The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-11-18
THE VETO PowER-ITs HISTORY
raoM rHr SAVANNAH GEORGIAN.

y
their proper liberties. The Plebeians, HAVING
long been oppressed by the PatricIans, al the IN
stigation OF Scinus, 200 years alter the found
ing of the city, made secession 10 mountain
three miles distant from Rome, lever alter term
ed Mons .Sdcer) and would not return 10 tht
city until they had received from the Patrcian'
compliance with their demand, and the solemn
assurance. thai the common people should cleo
magistrates, whose persons should be sacredand
inyiolable. TO whom they could commit the pro
lection Of their rights. These magistrates were
called TRIBuNEs q name given by Romulus tt
the three military officers in chief, selected from
the three tribes, into which he had divided the
city. The civic Tribunes were originally cho.
sen from the Plebeians. and no Patrician could
hold the Office, unless he had been first adopted
into Plebeian family Their rover was al
first limited but at the same time extraordinary
IL was preventive rather than enforcing; 4 was
10 interpose and protect the people from the op
pressions and tyranny of Their superiors; 70 as
sist them in redressing their wrongs, ana IN
maintaining their liberties; and consisted IN 'he
utterance OF but one word, and that one y ETC,
! forbid. These officers could prevent the as.
cussion OF any question, the passage OF any law,
the execution OF any sentence the levying of any
taxes, the enlisting Of any troops, and almost ar
rest the entire machinery Of Government, by
standing up and speaking that one word, pefo
No reasons were required Of them; no one
dared oppose them; their Vefo was supreme .
As originally designed, it was emphaticaliy the
peoples measure, for the peoples protection !;
the necessary balance-wheel, to equallze the
powers of the Government, which had hitherto
been engrossed by the rich, and give the people
that interposing check which the alarming ty-
ranny Of the Patricians made necessary. II
was the first attempt at democratic, l. e. peo-
pe-rung institution, and in all its features, save
that Of unlimited power, showed The humility Of
its origin The Trbunes must be not only Of
The Plebeian order, but they had no insignia OF
office, save kind Of beadle, who went before
them; were not allowed to use carriage, had
no tribunal, but 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
dignifed with the name Of magistrate; as de-
signed by Scinius, il was the mere unadorned
majesty Of the peoples voice, assimilated TO the
lowIy prelensons Of the peop, the visible ex-
ponent Of their will. These popular traits did
bition Of some, the restlessness for change in
others, soon abused the power; the Tribunes
became themselves greater evil than they rem
edied, and their authority was more tyTannous
than the edcts Of those they were created to
oppose.
Teto became word Of despotc power. The
DEGREES of the Senate, the ordinances OF the peo-
pie, the entire arrangements of Government
bowed to its supremacy and such was the force
Of the word, that not only could it stop the pro-
ceedings Of all the magistrates. which Cesar
well calls g e.rtremum jus tribunornm," but
whoever, Senator or Consul Patrician or Pie
beian, dared oppose it, was Immediately led to
prison to answer for his crime. And so sacred
were the persons of the Tribunes, that whoever
hurt them was held accused, and his goods were
confscated. Sylla was the first who resisted
II. - r. a. H.
on his death they regained their influence, and
henceforth it became but the tool Of ambitious
men, who used il to the almost ruin of the State.
Such was its abuse, that, as Cicero says, the
popular assemblies became the scenes of violence
and massacre, in which the most daring and mi
quilous always prevailed. The perversion Of the
original design Of the Veto was now completed
by the arts Of the Emperor Augustus, who got
the tribunitian conferred on himself, which con-
centrated in his person the entire and uncon-
trolled disposition Of the State. This was the
first instance Of the combination Of royal and
Veto power, and its assumption was all that was
wanting to make the King tyrant From this
time il was conferred upon the Emperors, though
the Tribunes still continued TO be elected, with
out, however, the exercise of tribunitian power,
until the time Of Constantine when the Office
was abolished.
The early operation of the Veto power in
first il protected the people, gave them voice
in the legislative assemblies, and secured their
liberties ultimately il oppressed the lower or
ders, excluded them from the councils Of the ma
tion 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 sanguinary series of intestine wars,
created, continued, and tragically ended by the
very perverson OF that power which was at first
designed to give peace and unity to the Roman
nation. So true has it ever been, that the dele
gated power of the people when abused has al
ways reverted to their own destruction. Having
traced the Teto power from the simple word Of
Tribune, to the imperial exercise OF its rights in
Rome, we are prepared to come down TO mo-
dern times, and cite few instances of its adop-
ton and influence in European States.
The King Of Great Britain possesses the We
10 right, upon the resolutions of Parliament,
though no instance of its exercise has occurred
since 1892 In fact, constituted as the British
Government is, the Veto is entirely unnecessa-
~. Such is the powerful agency of money and
influence, that they will prevent the passage Of
any law obnoxious TO the crown, and the King
can, through his ministers, so trim and shape
the proceedings Of those bodies, as to accommo-
date them to his views. While, on the other
hand, the taking away responsibility from the
monarch, and resting il with the cabinet, which
varies, with the changes of public sentiment, ne
yer creates an emergency for the exercise OF the
royal negative The same power is also vested
with the King of Norway but if three success
sve Storthings or Diets repeat the resolution or
decree, il becomes law without the Kings as
sent though he may have nega,ived il twice be-
fore As the Storthing, however, sits only eve
nv third year, the Veto of The King, though i
may not eventually be ratified, has yet prohi-
bitory operation on any given law for six years
1t was thus that nobility was abolished in Nor
way in 1921. The King had twice Vetoed the
law, passed by the Storthing, against the fur
aT ,ha nnhilitv hiit the third