Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1841-03-15

abilities and patriotism TO the divorce as it is called,
of the Treasury from the banking institutions. 1t
is not the divorce which is complained of, but the
union of the Treasury with the Execu-
tive Department which has created such extensive
alarm. TO this danger to our republican institu-
tons, and that created by the influence given to the
Executive through the instrumentality of the feder-
al officers, propose to apply all the remedies which
may be at my command.
It was certainly great error in the trainers of
the Constitution, not TO have made the officer at the
head of the Treasury Department entirely indepen-
dent OF the Executive He should at least have
been removable only upon the demand of the pop
ular branch of the Legislature. have determined
never to remove Secretary Of the Treasury with
out communicating all the circumstances attending
such removal to both houses of Congress-
The influence of the Executive in controlling the
freedom of the elective franchise, through the me-
dium OF the public officers, can be eilectually
checked by renewing the prohibition published by
Mr. Jefferson, forbiddng their interference in cleo
tons alther than giving their own votes; and their
own independence secured by an assurance OF per-
feet immunity, in exercising this sacred privilege
of treemcn under the dictates of their own unbias
sed judgements. Never, with my consent shall an
officer Of the people, compensated for his services
out Of. tsir pockets, become the plant instrument
of Executive will.
There is no part of the means placed in the
hands Of the Executive which might be used with
greater effect for unhallowed purposes, than the
control of the public press The maxim which our
ancestors derived from the mother country, that
" the freedom of the press is the great bulwark Of
civil and religious liberty" is of the most pre-
cious lcGaces which they have left u.s. We have
learned too, from our own as well as the expert
ence of other countries, that golden shackles, by
whomsoever or by whatever pretence imposed, are
as fatal to it as the iron bonds of despotism The
presses in the necessary employment of Govern
ont h,t,l1 ha Drlo Tho
to varnish crimes" A decent and manly examin-
alton of the acts of the Government should be not
only tolerated but encouraged.
Upon another occasion have given my opinion,
at some length, upon the ir1propriey of executive
interference in the legislation of Congress. That
the article in the constitution making it the duty of
the President TO communicate information, and
thorlsing him to recommend measures, was not in
tended to make him the source of legislation, and,
in particular that he should never be looked to for
schemes Of finance. It would be very strange, in
deed, that the constitution should have strictly for
hidden one branch of the legislature from inter
tering in the origination Of such bills, and that it
should be considered proper that an altogether diff
ferent department Of the government should be per-
mitted to do So Some Of our best political max
inns and opinions have been drawn from our parent
Isle There are others, however, which cannot be
introduced into system without singular ncon-
grliity, and the production of much mischief. And
this conceive to be one. No matter in which of
the Houses of Parliament bill may originate, nor
by whom introduced, minister, a member of
the opposition, by the fiction Of law, rather of
constitutional principle, the Sovereign is supposed
to have prepared it agrecably to his will, and then
submitted it to Parliament for their advice and con-
sent.
Now, the very reverse is the case here, not only
with regard to the principle, but in the forms pre-
scribed by the Constitution. The principle
t,;p tboN ho1,, httt
Constitution 1.-THE Legislative body,) the power to
make laws, and the forms even direct that the en-
actment should be ascribed to them The Senate,
in relation to Revenue bills, have the right to pro-
pose amendments and has the Executive, by
the DQEer given him to return them to the
House Of Representatives, with his objections 1t
is IN his power, ALSO to propose amendments in the
existing revenue laws suggested by his observa-
tons upon their defective injurious operation-
But the delicate duty of deyisng schemes of rev.
enue should be left where. the Constitution has pa-
ced it, with the immediate representatives of the
People. For similar reasons the mode of keeping
the public treasure should be prescribed by them /;
and the farther removed it may be from the control
of the Executive, the more wholesome the arrange
ment, and the lnore in accordance with Republican
princp
Connected with this subject is the character of
the currency. The idea Of making it exclusively
metallic, however well intended appears to me to
be fraught with more fatal consequences than any
other sclanc, having no relation to the personal
rights Of the citizen, that has ever been DEVISED
II any single scheme could produce the effect of
arrestng, at ouce, that imitation of condition by
which thousand, Of our most iul!gcnt fellow-cti-
zens by their industry and enterprise, are raised to
the possession of wealth, that is the one. If there
is one measure better calculated than another to
produce that state of things so much deprecated by
all true republicans by which the rich are daily ad
ding to their boards, and the poor sinking deeper
into penury, it is an exclusive metallic currency
| Or if there is process by which the character OF
the country for generosity and nobleness of feeling
may be destroyed by the great increase and neces-
sary liberation OF usury, it is an exclusive metallic
currency
Amongst the other duties of Il delicate character
which the President is called upon to perform, is
the supervision of the government of the Terrific
ries of the United States Those of them which
are destined to become members of our great po-
litcal family, are compensated by their rapid pro-
gress from infancy to manhood, for the partial and
temporary deprivation of rheir political rights.
1t is in this District, only, where American citi
zens are to be found, who under a settled system
of policy, are deprived of many important political
privileges, without any inspiring hope as to the flu
ture Their only consolation, under circumstances
OF such deprivation, is that of the devoted exterior
guards of a camp-that their suferngs secure tran
guilty and safety within. Are there any of theil
IcounIrynen VINO WOULD SUBJECT them 10 greater sac
rifces, to any other humiliatons than those essen
tally necessary to the security of the object fol-
which they were thus separated from their fellow
fl12ehs: Are their rights alone not to be guar,
apted by the application of those great principles
4 upon which all our constitutions are founded? We
are told by the greatest of British Orators and
Statesmen, that, ut the commencement Of the wal
of the Revolution, the most stupid men in England
spoke of their American subjects" Are there
indeed, citizens of any Of our states who have
dreamed Of their subjects in the District Of Colum
bia? Such dreams can never be realized by any
agency Of mine.
The people of the District of Columbia are moi
the subjects of the people of the states, but free
/, American citizens. Being in the latter condition
when the constitution WINS formed, no words used
in that instrument could have been intended to de-
priye them Of that character If there is any thing
in the great principles Of unalienable rights so en-
phaticay insisted upon in our Declaration ofInde
pendence, they could neither make nor the United