The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1841-09-14

!, woud orobably be made subject Of ridicule but
YOU insisted that there much IN name and .hi'
institution ought not TO be called bank. mf. VIE
srER undertook adapt IN this particular 10 your
wishes Mr. BELL then observed 10 MI W EBsfEh
and myselfhai had no time TO lose; iha TINS were
not Immediately attended To- another piii less
Bile might be got up and reported erephed tnsl We
should lose no time. Mr.. WEBSTER accordingly
caIled ON Messrs BERRIEn and SERGEANT immediate.
~ and waited on them by his appointment al
O'clock on the day, and agreed upon me primer
plies Of the bill in accordance with your
wishes. And am spprsed OF Y 9 ac'i NOUN = va
not occur in INV presence that after the bill was drawn
an and before il was reported, II was seen ana exam
med BY yourself: thati your attention was sPee@hg
called 10 the 10th fundamental article thal on iu'l
examination you concurred in It's provisions; 'ha' a.
The same time its name was go modihed ~ 70 hse,
your APPRECIATION and the bill wss reported ana
passed n all essential particulars, as u was wheh y
came through your hands.
You asked Mr.. WEBSTER and myself each TO pre-
pare and present you an argument touching the con
sttutonaity of the bill and before those arguments
could be prepared and read by you, you declared as
heard and believed, 10 gentlemen, members OF the
House that you would cut of your right hand Ia
Their than approve it, Afer this new resolution was
taken YOU asked and earnestly urged the members OF
your Cabinet TO postpone the bull but you would mel
ther give yourself suffer them to gfe any assui
Of your utuie course, IN case oil such postpone
ment By some of us, and was myself one, the Ell
fort was made crafty your wishes in the only way
in which it could be done with proprety that ~ by OBJ
tanning the general concurrence of the twoWhig mei-
bers Of the Houses in the postponement II tailed az
have reason 10 believe, because you would give no
assurance that the delay not sought as means
and occasion for hostile movements. During Tins sea
son Of deep feeling and earnest exer,ion upon our
part, while zealously deSoting our talents and
influence and to sustain you, the very secrets
of our Csb9et councils made their appearance IN an
nfamousfsper printed in neighborng city, the col
umns OF which were daily charged with fattery Of
yourself and foul abuse Of your Cabinet All this
bore for felt that my services 50 long as hey Could
avail were due to the nationto that great ard mag
unanimous people, " bose suhrages elevated your fte-
decessor to the station which you fill and whose
united voices approved his act, when he Summon
US around him 10 be his counsellors and It that
what was due TO his memory, to the njunctons Whleh
he left us in his last dying words, and to the people
whose servants were, had not all been performed
until every tried and every hope had
failed Of carrying out the true principles upon which
the mighty movement was founded that elevated him
and you to power.
This bill framed and fashioned according to your
suggestions in the initiation of which and ano-
ther member of your Cabinet were made by you the
agents and the negotiators passed by large ma
joItes through the houses of Congress- and sent
TO you, and you rejected il. Important as was the
part which had taken, at your request IN the orel-
nation Of this BILL and deeply as was committed for
your action upon it. you never consulted me on the
subject Of the Veto Message You did not even refer
TO IT in conversation and the first notice had OF It's
contents was derived from rumor
And to me, at least you have done nothing TO wipe
away the personal indgni,y arising out Of the act
gathered is true, from your conversation, shortly
after the bill had passed the House, that you had
strong purpose TO reject il but nothing was said like
softening or apology TO me, either IN reference to
myself or TO those with whom had communicated al
your request, and who had acted themselves and IN
duced the two Houses TO upon the faith of that
communication. And, strange as II may seem, The
Veto Message attacks in especial manner the
very provisions which inserted at request
al tha thae htEh
only agreed by you but especially changed 10 meet
your expressed wishes is made the subject of your
criticism Different men might view this Transaction
in different points Of light but, under these circum-
stances, as matter OF personal honor, 1t would be
hard tor to remain Of your counsel to seal my lips
and leave unexplained and undsclosed where lies in
this transaction the departure from straightforward
ness and candor. So far indeed from admitting the
encouragement which you gave to this bill in its in
ception, and explaininng and excusng your sudden
and violent hostility towards it, you throw into your
Veto Message inierrogatory equivalent 10 an as
sertion that IT was such bill you had already de-
cared could not receive your sanction. Such Is the
obvious effect of the frs, nterrogatory clause the
second page. II has all the force OF assertion with
its open fairness. have met and refuted this
the necessary inference from your language, in my
preceding statement, the correctness Of which you
will not call in question.
Your veto to the first bill you rested constitution
al ground and the high convictions OF conscience and
man, in my opinion, had right to question your
the contest and collision that of that act you
had my adherence and support. But how is il with
respect to ths2 The subject ola bank is 10 YOU
is more than twenty years that you have made 1t
object OF consideration and of study especially In ITS
connection with the constitutional powers of the Ge
neral Government You, therefore, could not be- and
you were not taken unprepared on this question. he
bill which reported TO Congress, with your approba-
ton at the commencement of the session, had the
clause relating TO agencies and the power to deal in
exchanges strongly developed as the one you have
rejected, and equally without the assen, Of the
States You referred specially and with appreciation
to that clause many days after in conversation held
in the Department of Stale You sanctioned in this
particular bill as detailed above. And no doubt
thrown out the subject by you, in my hearing,
within my knowledge until the letter of Mr. Boris
came TO your hands Soon after the reading of that
letter you thew out strong limitations that you would
veto the bill if it not postponed That letter |
did and do most unequivocay condemn but il did
not affect the consii,utlonalty of the bill justify
you IN rejecting on that ground it could affect only
the e1pediency of your action and whatever you
may now believe to the scruples existing in your
mind, in this and in kindred there is strong
ground To bel eve they have their origin.
Ii be right in this, aud doubt not am, here is
great public measure demanded by the county passed
upon and approved by the Representatives of the
States and the People, rejected by you President
on grounds having no origin in conscience, and
reference 10 the public good. The rejection of thi-
measure, too, continues the purse with the sword IN
the hands Of the Executive from which we strove TO
wrest il in the contest which elevated your prcdcces
scr and yoa to power. cannot concur in this your
course OF policy. 10 or out of office my opinions
main unchanged. cannot abandon the principles
for which, during all my political career have srug
gled especially cannot be of the instruments BY
which the Executive wieids these combined accumu-
lated, and dangerous powers.
These SIT, are the reasons for the important step
which have felt it my duty to take, and | submit
them as its Justification.
am very respectfully yours,
TO th, PREsIDRNr Il EWING