The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-03-06

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= s patriots who opposed its adoption or the confden
nopos o. It's advocates have been best realized TIL.
Z u,eau oil the former TO hive BEEN that tn,
- ~. oweis oithe States would be absorbed by those
?. - '.o euerai government, and consolidated pow
D 'aoished, leaving 10 the States the shadow only
= " al independent action for which they had SO yea
= .usy commended, and on the preserv alton of which
!, 10y tseu as Inc last hope OF liberty Without eny
Nv saat 'ne result TO which they looked with much
apprehension Is IN the way Of being realized it is OBJ
us nat they did not clearly the mode of lis ac-
Z eonpishment The General Government has seized
spsn none o. the reserved rights Of the States As
~ US any open warfare may have gone the State au-
.nori'ies have amply maintained their rights To a
observer our system presents appearance of
iscy,a between the different members which compose
ven tue addition Of many new ones has produced
nv yarfihg' They move in their respective orbits in
perfect harmony with the central head and with each
oner But there is still under current at work by
Mn'ch u not seasonably checked the worst apprchen,
s'os ~ our anu federal patriots will be realized and
'o' ohiy VIII The State authorities be overshaG owe
ny the great increase Of power in the Executive De
paftment OF the General Government but the charac
er OF mat Government, II not its designation be
sentIay and radically changed This state Of thnys
has been in part effected by causes inherent in the
CONSTITUTION, and in part by the falling tendency
oi political power oncrease itself BY making the Pre-
sden the sole distributor of all the patronage othe Go
vernment, the ram the Constitution do not appear
nave anticipated at how short period would become
orndabc Instrument control the free op. of
the State Governments. OF trhng importance at
first, Il had, early in MIR. JcfIersons administration
become so powerful to create great alarm in the
mind Of that patriot from the potent influence il might
exert In controlling the freedom of the elective fran
chise If such could have then been the effects Of lis
influence, how much greater must be the danger al
this time quadrupled in amount as il certainly is and
more completely under the control of the Executive
VIII than their construction of their powers allowed
or the orbearing characters of all the early Presidents
permitted them to make But is not by the extent
of its patronage alone that the Executive Department
4 huth y tba h,.k
may be made VI the appointing power TO bring under |
It's control the whole revenues of the country The
Constitution has declared to be the duty OF the Pre-
sdent to that the laws are executed and it makes
him the Commander in Chief of the Al mics and NAVY
OF the U States. If the opinion ofthe most approved
writers upon that species of mixed Government which
10 modern Europe, Is termed Monarchy in contradis-
tnction to Desptsm is correct there was wanting no
other addition TO the powers of our Chief Magistrate
Ia stamp monarchical character on our Government
but the control Of The public finances. And to me il
appears strange, indeed that any one should doubt
that the entire control which the President
the officers who have the custody Of the public
money, by the power Of removal, with or without
cause, does for all mischevous purposes least vir-
naly subject the treasure also TO his disposal
The first Roman Emperor, in his attempt seize the
sacred treasure sienced the opposition OF the officer to
whose charge II had been commit d, by a significant
alluson to his sword. By selection of political in
sruments for the Of the public money reference
to their commissions by President would be quite
man Knight. am not insensibe of the great diff
Guilty that exists in drawing proper plan for The safe
keeping and disbursement of the public revenues and
know the Importance which has been attached by
OF great abilities and patriotism TO the divorce
it is called, Of the Treasury from the banking nsIi-
tulons II is not the divorce which is complained Of
but the unhaowed union Of the Treasury with the
Executive Department, which has created such extern
siye alarm To this danger to our Republican insti-
tutons and that created by the influence given to the
Executive through the nstrumentaity of the federal
officers propose TO apply all the remedies which may
be at my command II was certainly great in
the trainers of the constitution, not to have made the
officer at the head of the Treasury Department entire
" independent of the Executive He should at least
have been removable only upon the demand of the {
popular branch OF the Legislature have determined
ne Secretary of the Treasury without
freedom of the elective franchise through the medium
of the public officers be eectually checked ny
renewing the prohibition published by MI Jefferson,
for bidding their interference IN elections iuIher tha
GIVING their own votes and their ewn independence
Secured nv an assurance of perfect immunity, IN ex
ccisinp this sacred privilege Of reemcn under the dic
tacs OF their own unbiased Judgments Never, WIN,
nv consent shall officer Of the people, compensated
for his services out of their pockets, become he Pa
instrument of Executive will. =
There is no part the placed IN the hands o.
the Executive which might be used WIN .roa,er ch.u,
fer unhallowed purposes than the control OF inc puoe
press The ma kim which our ancestors derived rom
he mother county that "thc freedom Of the press is
The great buwark of civil and religious liberty, Is one
of the precious lrgacies winch they nave 'c w.
We have learned, too, from our own, as wen as ,he
xnor;cnce of other countries, that golden shackies
~ ,yhomsoever or by whatever pretence imposed are
~ fatal to il as the iron bonds OF ecspoisn. ! ne
presses in the necessary employment OF the s'oNe'n
ncnt should never lie used 10 clear NC gu"y " 70
18th crime decent and manly examination OF
the acts OF the Government shouiu uo ~ ~, ~
ed hut encouraged 49,. - on;n;on ,t
some length uponthe improperly OF FIX eu'ive 'n'.i
/ pafG
M il Tho Constitution making II the duty oil the ire
sden, to communicate information, and Authorizing ~
n recommend measures, was not lntenueu ~ h"
him the source in lcgislatonand IN particular, 'a' !.
houlJ never lie looked to for schemes OF hnancc. ~
49,, he vcry strange indeed that the Constitution
should have strictly forbidden one branch OF me legs
a,nrc from interfering in the ongna'ion OF such oiis
and that should he considered proper ina. an a.o
re,b,r different department of the Government snouu
| T. aa,mtted to do so. Some OF our best poltcn
ma xns and opinions have been drawn from our pareh
Ise There are others, however, winch cannot pe
introduced in our system without singular incons.y
4 and the production Of much mischief hha 'hAs
conceive To be one No matter IN which oil The houses
Of Parliament bill may originate, nor by wnom IN
,rolucci a minister member OF the oppostion ny
the fiction Of law, or rather OF consuuloha pi'nepe'
No oyeuiyn is supp sell to have prepared 1t agree
ahv 10 his will and then submitted il TO Parliament
Ear their advice and consen, Now, the very reverse
i the case here only with regard 70 the principle
but the forms prescribed by the Cons'uuhon' ne
nrncplc certainly assigns the only body constituted
by the Constitution (ihe Legislative body) the power
+ to make laws and the forms even direct that the
enactment should be ascribed to them. The Senate
in relation to bills have the night TO propose
ansndmen,s. and so has the Executive, by the
: mower given him TO return them TO the House Of
' Representatives with his objections. j. is IN ms
. power, also, to propose amendments in the existing
: revenue laws, suggested by his Observations upon
II their defective injurious operation. put 'ne ~,
; ;cate duty of devising schemes of revenue should
}, he lett where the Constitution has placed it-wnh
e the immediate representatives. Of the people fo'
,r similar reasons the mode Of Keeping tne pue'
y Hal ~ hon nj