The Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1837-1845, 1842-03-10

hands, and to leave il unarmed, sfenceless, and pros
rate at the feet of proud insulting. and en-
croaching Legislature The oppression Of three hum
dred masters will afford little rslel from the tyranny
OF one, and little Will be gaiasd by exchanging the
qualified negative Of a Consstutional Chief Mags-
trae for the arbitrary edcts of despot reared by the
bay onet to the throne. They who reve in the sup
posed advantages OF unrestrained Legislature,
forget the Protectorste that is to follow and
that the English nation was glad to be relieved from
the grasp of Oliver Cromwell and repose in the arms
of her lawful sovereign, Charles II.
MIR. Chairman; The legislative department 10
stronger and prone transcend its
bounds than either of the others. Look at the vast
power conferred upon 1t by the Federal Constitution
ltlays and collects taxes evies duties and imposts
borrows money eguates commerce with foreign ma
among the several States, and with the Indian
tribes 1t coins ey constitutes inferior tribunals
of justice promotes science declares war; raises armies
provides and maintains armies commands the militia OF
the Union, and has implied powers which neces-
sary execute those which express. All history
attess that the Legislative authority encroaches
upon the rights and usurps the powers OF the Execu
tive and Judiciary The history Of England is an
unbroken narrative Of the continued usurpa ions o
Parliament. That House of Commons, the very ex.
istence of which separate body for long period
after the Norman conquest is denied by Ant,quirans
and which late the reign OF Elizabeth, was
treated with contempt by the Queen, now sways the
destiny of the British Empire. And the sword Of the
English King falls from his nerveless hand when not
sustained by the purse Of the people. Congress will
encroach upon the President, because the members
regard themselves as the peculiar and immediate rep
entatives of the people, and inspired with the
confidence of their popularity and influence with their
constituents. They will narrowly watch the move
ments and restrain the usurpaton OF the Chef MA
gistrate But who will watch the representatives,
themselves Outs custodist ipsos custodss. Every
wh caprice aud passion of the people to defeat the
legislature and the Government Of the country, win
be mirror, to reflect the strong but feety I'M
pulses of popular feeling and odiun. When Franklin
said that legislature with two branches was nke
wagon with one horse before and the other behind,
pulling in opposite directions, he displayed his Wit
rather than his judgment, and the Constitution,
which upon this principle he framed for the people OF
Pennsy wanna, they were soon compelled TO abandon
OF that constitution Of Virginia, under which nearly
| all power concentrated in the hands OF the legs
laure, Mr. Jefferson has denounced the grievances IN
language not to be forgotten misunderstood. vi
the gross hypocrisy the vile corruption and lawless
tyranny of that Parliament, which, after rearing Its
| power upon the ruins Of the British constitution,
brought the name of republcanis into disrepute the
principles of freedom into odium, and drove the ma
ton into the arms of her hereditary King, none can
| be ignorant And on what page Of history are re-
corded more legislative corruption and tyranny, than
in the annals Of the National Assembly of France
that Serbonan bog of base oligarchy in which the
equality and rights of were absorbed, sunk and
! lost forever"
| If, Mr. Chairman, we did not know that public
men WereOltener nHuenced ny IeRaIu W tueiI o"H
advancement than The solid interests OF their constr
tuents would be matter Of amazement that the re-
| representatives. of any State south Of the Potomac,
should be in favor of destroying OF even curtaiing the
Veto power. Strike it from the Constitution, and the
Executive Department lies at the feet OF the Leglsa-
| ture. Let Congress be unrestrained and absolute,
and what will prevent them levelling to the ground
the only barrier that protects Southern rights and
Southern institutional In the House of Representa-
tives, from the very adoption OF the Constitution, the
| huvA or1tlu and
increased in numbers and power That branch OF the
National Legislature is in their hands, and the dis
proportion will every year be greater and more strik-
| ing. The Sdmission of slave States has heretofore
kept pace with that of free States though this
| has not been accomplished without v oent struggles
and long continued agitation. That memorable con-
which in 1920 shook this Union to its CENTRE and
which at last was ended only by compromise, will
! teach us the course which Congress will take when
it is clothed with that omnpotence with which the de-
struction ofthe Veto power will invest It, Before Flo
rida will be prepared tor admission, Iowa and Wlscon-
sin will be ready; and henceforih more free States
will be admitted than slave and the ordinance ofl7o7
will prove the death warrant to Southern influence
and the Senate of the United States will soon be in
the possession of those who now command a majority
in the House of Representatives. Our Influence in
eecing President is more potential than our voice
| in the National Legislature In Congress we are
in hopeless minority which yearly increas-
es. If the South be not able to elect her
own President, her vote will always be sufficient
to secure the choice Of friendly to her const
tutional rights. No man reach the Presidential
chair who avows deadly hostility to our interests
and institutions because the opposition of the whole
southern section, and that which may reasonably be
expected in the northern can be overcome BY no man
whose blind fanatcism would wilfully tri1e with the
lives of his fellowcitizens and rudely trampe upon
! the Constitution of his country. Snatch from the
Executive arm this weapon with which the Constitu-
ton has entrusted it for its defence and the pro-
lection of the people, and what in few years will
prevent Congress from abolishing slavery in the Dis
| trict of Columbia, and afterwards in the several
States Strip yourselves of the only power of resis
lance which is left, and do you think that naked JUS
ticc and paper barriers will protect you from the
reckless assaults Of false phantrophy pretended pa
triotism and designing bgotry? When that little
speck which is scarcely visible in the horizon,
shall gather into black cloud and burst upon us with
relentless fury; when northern fanaticsm brbed by
British gold and spurred by British emssaries shall
ride triumphant through the halls of Congress- and
when by our own ignorance and folly in destroying the
checks and balances of our glorious Constitution this
fair Union shall be involved in anarchy and civil war,
we shall learn from bitter experience that Tribuni-
tian power the great conservative principle which
protected the weak against the strong, and defended
the great charter of liberties equally against the
| assaults of domestic and foreign foes.
The condition in which our national affairs now
stand, and which we are told demands a change of
the Constitution is itself the result of an alteration
of that instrument. By the Constitution it came
from the hands of the Federal Convention the peo-
pie voted for two candidates, and he who had the
highest number of votes declared President; af-
ter the choice of the President the person having the
greatest number of votes was declared to be Vice
President The nation equally interested in as
pertaining the personal character and political senti-
ments of those who aspred to the second of those
who aspred to the first Office in their gift. The pre-
tensions of all the candidates equally scanned,
and the Importance of the Vice President was not
overshadowed by that of the President. In the great
struggle for the Presidency in 1871, Mr.. Burr, who
was voted for by the people as candidate for the
Vice Presidency, having received equal number of
votes with MIR. Jefferson, set up his claims to the
Chief Magstracy. The memorable contest was not
ended until after fortyseven ballots In consequence