Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1840-03-14


pirate term in describing il; il is restraint upon Con
grcss and not s'power II is a something, which Is
al times felt 10 be very effective, but it should be de-
scrbcd i'll other way; but how, Mr. Rvrs has mol
condcsccndcd to inform The sum of the objection
is that the President, iorsooth, has not been happy III
, h;s phrasrology. How characteristic of Mr. Rvrs
microscopic mind is this splitter about words =
How indicative of the talent and spirit of Federal
ism, with which, it is seen, that his nature
has always been deeply imbucd, to attempt to alarm
the people such fimsy prctexts Supposing
the expression used by the President to be care
less one, how contemplate, well as unjust Ia
seize upon vague, incidental phrase, employed III
volumlnous message, obviously, without any design,
such is generously imputed by this candid critic,
and make it the topic of angry defamation as well as
intentional perverson We shall soon see, however,
that the President has slight authority for the Ian
guage which, whether ght wrong, he so lnnoccnty
employed. But without stopping at this point, to dis
cuss the correctness naccuraey of this definition OF
power agency i'll legislation with which the Constl
tuition has invested the Executive, let see what
others have thought of, and said on this subject
i Mr.. Rves affects to consider himself the peculiar
disciple of Jefferson. lie represents hmsclfas having
heen brought up at the feet of Gamalie The mantle
of Elijah has fallen upon his shoulders the oracle oil
departed wisdom yet speaks through his mouth tie
claims his Democracy, we ask his pardon, his Repub-
cansm by the right of adoption, rather, by sort
of apostoica succession He is always endcavouring
to identify himself with the departed great; he tricks
himself out pompousy in their garments, and hangs
upon the skirts of their memory The two organs with
which this armed ncutral seeks to propagate his poitI
cal species, he has baptscd with the of Jefer
son and Madison. BY none have these absurd prcten
sions been ridculed than by the Wing press of
Virginia. We proceed at once to the recorded opinions
of Mr. Jefferson the point under considerations OPT
Mons of which Mr.. Rivcs scarcely be ignorant
They the pertinent, the authority of Mr..
Jefferson is, usual uggcd in, by his pretended dis
cpe, to combat the strained and hypocritical neren
drawn from the language of the President in the
manifesto before In the letter from Mr.. Jefferson
to Mazzei, written in 1876, which became famous
for the interpretations Of Federal fraud, well the
| unfair and vndicve use which was made of IT. against
its author that great man thus expresses himself
gast us, the Executive the Judiciary, tSro out
of three branches of the Legislature, Nc, &c-and his
equally celebretcd letter TO Mr.. Van Buren,, written
near the close of his life o2D and published since
his DEATH in resisting the construction Federalism has
always been famous for its loose consruction which
made him include General Washington among the
"Samsons in the field, whose object to draw
the forms Of the British Constitution &c repeats
the description of the Presidents relation to the Legs
aturc thus "Add TO this that the letter saying, that
out of the three branches of the Legislature
against us, obvious exception of him: it being
well known, that the critics in the two branches Of
Senate and Representatives, the very instruments
which carried, in opposition to the old and real Rcpuh-
Leans the measures Which were the subjects of consi
dcraon in his letter Surely, surely. if Mr.. Jefferson
described the President constituting tie three
=
reference 10 the Executive ga C0iaDOnC part 81 Tie
LcgiS!Girc pc,rCr, scarcely be regarded adc-
Guatc Justification of an attempt 10 irgli; Virginia
from her proprlcty!
But this is by no means the mos: disrrputabc part
of the affair. As if apprehcnsvc that the character
isc good sense of the ycomanry of Virginia could not
fail to penetrate the shallow fallacy upon which thu
ridiculous fnaronadc is grounded, II is followed by
scathy attempt TO palm upon the message an error OF
more practical character, BY of fraudulent
us nj tL, IN lpS o. hers
tcc OF this mpuiaton, the reader will Judge To this
end, the solemn Remuneration of the President al
legged missioner of an undspucd constitutional power
succeeded by string Of plausible gcncra!tles IN
gard to the danger arising from the misuse OF terms
the aptitude Of the Executive 10 exercise extraordinary
Legislative powers, If he be permitted 10 regard himself
component part of the Legislature, and the facility
with which the people might by these means be led TO
acqucscc in the uSurpaton, &c, &c. But as yet
there nothing of substance IN all this and the
pretended apprchcnsions of the Senator, regard
TO the danger of abuse of the Veto power by MIR
Van Buren, had TO encounter the fact, which one would
suppose might be calculated TO compose the nerves
of this vigilant wachman the towers OF the Const
tuition that the President is the last year of his
Constitutional term and has acrcr wt empoycd IN a
Sng}c RSiancc This, to ordinary man, might pre-
obstacle but to experienced dplomatst, IN
the character of earned neutral it only served TO
splatc the zeal of pcrversion To prove what is oh
,sbsh nro6asE, and requires no ingenuity ie .es
greuter difficulty and srs OF evidence Ute the
morbid emulation of political casus Hence, al tne
cunning distance of more than SIX columns from Inc
direct and more responsible reference to the terms OF
The Messare we have the following precious paragraph,
descriptive Of Mr. Van Burcns doctrines, lngenousy
uaced in iuxtaposition rather, IN contrast, WIN
those of that profound staesman General HARRISON
The rco power may be exercised by the frcs'dent De
ing component part OF the Legislative power loF
mere difference of opinion, to the expectancy OF the
measure See the Presidents last Message, and inter
probation of it, in the Richmond Enquirer
What is in strictness the extent of the Presidents
constitutional power in regard 10 withholding his as
sent from bills which have passed the two Houses, Is
one ouestion and the discreet exercise OF IT. another
VIII the respective Houses it is sufficient for them,
that either so far questions the proprley OF particular
measure as not to have been willing to originate II, TO
Justify it in rejecting bill sent to BY the other branch
of the Legislature. All concur that thus would not DC
nroner use of the Executive Veto but that ii should
bc n least reserved for extraordinary occasions, when
n great principle is involved, perhaps momenions
publ;c interests But the design of Mr. Rivcs is TO N
npon the President the opposite opinion, and to accom-"
pish this he SEXES upon the following circumstances
il will be seen by the preceding extract from the prcs
dents message, that in pressing upon Congress the
importance of economy i'll the public expenditures ana
REFERRING to its share of responsibility III the matter he
advcrts to the fact, that the Executive though com
poncnt part of the Legislative power has never yet re-
fused lis assent appropriation bull on the mere
around Of extravaganza This was urged as reason
why Congress should act with more prudence and re-
serve in this matter and the Legitimate Inference GER
ainly is that referring 10 the general course OF his pre-
dccessors the President intended TO follow their cXan
pie Such, have no doubt, was his intention, except
perbaps in very extraordinary conunctures and so he
was generally understood few friendly presses, how
ever and among them the Richmond Enquirer obvious
" without much attention to the point thought, at the
moment that they i'll it an nmation, that the Pre-
sdent would feel it to be his duty to adopt different
practcc This tempting bait to be resisted by
the candid Mr. r. Hence his reitcraton of the constrnc-
ton to aid in intoxicating the idea, that Mr. v b. intend
cd to make what was designed to he the extreme me-
dicnc," the "daily food Of the Constitution But,
darcs he assert this his own responsibility: no. ne
= too cunnin for that He had studied the Message
carefully, with view, the result has proved, to its
pcrvcrsion He therefore, kner that the President
had said nothing to Justify the assumption Had he
thought otherwise, many column of ponderous deca,
nation and pointed exclamation would have been addGu
- the dose already inflicted upon his readers. He
/ nf ilIe indircct humiliation,