Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-12-03

'o"'i W tHBhPt III oiheI PURSUITS.
Such are the OPT ions ofCol Hamilton and
Judge Story, on the Constitutional question,
and in their opinions Mr. Webster has repeat
eddy expressed his full and hearty concur
renee. | have not now a volume of his
speeches at hand, but you will find he discus
SEES the question with his usual force and per-
spicuity, in the speech he made at the Odeon
when the silver vase was presented TO him
by your citizens a few years ago.
But passing by the Constitutional question
the learned critic of the Times proceeds on
the score of cxpedicncy, and asks:
'1fa Collector be,ietocted in robbing the Treasury
of millions must the President wait for the Senate TO
remove him He might steal mi ons more before the
Senate could assemble. fla Postmaster General lie
detected in pecuiaton and IN dcrangng the accounts
Of the Department for the purpose of conceang the
fraud, must the President wait for the Senate 10 as
semblcP'
To which profound question beg leave
humbly 10 reply in the negdtire. But as
when vacancy occurs in the absence OF
the Senate, the President now proceeds TO
fill it, for the time, on his own responsibility
so in the case supposed, the President could
remove the unfaithfnl officer forthwith, sub
jcct, however, to tie action Of the Senate as
soonas they assemble. If they should con-
cur with the President in regarding the caus-
es of the removal sufficient, they would, of
course, approve of his conduct. If not, the
injured man, who had been so unjustly de-
graded, would, at once, be restored to his
station.
But letting 60 of the question Of removal!
from office, in which his success was, per-
haps, neither distinguished nor satisfactory,
the gallant Knight of the Times sallies forth
in general assault upon that portion Of the
Message which treats ofthc Veto power
But here he must excuse me from following
him on his Quixotic expedition. For his
historical errors and misrepresentation are
so numerous, his ignorance is so deplorable,
and his scurrilty so gross, that even if | had
the inclination, have not sufficient time,
to expose them. will, however, notice
paragraph, as it furnishes at once a fair
specimen of his modesty and his historical
accuracy. In speaking of that portion OF
the Governors. message which asserts that
the veto power has no place in our Consti-
tuition, this luminous expounder of constiu-
tlonal law observes:
Governor Paine says that the early settlers oil
Vermont were too jealous of liberty TO allow such
power any place in their Constitution. Does the
! Governor mean by the early settlers of Vermont
those who devised and adopted its present Conson-
II So TO upset his theory completely IRE rould in
form him thai the retO. p0rer is engrafted on TIL,
rery Constitution. Il authorized the Governor ana
Council to propose amendments 10 bills, and 10 sus
pend them 10 the next sess ion of the Leg isature
such amendments be not adopted bv the Represen
tatlves. So much for this boast about jealousy o
| hberty!
Now one would suppose, from the bold
ness with which he makes his assertions
that this adde- Drained ignoramus knew
something about what he was writing. Blu
he does not even seem to be aware, that un
der our present Constitution we have no
Council at1ll-,nl in reply to his assertion
that it confers upon the Governor the veto
power, Will only call the attention of tn,
learned gentleman to the following extract
from the Constitution of Vermont:
Chap. ID Sec'ion 22d. "Every Bill, which shall
have passed the Senate and House of Representative
small before becomes law, he presented to the Gov
ernor fhc approve, he shall sign il if not he shal
return II, with his objections, in writing to the Hous
IN which Il shall have originated which shall procee,
| to reconsider It. If, upon such reconsideration. ma
JoTty OF the House shall pass the BILL it shall ogelh
with the objections, be sent to the other House b,
which II shall, Likewise, be reconsidered and if an
proved by majority Of that House, il shall beco.n
a law.
Such is the republican language af ou
! Constitution, and cannot record a bette,
commentary upon the ridiculous and presumr
tnous assertions of the Critic of the Times
in regard to it, than by quoting his owr
language in regard to Governor Paine -
"Who is this profound Constitutional lawye,
this enlightened statesman He probably
never read treatise upon civil government
and is not better acquainted with political
philosophy than ninety-nne men of anv
hundred who can be found in the villages OF
New England. All Indignation, at such
arrogant prctension, is thoroughly overpow-
cred by mirth. Laughter is all that IS left
US, and an inclination to laugh, loud and long,
is irrepressablc !"
But l have already extended my remarks
to much greater length than origin ally
intended, and will bring them to IA speedy
termination. When my attention was first
called TO the papers which contained this
learned criticism, feared from the flourish
of trumpets and the display ofheraldry with
which the assault was preceded, that our new
Governor would be utterly demolished by
the fury of the onset. But, in the language
Of MIR. Webster, breathed easier and freer"
when perceived that ''the vigor and sue
cess of the war did not quite come up to the
lofty and sounding phrase of the manifesto"
A word Of caution to the inflated BOBBY Of
the Times, and then will relieve you. When
he next undertakes TO illuminate the ignor-
ance of the Green Mountain Loys I aIy;so