The Charlotte journal. [volume] (Charlotte, N.C.) 1835-1851, 1841-11-18
T NUMBER 8.
From the Charleston S. CO. Courier.
THE VETO POWER
Only used By the Kings Of England 10 srfl
the Colonies I'm order.
lie Colonies IN order


peRdeace.
l, has been most ignoranty coniended
that the veto power was not borrowed from
( the British Constitution, and is not royal
preroga,iye. 1t is not only Kugly pow.
er, bu, despo,ic one. The progress Of
liberty in Europe has rendered this power
obsolete. 1t exists only in name IN Tho
most liberal monarchy of the old world,
the British Empire. The Kings of En-.
gland dare not put their single will agains!
Tue wisdom and viii of the lap makiag
power-the two houses of Parliament
This vas true in l7TG, when our fathers
complained of the exercise oft opou them,
aud il has been true since and is nov. Ia
the language Of Jefferson, It has not been
exer,ed as 10 The Legislation Of England, Up.
on ERgiGga, :" for several ages Fdst."
Let ii be noticed in passing, that Alex.
auder Hamilton, the great advocate and De.
fender of this high prerogatIye power, de-
fcpded il upon the ground 'ha, il would be
used only IN extreme and palpable cases,
and pointed 10 the examples Of the British
Kings as watranting ind jvsiifyipg the spe.
cua,ion that il uOald be SO delicately, eau
tiously and sparingly used. This veto pow.
er has not been exercised by the British
Kings once since l776, aud had not been
exercised before for several ages. Yet
Hamilton, the strong Government man (the
mouarchis,, as be has been Called, only
justified the giving this power TO the Psesi-
dent Cd the ground that the President Of
republican people wculd have at least as
much respect for the immediate repreTn.
,atiyes of tho people--,he law making pow
eF-as King of England for the will Of
Parliament. How utterly his an.icipa,!ops
have been falsifed, and how completely The
rererse Of all be imagined has come 10 pass,
the events of our own time are but too
strongly in proof. The British Kings have
not exercised this power, again to quote
Jefferson, for several ages, John Ty.
Ter, mere chance inheritor Of power, has
exercised il twice in ttco months
Bu, again, Hamilton commended that the
: PresIden, would not dare 10 use ii but 10
D cases Of palrdble uncons.tu!ionaIily. Yet
n this same President ve,oes a law, unani.
+. mously and twice approved by tbs Supreme
!. Cour, Of the United States, and declared TO
) be clearly within the sound discretion al
] Congress. he vetoes an institution which
/ has been regular portion of the machine
; ry Of government for forty years. An in.
s,iulon which we venture nothing IN de.
c!arng to have had The positive sanction of
, seven out Of eight Of all the wise met who
framed The Constitution itself.
=
We hazard nothing 10 asserting, that ii it
could have been dreamed by the republican
) sages, who met 10 convention 70 propose
. fundamental law for The government of
great people, that al the close of half GEN.
: tury, any man born in America, or out Of
} Asia, could, from any motive whatever, con.
celt or levity, so wantonly pervert the whole
intention and purpose of this power, as TO
be more conscientious than Washington and
Madison mere learned 10 the law than the
selected exposiiors of the law, the Supreme
!, Court-more soundly discreet than fire
Congresses of the United Staies-if 1t could
have been conceived possible that such an
outrage could have been committed upon
free people, no, one solitary vote would
have been given for power which might
enable one thus TO lord il over the living
and the dead, and TO convert republican
constitution into a monatchical despotism.
Hamilton himself, lover as he was Of a
; strong executive, would have been the last
; man TO erect upon the free soil, just wEes,.
ed from nonarchlcaI domination, throne,
which would cast the thrones of Europe in.
10 shadow, and TO IMPOSE upon republican
people the fraud of President, more q
, King than the King they had resisted On.
TO blood. II Patrick Henry could have
been armed with the experience of these
latter days, the veto power would never
have survived its natural death in the Bri.
tlsh Constitution. Hamilton would have
plead in vain, and in vain have held up The
example of the Kings of England, who in
the language of Mr.. Jefferson, " for several
= ages pas, have modes,y declined the exercise
of this power in that part of their empire
: called Great Britain" lf Patrick Henry
could have seen what we have seen, Pre-.
sident, moi the choice Of the people, flip.
PANTY setting aside the Judgment OF the
? unanimous decision of the law expoundiug
power, the Supreme Court-overruliug the
opinion of i've Presidents, Washington and
T Madison Among the number-reversing the
! discreet decision of five Congresses, the
: law making power-coun!,ng for naught
: the will OF The people, the primal source Of
e all Just authority ;--if the great orator of
the revolution could have presented such
picture Of monstrous license TO the grave
men of the republic, what mockery would
Hamlton's whole argument have been, and
how the power would have been secuted,
which was TO become such reserve Of lie.
! galized, capricious, wan,on despotism. The
: veto power never would have been put in
D the constitution, or the constitution itself
0 would have been rejected by people above
S all things jealous Of the man who wields the
purse and the sword-who, with the glitter.
ing brides Of Office, substantial rewards
n Tor faithful personal devotion, can purchase
1 adherents. CORRUPT opinion, and thus defeat