Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1841-06-11

sired. But his object was to record his objections
to the amendment proposed; and with TINS view ne
1 demanded the yeas and nays
| And they were ordered by the Senate.
| Mr. CLAY asked the Senator from South Carolina
TO recall 10 mind what the assertions OF Executive
power advanced BY General Jackson and his friends IN
le36 The removal OF the drposltes in 1855, taken IN
connection with Gen Jacksons alleged right to remove
any Secretary Of the Treasury who opposed that mea
sure went the whole length Of making Secretary Of
the Treasury the mere creature OF the Executive Will
This doctrine MIR c. and those who then acted with
him utterly and srennously denied; and ne denied II
still The power assumed by President Jackson over
the public money and the Secretary OF The treasury
was without law and against law and wholly arbitrary
and tyrann;cal But he would not now revive that DIS.
cussion Under such principles, the Treasury was al
the absolute mercy of the Executive Ihe wiioie doc.
tne and the whole proceeding was against the law ana
he had doubt could the question have been brought
before judicial tribunal, the Secretary might have
been convicted before any court IN the country MIR.
| Clay had considered the law OF l19S as always n
force The union Of the purse and the sword was IN
the face Of that law These had been their principles
them and they were their principles now. II opposite
principles indeed prevailed at this day. as they had
in 1896 if there any danger OF the removal oil
the deposes BY the Executive mandate and OF the
repetition of the Specie Circular then 1t might be dan
gerous repeal this law of 1885, but such was not the
case and if the law of 1896 were repealed, the law OF
1899 would Immediately revive, and in union with The
resolutions Of 1916 would prescribe the duties OF Co.
vernment in relation to the public moneys
! MIR. BENTON went into revision of some al the
circumstances which led 10 and accompanied the reno.
val of the deposltes in lc:'3. He advcrted 10 the
strong language then employed by those who opposed
lha, measure declaring that the public money was IN
the lawless possession of the Executive He reminded
the Senate of the repeated of President Jack
son, inviting Congress TO regulate The subject BY law
and then referred to the enactment of the law OF 1870
and the effects of that law but what was proposed now
To repeal the law By stroke of the pen, and remit the
public treasure 10 the 'awess custody of the Execu
tive AS the law of 1889, it had been just as much
in force i'll 1886 as it now, yet these gentlemen
then preached from day to day, that the money was IN
the lawlcss control of the President Mr. Benton con
tended that except the law of 1876, there was no law
10 regulate the custody and management of the public
treasure But it was said that there was no need o.
the law now because those in power held principles
which would prevent them from any improper use o.
the public money; they different sort of people
and therefore they needed law TO regulate their
duct. This, MIR. b. said the very first time, du
ring the twenty years he had had seat in that House
that he had heard such doctrine brought forward
1t tina rst time he had heard that there TO bs
difference made between men in the making of The
laws Of the land; that laws necessary 10 govern