The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-09-01
PROTEST OF THE PRESIDENT.


By the Constitution of the United States provided
that every bill which shall have passed the House OF Re
representatives. and the Senate SHALL before it become
law be presented to the President Of the United States;
he approve he shall sign it but If not he shall return it,
with his objections to that House in which it shall have
the journal, and proceed to reconsider it."
In strict compliance with the positive obligation thus
imposed upon me by the Constitution not having been
able to bring myself to approve bill which originated in
the House Of Representatives entitled An act to provide
from imposts, and to change and modify existing
returned the anne to the House. with my objections to
its becoming law These objections which had entire
y satisfied my mind Of the great impocy, if not the
of the measure were presented in the
most respectful and deerental terms would not
have been far forgetiul of what due from de-
partmen of the Government to another to have in.
tsntionay employed in my official Intercourse with the
House. any language that could be- in the slightest de-
gree offensive to those to whom addressed IT. in
assigning objections to the BILL had far forgotten
what due to the House Of Representative as to mpung
its motives in passing the BILL should not only to
Such departure from proprety is however not complain
ed Of in any proceeding which the House has adopted 1t
mark and almost ocompant that the language in which
my dissent was couched was studousy guarded and eau
tious
Such being he character of the official communication in
question: confess wholly unprepared for the
that regard to il In the exercise Of the
power regulate its proceedings the House, for the
first time Is believed in the history Of the Government
thought proper to refer the Message to Select Commit
tee OF its own body for the purpose respect for the
v
weighing the objections urged against the bill by the Exc
cutive, with aview to its judgment upon the ques-
Ofhe temper and feelings in relation to myself some
Of the members selected for the performance duty
have nothing say That matter entirely within
the discretion Of the House Of Representatives But that
Committee, taking different view Of its duty from that
which should have supposed had led to its creation in
BILL avaled itself Of the occasion formally to arragn the
motver of the President for others Of his acts since his
induction into office In the absence Of all proof and
hns oil
lamentary proceedings and at the time in
which would be difficult to reconcile vs. it'll the comfy
hitherto sacredly observed in the intercourse between in
dependent and departments of the government
1t has assaed mywhole official conduct without shadow
of pretext for such assault and stopping short ofimpeach
men has charged me- nevertheless with offences decla
red to deserve impeachment Had the extraordinary
port which the Committee thus made the House. been
permitted to remain without the sanction of the latter
should have uttered regret complaint upon the
subject But, unaccompaned it is by any particle OF
testimony to support the charges it contains, without
deliberate examination almost without any discussion the
House of Representatives has been pleased to adopt
its own, and thereby to become my before the
country and before the world The high character of
such accuser the gravity of the charges which has
been made and the judgment ed against
the adoption of the Report upon distinct and separate
vote of the House. leaves alternative but to ente
my solemn protest against the proceeding unjust to my
self man. Invasion of my constitutional powers
as Chief Magistrate of the American People, and vie
laon my person. of rights secured to every citizen by
the laws and the Constitution That Constitution has
trusted to the House Of Representatives the sole power of
before the most august tribunal known to our institutions
The Senate Of the United States composed of the Rep
resentatves Of the sovereignty of the States converted
hall Justice and in order to insure the strictes
observance Of the rules of evidence and of legal proee
dure the Chief Justice of the United States the highest
Judicial functonary of the land required TO preside
its deliberations In the presence OF each judcaory the
voice of faction presumed to be SILENT and the sentence
Of guilt innocence pronounced under the solemn
sanctions Of religion of honor and Of law. To such
tribunal does the Constitution authorize the House of
Representatives to carry its accusations against
chief OF the Executive Department whom may believe
to be guilty of high crimes and msdemeanors Before
that tribunal the accused confronted with his
Se Se as
tent and impartial inquiry into the facts upon the tes
mony Of witnesses, rgdly examined and deposng in the
face Of day If such proceeding had been adopted to-
ward me- unjust should certainly have regarded IT,
should thrust, have met with becoming constancy
trial painful would have been undessrved would
havemanfesed by profound SUBMISSION to the love Of
my country my perfe,t faith in her justice, and
relying on the purity of my motives, and the
rectitude OF my conduct, should have locked for.
ward with confidence to a triumphant refutation
in the presence Of that country, and by the solemn
Judgment ofsuch tribunal not only of whatever charges
might have been formally preferred against me- but of all
the caumnies ofwhch have hitherto been the unresist
ing victim As it is have been accused without evil
dence and condemned without hearing Az far as such
proceedings can accomplish it, am deprived of public
confidence in the administration of the Government and
denied even the boast Of good namea transmitted
to me from patriot father priced proudest Inherit
ance and carefully preserved for those who TO
after me- as the most precious of all earthly possessions
y am not only subjected 10 lmputationh aHecunB
racter as individual but charged with o fences
against the country and heinous as to deserve
public disgrace and Acknowledgement am charged with
violating pledges which never gave and because exc
cute what believe to be the law with usurPng powers
not conferred by law ; and above ALL with using the
powers conferred upon the Predent by the Constitution
from corrupt motives and for unwarrantabe ends And
these charges made without any particle OF evidence
to sustain them, and as soemnly afirm. without any
foundation in truth.
Why proceeding of this sort adopted at this time
Is the occasion for found in the fact that having been
elected tc second Office under the Constitution by the
free and voluntary SURFACES Of the people have
ed TO the FIRST according to the provisions Of the
fundamental law of the people. II is true that the
succession Of the Vice President to the Chief Magsracy
has before and that all prudent and pat
rotic minds have looked this trial OF the wisdom
and stability Of institutions it'll a somewhat anxious
concern. have been made to feel too sensiby the diff
cues ofmy unprecedented position not 10 know all that
is intended to be conveyed In the reproach upon
President without party. But found myself placed In
this most responsible station by usurpation oontri
vance of my own. was called to it, under Providence
by the supreme law Of the land, and the deliberately de-