The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-08-21

pen to be brought In contdcts with another.--
They are to act together. If they can agree in
their opinions, there is no difficulty. This
agreement of opinion, however, the Intelligen-
Ger considers as impossible as that so many
watches could be made TO go exactly alike
What, then, is TO be done2 iemifst
Surely, the Intelligencer will admit that in
such conflict, one side or the other must have the
control; and that that side must have tito whom
the Constitution and the laws give il. II, as we
have shown. the President has it, if he is to give
them orders, as the act Of Congress says he
shall--if they are 'to act in conformity 10 his
orders as the Supreme Court says they shall
If she is to speak and act through them, /" and
not they through him, there is an end of the
conflict. Gould any thing be more unreason-
able than TO reverse all this, and make him who
has right to order, obey; and they who are
bound to obey, order2 ,
Ifit be said thatthey take an oath, SO also does
he--an oath which oblges him to order and in
struct, and have the Departments carried on ac-
cording to those instructions. An oath, which,
notwithstanding the objections ofthe IntelIigen-
Ger, obliges him to execute the Constitution and
the laws, ashe understands them We know
that very strong and urgent advice has been
given before, the Intelligencer and other papers
and elsewhere to the President, to construe the
laws and Constitution as they have been under
stood by others: but the President has thought,
with Gen. Hamilton, that che who is to execute
the laws must first judge for himself Of their
meaning mo, .saa z,F
But it is presumptuous and almost impious
to compel these gentlemen to regulate all their
thoughts by HIM. Certainly-but where is the
compulsion? No doctrine Of ours, requires
thar either he, or they should act upon compul
sion. If they differ upon lesser matters, they
can agree to differ, and carry out his instructions
fairly, and fully, though they may think another
course more proper, because the right Of direct
ing is with him. If it be vital matter, involv-
ing unconstitutional duty, he is the more bound,
by all his responsibilities, to the course he thinks
the Constitution requires. If they cannot agree
with him-if there is not that harmony of opinion
necessary forunity Of action there are well known
remedies. They know, every body knows, they
need submit to no such compulsion. They are
free to regulate their oaon thoughts and their
own actions -and to leave him, with whom
"they happen TO haze been brought in con-
tact" to do the same. We speak Of the alb
stract question, with no more and no less refe-
renee to the present Cabinet than to any other.
The Intelligencer may be assured, that though
we rest here for the present. the argument and
the authorities are by no means exhausted.
As we expected, the VETo is received by the
Wing press of the Northern cities with decided
expressions of dissatisfaction, while the tone of
the Opposition press is that of exultation. In
insisting, as many Of the Wing press do, that
an institution like the one vetoed was declared
for by the people in the Presidential election,
they expressly contradict the message of the
President at the opening Of the present session
of Congress, which stated that no definite
scheme of finance was concurred in by the peo-
pie at that election. From one extremity of the
Union to the other, in nearly all the public ad-
dresses made by the successful party the ques-,
ton Of a National Bank was decidedly kept out
Of view. The candidates for the two highest
offices Of the Government never had been known
by vote, or writing, or speaking, in the whole
course of their lives, to advocate such an insti-
tuition; but, on the contrary, iflanguage has any
meaning, they had upon every occasion placed
themselves expressly in opposition to it. They
had voted side by side against it in Congress,
and they had concurred in their views of the
question whenever and wherever expressed
The present PREsDENT had declared the incor-
poration of National Bank unconstitutional in
every form of words, and no man in the Union
had more often repeated the declaration. The
convention of sagacious and experienced men
at Harrisburg in 1889, could not have been gno-
rant of the fact. Their memories need not
have travelled back beyond five years to bring
before them the able and elaborate exposure Of
the corruptions, through its discounting power,
of the late National Bank, wrought out by the
hands Of the candidate they had selected for the
Vice Presidency. Nor did they need remind
ing that he had, during his life cherished but
one set Of constitutional principles, and that he
had been firm and consistent in their mainte-
nance. Itwould be libel upon that Conven
ton to suppose that they had selected candi-
dates of whom they had no knowledge--and
knowing them, they could not have conceived
such fraud upon the people, as to presentthem
in their true characters at the polls, expecting
them to be- changed when power should be at
INSULT TO THE PRESIDENT.
A company Of individuals collected in 9th street
near the Avenue, Monday night, and marched to the