and. in their estimation, to bless 4
large proportion Of the people Of this coun-
try? What was the conduct of the old Ro-
man in regard to this question 7 For the
good Of his country he sacrificed all this DOW
er and all this patronage. His veto Of the
Maysyille road bill arrested the whole sys-
tenn and, strange rs it may seem, a portion
of the gentlemln's ten years war against
the executive consisted in denouncing this
voluntary surrender Of executive power an
influence as ruinous tn the best Interest Of
the country.
Again: the very bill now before the sem
ate, against which the gentleman has been
warning, is one of the strongest proofs which
the present chief magistrate could give, that
he is willing to abandon a large portion Of
executive influence. In 1897, there were
between eighty and ninety government de-
posite banks, scattered over every state in
tho union. What an immense political pow
er might have been exercised by the presi-
dent through the agency Of these banks!-
We know, from letters read at the called
session, that they were not very scrupulous,
" where thrift would follow fawning." Afhli
ated as they were, if the president had been
disposed to exert an improper influence over
them, they might have been used with prodi
gious effect to accomplish his purposes. The
selection of these depositaries-the amount
of the public money which they should re-
ceive-how long they should retain it, and in
what manner they should conduct their busi
ness-all, all was left to executive discretion.
What a boundless field for executive influence
is that which the president now desires to