The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-19
REPORT OF THE MINORITY.

A~N AoPois VI TIC
Free Government depends on constitutional checks
otherwise, democracy is despotsm Each House OF
Congress has an absolute negative upon the o'her
The American Judiciary exercises power TO anhul
laws. The Union and the States, respectively, ~
instances nulify each others Legislation; Inc
sovereign arbiter, being the people never ye, "a o, :,
than fifty years of prosperous experience failing 10
interpose their political omnpotence Peaceaoy, III
telligibly and for the general welfare In ADDITION
these fundamental principles which are the con-
sentative bases Of free Institutions the Consttu-
ton of the United States requires the Executive Ma
g,strat if he dsapproyes an act Of Congress, to
turn it. with his objections to Its authors, and call
upon them to reconsider, before 1t can become law
There is no veto, is too often supposed, either IN
the word the spirit of the Constitution but mere
authority for Executive reference to legislative recon-
sideration Unfounded resemblance has been igno-
rantly supposed between this American provision for
elaboration to prevent OF passion and preclpi-
fancy and the absolute inhibition of the Roman, or
the modern royal veto. There is no resemblance
whatever between them. They are as unlike as
free and absolute Government; unlike as the 20
lish veto, which allowed every member OF a single
branch Legislature, without reason to repudiate any
Of its proceedings by his single and solitary voice
Equally unfounded is it to suppose as ignorance OF
their operations frequently does that the monarchs OF
France and England are not absolute enough to use
the Veto They it every day, one of them, In the
exclusive right Of initiating all legislation, and both
of them by the vaster means Of Executive influence
What has been passionately stgmatised as the one
man power in this country is in principle, the same
thing as the separation Of Cong ess into two bodies
to correct the errors. Of each other, though much
less powerful, because the power OF majority, by
single vote in either House is absolute, while that OF
the Executive is merely suspensive and subordinate.
Had all the members of the House of Representa-
ves voted on the tariff BILL would have been either
carried or lost by VOTE and that the casting vote
of the Speaker. There is much of one-man power in
all free government.
The majorities in Congress in l774, on all the es-
sentia points and principles of the declaration OF
rights, were but one two, or three. All the great
critical questions about and measures from l774
to l778, decided by the vote OF single State,
and that often by the vote of one individual. The
Declaration of Independence itself was SO carried
The English revolution of 1853 was determined by
one or two votes in Parliament The King OF France
was condemned to death by very few votes. JEFF
ferson elected in place of Burr, after thrtyseven
trials by one vote The expedition in l745 from
New England against Cape Breton, which gave peace
to the world, was carried in the House OF Represen-
tatlves of Massachusetts by single vote. Most OF
the acts of Congress, in the memorable session OF
1894, carried by the casting vote of the Vice
President The vote of New York, which finally led
to the convention for forming the present Constitu-
ton, after the failure of the Virginia attempt, by
which only the States were represented at Annapo-
lis, was carried by one vote The first Bank OF the
United States failed to be rechartered by the casting
vote of the Vice President. The late Bank of the
United States negatived, when first proposed, by
the Speakers casting vote. This instructive enume-
ration might be much enlarged, teaching that the
sponsblity Of one man has often saved States and
changed constitutions. Such sautary executive au-
thorty has been exercised from the outset of Ameri
can Government with marked approval by an ntelli-
gent people, wisely approaching in the Chief Repre-
sentative the inestimable value of firm and judici
Gus nterpositon of this conservative and ndispensa
BILE relief For the first time in the annals of the
United States this immediate emanation of the Con-
stitution is subjected the motion of an Ex-Pres-
dent, the chairman of this committee, to the obstruc
ton of the mere technicalites of legislation. The
Constitution commands us to journalize the Pres-
dents objections, and then vote on them. The
House did so his premontory objections to like
bill but sent him another. Had we power to do so
Were not the functions of the House exhausted by
the previous proceeding? Can they reiterate upon
the Executive bill which he has returned, and the
House cannot carry No such attempt was ever
made before. The undersigned feel their imperi-
Gus duty to protest against and resist it by the only
means left to minority, preventive Of the unconsti
tutional acts of angry majority believing that the
time is at hand when they will themselves most
regret, as all will condemn, the innovation.
The succession Of the acting President to the Chief
Magstracy was unavoidably folowedby collisions be-
tween him and the party who selected and elected him,
because he suffered himself to remain in the hands of
their advisers instead of his own. Those whose po-
litica sympathies the undersigned enjoy in
spect answerabc for this strife, which they have uni
formly treated with moderation, adherng, however,
to the faith of their politics. We neither made
nor aggravae the quarrel, but calmly and conscien-
tously, with all due respect to maorties nexoraby
Iuling in both Houses, stand upon our rights, and
maintain the tenor of way, relying upon the
people to and restore whatever may be amiss
they have been doing with aacrity since the
disastrous commencement of the untoward legislation
of sessions Of Congress which have endured for
nearly twelve months of the last fifteen. All the
elections since afford unquestionable proof, that if
there is any wrong in the Federal Government,
the constitutional means of restoring right are
in full and active operation. While thus abiding
their time, the minorties of the two Houses Of Con-
gress abide by the principle that the First Magistrate
Of great people is entitled to respect and by
opponents should be treated with decorum. We
know no difference in language and feeling towards
the President and those which we toward each
other in Congress. His not being personally present
is, in our opinion, no reason for malgning his mo-
tives raducng his character, vihfying his admin
istratiOn. The most strenuous, infexible and sue
cessful opposition consists with the language and
spirit of moderation and, if the people the in
telgent sovereignty supposed by our institutions,
woule be more popular than Indignation, violence
and obloquy The President has communicated his
objections TO an act of Congress- against which num-
bers 80 large in both Houses voted to prove be-
You'd doubt that it IS extremely Objectionable, and
whch.we in common with every Of those large
numbers, representing, as we have every reason to
believe, the wishes of large majority of the Ameri-
people, conscentiously deem unwise, unjust, and,
as many think, unconstitutional. The Presidents
objections contained in respectful message tenn
perate in tone, persuasive in argument, and develop
ing topics which we believe will meet with popular
acceptance. OF the several messages of the same
kind, drawn from Mr.. Tyler by this Congress, can
dor and history will acknowledge, think, that the
last is the BEST in all the merits of reason dcton,
and temper The Constitution gives him the right
which his conscience enjoins him to exercise. AL
lowing the Chief MapiStrate- therefore what
President is entitled to, and has enjoyed such
oasons, simply to speak and act for himself the next
step, according to the Constitution and uniform prac-
ticc should have been forthwith to take the votes of
the House Of Representatives, which would undoubt
eddy have shown that the President is sustained by
very nearly if not quite majority.
The undersigned regret the novel and Gas many
conceivel Unconstitutional innovation to which the