Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-08-05
TwENrY-sEvENTu coNGREss--2d Session.


on THE VETO POWER $40
Derercd in The House Of ReprescntatireS, July lo42
mr. Speaker: When the Presidents message, no"
unter consideration, FIRST received by the House
the gentleman from Massachusetts the way (alr
Saitonstn obtained the floor. His age, his position
al The head of important committee, representing
The predomnating interest in the House. and most de
pendent Government for support gave to his course
prcn!iar importance. He spoke of this message a.
bringing DISASTERS unspeakabe 10 the country, ana en-
dangcring tie Union Itself was surprised couio
see no great DISASTER, in suspendiDg the distribution
nj the money resulting from The sales Of the pubic
larGs by which the vacuum il created in the Urea
sury, was TO be supplied by taxes OH the people
and supposing has construction Of the laws to have
been correct-how could the loss of revenue, for IL"
DAYS or weeks (which could be prevented by tho
erGs"man and his friends in an hnnr,) endanger tht
unop2 The gentleman ft.m New York [Mr. Granger
followed - ebste. liz, too, in strain OF admirable
herosm, poured forth holdings Of ruin and distress
Let the country reel and sink, he wond stand irm let
differing and Confusion come, We would zee "lo
would bear il best and where the wealth CT the conn
try lay Sill, Sir, although my surprise was quick
cncd) could nothing to justify these Vaccinations
Of evil Yesterday, however, the gentleman from In
diana Mir Lancl lifted the veil from the dark face o
prophecy, and unrlddled lis doubtful responses. lie
distinctly informed the House, that although the PrcSI
sdsnt had declared, III The message are now cons
derng, he could sanction bill repeating the clause
The Distribution act passed at the last session. nIt
ing uiStTiDallDn 10 tie vi nv
exceeding - per cent, yet that it the purpose o
the majority 10 send 10 HIM The tariff bill now on your
table, with clause repeating this restriction on dslrl
buon md if the President did not approve of it, they
would step the supplies; let the navy rot the army be
dsbanded the civil officers Of the Government be dis
missed uud The Government itself thus be brought 10
end This is the mighty disaster which IS 10 en-
danger the Union, and under which the country is to
groan; and it looks distinctly to revolution, and revoiu-
ton by violence. glorious contamination, Truly oi
Wing dominion, after fourteen short months brilliant
career:
And what, Sir is the justification offered for course
dangerous and fatal to whole system If Govern
ment The Presiden, dares 10 exercise the function
with which the Constitution has PROFESSIONALLY Clothed
him. End puts his qualified veto measures, in his OPT
mon, injurious 10 the public interests and safety Ihls
power, IS sud TO be power, monarchlca!,
and fatal 10 bery-because the popular Will, express
ed By u.s. is controlled by lis exercise The Govern
mcn, under lis opera.ion than that o. France
England, cad IL, in i:c, despotism and, there
fore, resistance, at ali hazards, is Impercus duty,
for the patriotic purpose of oyerthrowlng IL Here is
the cause and reasoning for revolution, which, If true,
unqucsionaby jusl;es the fcrcest ex;Iemtes oI re
dress
Now, the frat thing We ought to understand in all
this matter is, what says the fundamental lew-the
Constitution For, if the veto power establishes IN
olerablc tyranny in the land, and IS not only III the
Constitution bu: is the result Of lis principles redress
~ to the Constitution itself |, is the proud privilege
Of every American ctzen 10 hold his rights pendent
on the action Of no man. We hold them by written
Constitution, which, in all lis functions, is the supreme
will of ALL mud the supreme law of all The agents, who
administer the Constitution, are but lis creatures and,
when acting within lis provisions, their acts are the
acts of the Constitution, and therefore, the acts of all
The voice of the whole people speaks through all the
functions Of the Constitution and, whether these
functions carried out By one agent or by many II
is still the supreme voice ct the people. What says
the Constitution
In The seventh clause Of the first article it is pre-
scrbeG "very bill which shall have passed The House
of Rcores natives and the Senate, SHALL before IT be-
come law, be presented the President OF the United
States II he approves he shall sign II; but If not, he
shaH return il, with bis oh rciions, TO the House IN
which! it shall have originated Now, here is not only
poacer gwen but n mandate 10 exercise il. ale shaH
sign III she shall return it.; and the sole criterion OF
The Presidents conduct is-aPproyal or disaPrrova-
There is no distinction made to the character ol the
bills ii the President does not approve the bill, from
any w'a'ever, he is commanded by The Consi,u
ton not 10 sign IT, The papers Of the Federas', con.
sdered by the Supreme Court itself authority on oil
Of The Constitution, in commenting on
this power, observes:
ali not only serves as shield TO tho Exccutive Int
it furnishes an additional security against the enaciIon
Of improper Laws lestahlishes salutary check upon
The legislative body, calculated 10 guard the community
against the effects Of fnction PreopitancH or cf eng
IMPULSE urfiendy 10 e pubie good ,ehich may Happen
10 Influence mej0rity IF that bcdy'
..Te prnpre,y OF The thing 1.-THE reto] does not tuin
mon ihe supposiiicn of superior wisdom virtne in
the Executive, but upon the suppost;on that legsIa
ton will net he inicble; that the love of power may
sometimes betray II into disposition 10 eHeTonca upon
the rights Of the other members OF the Government;
that q spirit Of tac0n may sometimes Psrrrr ITS dcf'oe
ration: that impressions OF the moment may sometimes
harry IL rta measures which itsei, on mature ueioetn
ton would condemn.
Here is cotemporaneous exposition OF th'a power,
bv one of The trainers Of the Cons.ltnton broader Than
the grounds assumed by The Executive in The message
before u.s. and probably in the opinion oi many, lar
more mt 10 tie present emergency Than any oi the
reasons he has assigned SIR, the is clear. 1t ~
sIa neessness 10 pretend, that the Constitution does
not sancnn the course Of the President lthas plainly
commanded il; and, to denounce his conduct az es'a'
blishng tyranny, justify ing revolutionary measures
IN overthrow IT, i'd to war on the Constitution. The
oues,ion is not concerning this message, the sound
ness OF lis ensonngs is not limited to distributions
ar The ac, of 1883 tariff of any kind but 1t s Tar
bnhcr and broader lis scope, and looks distinctly 10
revolution by the destruction III the Constitution.
MIR Sneaker, it is well known, that IN The ConVen-
ton which framed the Constitution, there was power
fn party opposed lis adoption After ITS adoption ny
the reorle of the u S. their hostility was masked out
no: aha!rd and they bent oil their energies To give III
s administration, the powers rejected IN the ConVen-
ton Hitherto, they have confined Their efforts 10 alter
IL.
s.ructions But now for the first tine since us eS'
s,ence provisions, and limitations plainly existing on
its face, are assaet: and ii is openly proclaimed TO be
an evil to be reformed or suppressed AL the close oil
the last session OF Congress, majority OF lis members
constituting the party predominant on this toor'
put forth proclamation to the people of the U. s., IN
which they assumed the ground that the Liberties OF
the people must iail, or The Constitution must oe
chonoed IN M less than four particulars. The veto
rover of the President; the chief feature to he de-
s.royed aud the developments daily making here
show pretty clearly the policy by which tins oJ'c IS 10
he effected Thc President is 10 be forced 10 exercise
il. by sending 10 him bills wc! it is known he cannot
nnnfoye and then by cud cIamor and false alarms
thus power is to be struck down. md The people me
gradually to be prepared, by one Innovation alter aho
thor for the overthrow of The Constitution. The OBJ
cct is to throw off tie checks in the Constitution and
by making Congress omnipotent, accomplish The grand
consummaiion at which they have aHed from us com
mcncement, and Lui'd upa grand consolidated 90
yerni:,en mt is runs.
,,r Sneaker those who possess power, are ever I'M