The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-07-07
From the ". Y. Standard.
EXCITEMENT AT WASHINGTON AT THE
PRESIDENTS VETO

The third Veto of the Presidenl--which gave the
quietus the provisional tariff bill and sent it back
The House where 1t had srig mated buried beneath
pile of Executive ob)ections--appears 10 have pro-
duced an immense amount of excitement mongst the
prominent friends OF the measure in Congress, whose
wrath was aroused at the receipt Of the message TO
such degree that the ube of the longest thermone-
ter would hardly lis heat. When this appre-
hended and unwecome document admitted into
the Hall and read il produced almost much alarm
and confusion amongst the Wings as If bombsheli
had burst in their midst and ateI the stupor OF the
first astonishment had vanished, the message was as
sailed with all the fury Of whlrIwnd, and It's author
branded with almost every opprobrous epthet that
could we'll be applied to his character. his motives
were without hesitation, impeached dlshonest-his
purposes pronounced to be base and his conduct
igmatised that of traitor who had treacherously
abandoned the principles and deserted the banner of
his party and Arnold like had gone to the ranks
of bis former enemies.
This denunciatory language, issuing from the
mouths of those whose bosoms were almost bursting
| fom the Juror of feeling of the moment, while they
furnished sorry soace TO the suferings and dap
| pontmens of the gentlemen who uttered Them did
very little hahn to the head heart of the President
whose character for PROFIT y is not to be shaken, mol
his honesty OF purpose Frustrated, by the explosive
| speeches OF the men who denounced him.
1t seems to u.s. however that this method of muir
| dering mans reputation, by the weapons of abuse
and nvective, because his conscientious opinions hap
|
sisted to elect him, not precisely the best way to
| treat President to induce him perform what they
| contend Was his bounden duly to do Ii seldom
happens that abuse, directed against any individual,
be he high or low, has tendency to eradicate from
| his mind the erroneous impressions with which he is
charged with being imbued; but, the contrary, it
her confirms he error, hat perhaps inconsderaely
existed and which by the intoeI ance with which 1t is
treated, becomes firmly incorporated into The charac-
ter, and is at length component part OF the man him
| self
Whereas, milder course might act like pleasant
emollent to that error and soften it down into
plant rectiude for time to Jefferson has
| SAID that error OF opinion may be tolerated where
reason is left tree to combat it,, but he has where
declared that honest error of opinion Is To be nt0te
rantty treated, hat it to be met that it may be
cured by the outpouring of tori mis- Of abuse.
| We are pot amongst that class of persons who pro-
| scribe this Veto Of the President error-for we
cherish such unaccommodating opinons-and bc
ieve be acted from the honest p incpes and the up
| right purposes that animate his acts
What benefit would it be to him indulge inten-
tionay in of thought, opinion and action, and
thus render himself obnoxious to the Iesentments of
those friendships he would prefer to their enmity2
If he believed the act he vetoed good and
sary one, is it to be supposed that he would have de-
feated it merely to CRAFTY within o! his own, for
the sake of Furnishing his former friends 1t were
| insanity aim, st 10 think
| He knows that he has an important duty to per-
| form, that he has conscience to soothe, charac-
ter for consistency to msintain which he would not
dare to trife with for light and frivolous causes
! And those who thus denounce his motives as base
and dishonest should beware that their are not
tested by the same intolerant standard-that they
are not to be tried in the same crucibe with which
they try the President Would it not have comport-
ed better with the grave characters of American
Legisators-with the GOODNESS and calmness that
ought to characterize enlightened and deliberatve
body-to have taken up the reasons advanced by the
President for rejecting the measure he had vetoed,
and dispassonately to have exam ned them, and
then to have awarded to them appropriate weight
of merit
Would it not have been better to have inferred
honest rather than dishonest motlves and to have
soned with themselves what advantage it would be to
the President, to dishonor himself by dishonest act
which would only expose him to the hostility of
those whom it was his interest to rally around him as
fri ndsrather than by Objectionable act, to drive
them from him as enemies? The outpouring of hard
words, the utterance of inhammatory speeches then
the last weapons that should have been resorted
to--for they only tend to confirm opposition, and
never conquer contrariety of opinion.
The reasons the President has given for his veto
are plain and unvarnshed. They are calculated tc
satisfy least moicy or the public of the United
States, and we have doubt they will descend to
coming time, with the character of an honest pur-
pose, indebly enstamped upon them.