Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1841-10-19


United States.-to render him eventually the mere
puppet Of faction, to transform him into n simple
countersigning clerk, and to transfer all the sub
stantive power of the Government INTO the hancs oil
Congress.
Though President through the votes of party
represented by majority IN Congress yet az 4 re-
sldent HE, not Congress, is TO execute that ONCE
and, the best of ability. preserve protect, and
defend the Constitution.
To say that whatever bill majority of Congress
passes, that the President is. regardless of his ow
convictions, bound TO sign. is to destroy the Con-
stitution. To say that the voice OF a bare majority
Of Congress is, against the President the hnal
and conclusive pronunciation of the popular will,
Is TO destroy the Constitution. For the Constltu-
ton expressly provides that, not bare majority OF
the Houses, but a Two-THIRDs vote against the
Presidents objections and that alone. is to be con-
sdered the authoritative declarations of the will OF
the people.
The exercise of the Veto it is said, is an odious
act II so, the more certain is it that II will be
rarely exercised by any President, and that when
he does exercise IT, he does from profound con-
vctons Of conscience and overpowerlng sense OF
public duty.
We will give another extract, being the concu-
sion of Mr.. Cushing's Address, Governing the
whole ground, and, coming, as it does. from wing
in high standing, must have more weight with that
party.
Yet an address has gone forth from portion Of
the members of Congress purporting to be the unan
imous act of a meeting of TnE Wings If Congress.
which, besides arranging the President on various
allegations of fact and surmses not fact recommends
such radical changes of the Constitution.
The expression, TUE Wings, would be generally
understood to mean all the Wings. What members
constituted the caucus which issued this document
does not appear. So far as the Journals of the
House afford any of knowledge, it would seem
hat at at and tn hav
been adopted, it being the last day of the session.
after all its legislative business was completed, less
than half Of the Wing members of Congress were
in Washington {; and it is known of many members
present in the city, that they had part in It's
adoption. j, a. any rate, had none.
protest against the act itself, the measures it
proposes, and the opinions it promulgates.
The act itself seems TO to have been wholly
unwlse party movement. Our wounds need
ed to be soohed by emol:ents, not infamed by r.
ritants
In Constitutional sense il seems to me still more
unwise, when coupled with its matter.
1t proposes the organization Of a neto party, hav-
ing for its main object sundry vast changes IN the
Constitution of the Federal government. To at
tempt to organize party in pursuit OF various and
great changes of the Constitution at this time is
to waste ones life in the chase of bubbles for there
is existing fact to mpel the people to make
such changes and therefore they will not be made.
Those changes, if effected, would concentrate the
chief powers of Government in the hands of that of
which this document itself is emanation, namely,
a Caucus Dictatorship of Congress.
The Veto power has been stigmatized
man power. BY the fathers of the republic it
established. and by the best expounders of the Con-
sttntion il has been constantly defended as need
full check on. not only unconstitutional or usurpDg
acts of the two Houses of Congress, but IN general
on all "improper" legislation, whether improper
by intrinsic defects of whatever sort, by attend
ant haste or faction.
And if there be any description of Bill which,
more than any other, requires mature consideration,
and when apparently unconstitutional lustlfies the
nterpostion of the suspensve power of the Presi-
dent. surely it is which proposes to trust to
private corporation Jurisdiction the currency
by an act irrepeaiabe.
If to clear the way for Bank, or for any other
object this suspensive power OF the President over
bills. this power is to be struck from the
Constitution, why not 20 to the root OF the matter
once and strike from the Constitution other parts
of the one man power which at present among
the functions Of the Executive!
In fact, it is proposed IN that document to do this
for example. to give to Congress jurisdiction over
removals from office and administration of the 'rrea-
surv.
DO this, take away the Veto, to leave the
power of Congress unchecked, that Is, absolute
for all liberty exists by means of checks on despot-
sm,-abandon TO it not only the lawmakDg pow
and where stand then the Liberties Of The People
offhe United Stafesi Normally In the hands of
Congress- really in those of unchecked and un
tempered party majority Of Congress ;-nomInally
in the hands prescribed by the Constitution, realty
in those ofa heated and despoc party caucus nom
nally in the responsible hands of the Senate and
House, really in the irresponsible ones of some
ONE MAN behind the scenes, welding the Govern
ment through Congress and Congress through the
Caucus
want no such Government. The dark shadow
of its threatened coming is enough for me. Save
the country from the despotsm of Congress on the
one hand as well as from that of the Elective OH
the other. by continuing to each the partition OF
powers as the Constitution provides.
When and how did the scheme of an Erecutire
Congress come to be the platform OF the Wings
These new articles of creed for the Party seem
to me to resemble the codlcs TO the will OF Caesar
which Mark Anthony was continually finding, or
the additional chapters of pretended revelation which
MahOmet was accustomed to produce, eTPedteMs To
meet the emergency OF the hour
The English Commonwealth tried the experiment
of Government by legislative assemblies, balanced
bv no executive check and glad enough to
cape from il into the arms of the mIder despotlsm
of Oliver Cromwell.
The French Republic tried II, and after ind,r ~
that it's operation to enable one party ch'ct
after another, backed by clubs and caucu,es To cx
ercise irresponsible to law, such a bloody tyranny
as the world never before, was content 10
welcome instead the enforcement OF Napoleon
Buonaparte
NV friends. let us dcvouily thank God for the
happier Government he has given to Us, and, dis
car6ing all these perilous novelties, the hot bed
growth of temporary party passions, sprlnglng up
gourd-like in a night to wilt and perish in the first
sun-repud iating these new-fangled whimseys, let
us cling with fond affection TO the Constitution whose
foundations were cemented by the blood OF our
fathers and winch, in many vlcisstudes OF for
tune has proved to be the ark OF salvation to our
blessed InIon.