The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-08-31

REPORT OF TIE MINORITY CT Tl!EI
SELECT COMMITTEE ON TIE PRESl


The undersigned, members Of the sc;oct COM
mittco D whom ;hc Presidents message Is re-
icrrch, submit! a brief and Iiasty protest against
tic elaborate report Of the majority.
Free government depends; constitutional
checks: Otherwise, democracy is dcP"ti';in-
! Each iiouse OF Congress las IN absolute mega
tive upon tic other. tic American judiciary c%cr-
cscs power 10 annul laws. The Union and the
States, respectively, in some instances, mu!liiy
each Others legislation; Tic sovereign arDIier'
being Tie people, never yet, III mere tiian hity
years OF prosp2rOuos experience, falling "a III
,crposc their political oinni pctemcc, pcaceably,
iTtelirib!y, and for tie general welfare. In
addition TO these fundamental principles, which
arc the conservative bass OF our Tree lnstltu-
ttcGs. the Constitution of The United States re-
quircs the Executive Magistrate, II he dlsap-
proves an act of Congress, to return it, Elth his
objections, to its authors, anu call upon them to
reconsider, before it can become a law There
| is 10 veto, as is too often supposed, either IN
the word or the spirit of tic Constitution; but
mere authority for executive reference to legis-
lativn reconsideration. UnfoUadcd resemblance
has been iTnorant!y supposed between this A
lmcrican deliberaton to prevent errors oi pas
SION and rrecipitancy, and the absolute lnhIbl-
ton Of the Roman, or the modern royal Veto
There is 10 resemblance whatever between
them. They are as unlike as free and absolute
government as unlike as the Polish veto, which
allowed every member Of single branch ol le-
gslaturc without reason, 10 repudate any OF ITS
proceedings hy his single and solitary voice.
Equally unfoandcd is it to suppose (as ignor-
ance of their operations frequently does) that
;!c monarclIs of France aid England are not
absolute enough 20 use the veto. They use it
every day; oHc OF them in the exclusive right
OF initiating all legisaton-and both of them
by the vasicr means OF executive influence
What has bean passonately stgnaiscd as the
one man power in this country, is in principle,
the same thing rs the separation of Congress ill.,
10 two bodies, TO coTrectFs Fsthc errors OF each
other: though much less powerful, because the
power Of majority, by single vote IN either
iIousc, is absolute, while that of the Executive
is merely suspensire and subordinate. Had all
the members OF ihc House of Representatives
voted on the tariff bill, it would have been either
carried or lost By one voe-and that, the casting
vote OF the Speaker. There is much OF one
man power in all free government.
| Tic maiortics in Congress in 1714, OH all
tie essential points and principles OF tie dcclara-
ton CT rights we're bu; oGe, two, or three. All
lI!c grc;.t critical questions about men and mea-
sures, from l774 TO 177S, were dec:lcd by the
vo;c Of single, and that :!taa "y-t.'e- e-4i
one iadi, dual. Tie Declaration CT iHcercn-
dence Itself was so carried. The English re-
yolution Of 1858 was determined by oGc or two
votes in Parliament. The King OF France was
condemned TO death by very few votes. Jei-
fcrson was electedin PLACE OF Burr, after thirty
seven trials by'nnc vote. The expedition IN
lGi5 from New England against Cape Breton,
which rave pcacc to the world, was carried in
the House OF Representatives OF Massachusetts
Ly A sinre vote Most of the acts Of Congress
| in the memorable session of 1871, was carried
by the casting vote of the Vice President. The
vote Of New York, which finally led TO the
iconvcntion for forming the present Constitution,
after the failure Of tic Virginia attempt, by
which only three States were represented at
Annapolis, was carried by one vote. The ilrst
Bank of the United States was failed to be re-
chartered by the casting vote OF the Vice Pres-
dent The late Bank of the United States was
ncgatived, when first proposed, by the Speakers
casting vote. This instructive enumeration
might 1c much enlarged, teaching that the re-
spons :b!ilv of one man has often saved States
and changed constitutions. Such salutary exc
cutyc authority las been exercised from theo out
set CT tic American Government with marked
approval by an intelligent people. wisely appre-
Glazing in their chief representative, the inesti-
mabic value of firm and judicious ntetposi-
ton of This conservative and indispensable Ielicl.
For the first time in the annals OF the United
States, this immediate cEaaation of the Consti-
tuition is subjected, OIL the motion OF all eX-Pres-
dent, OEc chairman of this conmitcc,) to the
obstruction OF tie mere tcchnica!liteS OF lcgis-
ation. The Constitution commands us toJour-
maize the Presidents objections and then vote
on them. T!Ic House did SO on his premonito-
~ objection TO a Ike bill, but sent him another.
Had We cover to DO Sc! Were not the func-
tons Of the House exhausted by the previous
proceedings! Can they rciteratc upon the En-
ecu,ive a bill which lie has returned, and the
House cannot carry!,. Tie undersigned fec! it
their duty TO protest against and resist 1t by the
only means left TO minority, preventive OF the
unconstitutional acts OF an angry majority, he
lieving that the time is near at hand when they
will themselves most regret, as all will condemn
the innovation.
The suggestion of the acting President to the
Chief AIaggistracy was unavoidably follow cd by
collisions between Kim and the party who selec-
ted and elected him, because he suffered himself
to remain in tic hands of their advisers, instead
of his own These whose political sympathes
the undersigned ENJOY are in no respect answcra-
BILE for this strife, which they have uniformly
treated with moderation; adhering, however, TO
the faith of their own politics. We neither
made nor gave the quarrel; but calmly and con-
lec;on+;orcI, with all 1up rrsnoct tO majOrltieS