Staunton spectator, and general advertiser. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 183?-1849, 1841-12-02
THE yETO PoWER-IpS HISTORY.
From me .Savana,,h Ge,r,,;1n.

securing OF their proper liberties. The Pie
beans, having long been oppressed by the Pat
rlcians, at the inshgaton of Sicinius, 26O
years after the founding of the city, made Sc.
cession to u mountain, three miles distant
from Rome, lever after termed Mons .Sacer.)
and would not return to the CITY until they
had received from the Patricians compliance
with their demand, and the solemn assurance,
that the common people should elect magis-
trates, whose persons should be sacred and
inviolable, to whom they could commit the
protection OF their rights. These magistrates
were called TRIBUNas; a name given by Ro-
mulus to the three military officers in chief,
selected from the three tribes, into which he
had divided the city. The civic Tribunes
were originally chosen from the Plcbeiaus,
and no Patrician could hold the Office, unless
he had first been adopted into Piebeian fam
lily. Their power was at first limited, but at
the same time extraordinary. Ii was prcpen-
tiuc, rather than enforcing; it was to inter
pose and protect the people from the oppres-
sions and tyranny OF their superiors to as
sist them in rcdressing their wrongs, and i'm
maintaining their liberties; and consisted in
the utterancc OF but one word, and that one
"vETo," forbid. These officers could pre-
vent the discussion of any question, the pass
nge of any law, the execution of any sentence,
the levying fany taxes, the enlstng of any
troops, and almost arrest the entire machinery
of Government, by standing up and speaking
that one word, rctO. No reasons were re-
CURED of them; no one dared oppose them
their reto supreme! As originally de-
signed, it was emphalically the peoples mea-
sure, for the peoples projections; the neces-
sary balance-wheel, to equalize the powers of
the Government, which had hitherto been en-
hx- r,,!, al, Al
interposng check, which the alarming tvr;,n-
ny of the Patricians made necessary. Ii was
the first attempt alta democratic, i. c. people
ruling institution, and in all its features, save
that of unlimited power, showed the humility
of its organ. The Tribunes must be not only
of the Plebeian order, but they had no insignia
Of Office, save kind ofbeadlc, who went be-
fore them; were not allowed to use Il car
riage, had no tribunal, ont sat on benches
Their doors were open night and day for the
people TO prefer their requests or complaints
They were not allowed to enter the Senate.
and were not even dignihed with the name of
magistrates; as designed by Scnius, it was
the mere unadorned majesty of the peoples
voice, assimatea to the lowly pretensions of
the people, the visible exponent of their will
These popular traits did not, however, long
remain. The grasping ambition of some, the
the power; the Trbunes became themselves
greater evil than they remedied, and their
authority was more tyranuous than the edic:s
oil those they were created TO oppose.
Veto became word of despotic power
The DEGREES of the Senate, the ordinances of
the people, the entire arrangements of Gov
eminent bowed to its supremacy; and such
was the force OF the word, that not only
could it stop the proceedings of all the mag
lsrates, which Cesar we'll calls 'oriremu,a
.5ns tribMn0rn1n,n bat 1,hoevor, Senator or
Consul, Patrician or Plebcain, dared oppose it..
was imme diately led TO prison to answer for
his crime. And so sacred were the persons of
the Tribunes, that whoever hurt them was
held accursed, and his goods were coniiscated
Sylla was the first who resisted the gross en-
croachmcnts Of the I'ribunes but on his
death they regained their influence, and hence
forth II became but the tool of ambitious men.
who used ii to the almost ruin of the State
Such was its abuse, that, as Cicero saws. the
popular assemblies became the scenes of yio
lence and massacre, in which the most DARING
and Ubiquitous always prevailed. The per-
version OF the original design of the veto was
now completed by the arts of the Emperor
Augustus, who got the tribunition conferred
on himself, which concentrated in his person
the entire and uncontrolled disposition of the
1'dtS' Il MS WIS TIC ITSt instance oil the
combination Of royal and veto power, and it's
assumption was all that was wanting to make
the King tyrant. From this time it was
conferred upon the Emperors, though the Tri-
Dunes still continued to be elected, without,
however, the exercise of tribunion power.
until the time of Constantine, when tie Office
was abolished
The early operation OF the veto power in
Rome was good, the subsequent disastrous-
AT first 1t protected the people, gave them
voice I'M the legislative assemblies, and secured
Their liberties; ultimately it oppressed the
lower orders, excluded them from the coun-
ellis OF the nation, and made them the passive
instruments of power-lusting demagogues-
The first civil blood shed at Rome was the
blood of Tiberius; the Tribune battling.
imprudently indeed, against the expressions of !
the nobility. The last but closed the sangui-
nary series Of intestine wars, created, continu-
cd, and tragically ended by the very perver-
sion OF that power which was at first designed |
to give peace and unity to the Roman nation. |
30 true has it ever been, that the delegated |
power of the people when abused has always
reverted to their own destruction. Having
traced the rcto power from the simple word OF
Tribune, to the imperial exercise OF its rights
IN Rome, we are prepared to come down to
modern times, and cite a few instances of its
adoption and influence in European States.
'h, Il ~ \