The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1842-08-18
MR.. ADAMS REPORT.

MR.. ADAMS REPORT.
The Select Committee, to whom ree! red the Mes
sage OF the President of the United States returning to th
House the act, which originated in it, to provide
nue. from imports andto change and modify existing law
imposing duties imports and for other purposes will
his objections to it, with instructions TO report thereon
the House. have attended to that service and respectfully
report:
The Message is the last of a series of Executive mea
sures the result Of which has been to defeat and nul
the whole action of the Legislative authority of Thu
Unon upon the most important interests Of the nation.
At the accession Of the late President Harrison by cleo
ton OF the People to the Executive chair the finances
the and the credit Of the country found in
condition greatly disordered and languishng tina
the first act Of his Administration TO call special
ed state of the great body polite 1t then dis
OF no sudden occurrence and of ordinary malg
nifty Four years before, the immediate predecessor
General Harrison had been constrained to resort to the
same expedien special session of Congress- the result
OF which had only proved the first OF succession of pal
lia.ves purchasing momentary relief at the expense OF
deeper seated disease and symptoms growing
daily intense through the whole four years of that
Administration had expended from year to year. from
eight to ten millions Of dollars beyond its income absorb
ing in that period nearly ten millions pledged for depose
with the States eight millions of stock in the Bank of the
United States, from FIVE to six millions oftrus funds and
as much treasury notes and was sinking under the
weight of its own improv idence and incompetency.
The sente noe Of suffering People had commanded a
change in the Administration and the contemporaneous
elections throughout the Union had placed in both Houses
of Congress msortes the natural opponents of the prn
cipes which the will of the People should be sub.
ued In the administration of their instead
ofthose which had brought the country condition OF
such Indebtedness and shame. There perfect han
mony OF principle between the chosen President of the
People and this majority thus constituted in both Houses
Of Congress and the first act of his Administration to
call special session Of congress for their elaboration ana
action upon the measures indpensaby necessary
lief to the public Distress and retrieve the prosperity
the great community fthe nation.
On the 3lst day of May ls4 within three months after
the inauguration of President Harrison the Congress
sembled at his call But the rens of the Executive
were already in other hands By an nscruabe decree
of Providence the chief ofthe Peoples choice in harmony
M With whose principles the maOrities of both
in death. The President who had called the
meeting of Congress longer the Prcsi.
dent when the Congress met A to the Office
had assumed the title with totally different principles
though protesting the at the time of his election
which, far from harmonzing like those of his immediate
predecessor with the majority ofboh Houses of Congress-
were soon disc losed in diametrca opposition them
The first development of this new, and most unortu
nate condition Of the General Government manifested
by the failure again, Of the first great measure in
by the establishment of National Bank-a failure caused
exclusively by the operation of the veto power by the
President In the spirit Of the Constitution of the United
States the Executive is not only separated from the Legs
atve power but made dependent upon and responsible
it. Until very recent period of our history all reference
either House of Congress to the opinions or wishes of
the President, relating to any subject in de,beration
fore them was regarded as outrage upon the rights
the delberatve body among the first of whose duties
to spurn the influence OF the dispenser of patronage and
power. Until very recently sufficient greatly TO
impair the influence of any member be suspected of
personal subserviency to the and anv auson
to his wishes in debate deemed departure not less
from decency than from order. An anxious desire to
commodate the action of Congress to the opinions and
wishes Of Mr. Tyler had led to notifications OF the first
bill for the establishment of National Bank, presented
him for his approval widely differing from the opinions
entertained Of their expediency by the majority of both
Houses Of Congress, but which failed to obtain that az
proval for the sake Of which they had been reluctantly
adopted. second attempt ensued under of the
indispensable necessity of fiscal corporation the reve-
nues and credit Of the nation prepare act which
an informal intercourse and communication between q
member of the House. charged with the duty preparing
the bill and the President of the u States himself might
by compliance with his opinions pledge in adj.
vance of his prova of the BILL when it should be
sentei to him. That pledge obtained. The bill was
presented to him in the very terms which he had pre-
scribed as necessary to obtain his sanction and the
same fate with its predecessor and it is remarkable that
the assigned for the refusal approve the
bill in direct and immediate conflict with those which
hnd been assigned for the refusal to sign the first
Thus the measure first among those deemed by the lie
gislaure the Union ndpensably necessary for the
Walton OF its highest interests and for the restoration its
credit its honor its prosperity proracted defeated
annulled, by the weak and wavering obsnacy of one
man, accidentally and not by the will of the people in
vested with that terrible power if prophetically de.
scrbed by one This chosen ministers this day. as
the right to deprive the people Of self
The first consequence Of this Executive legislation was
not only to PROSTATE the efforts of the Legislature itself
relieve the people from their Distress repenish the OK.
country to redeem the public faith to the umen Of
national engagements but to leave all the burdens and
endorsements of the public Treasury brought upon il
by the mprovidence of the preceding Administration
bearing upon the people with aggravated pressure The
fatal Of the preceding Administration had been AZ,
Of expenditure beyond its income That excess
had been an average of eight millions Of dollars s
least during the four years Of its existence. The pra
tcal system Of its fiscal operations had been continued
increase OF expenditures and dmnuon of and
it left bequest to its reduction of
expenses but double reduction to the
OF millions to occur of course by the lapse time
unless avered within fifteen months, by subsequent e.
gislation.
BY the double the Presidential interdic upon
the two bills for establishing National Bank this legisa
ton was prevented. The of expenditures beyond
the revenue prescribed by the compromise OF 1893 was
suffered to take its full efect-no reduction of the expen
ditures had been prescribed and in the course of eph
teen months since the Inauguration of President Harrison
an addition of at least fifteen millions the enormous def
CIT already existing in the Treasury at the close of the
Administration is now charged upon the prevailing party
in Congress by those who had made the law while the
exercise OF the veto power alone disabled the Legislature
itself from the power of applying the only remedy which
twas within the competency of Legislation itself to pro-
The great purpose for which the special session of Con-
gress had been called thus defeated by the exercise
the veto power At the meeting of Congress Of the
lar annual session. the maortes of both Houses not
yielding to the encouragement of disappointed hopes and
baed energies undertook the task of raising by mpest
duties revenue adequate the necessities the Urea
sury and to the fulment Of the national obligations
By the assiduous and unreenng labors of the commit
tees of both Houses charged with the duties of providing
for the necessities Of the and for the great
featuring interest of the Northern Central and Western
States which must be deeply affected by any adjust.
ment of atarif to raise exclusively adequate
to the expenses of the Government from duties on i'm
ports, tariff bill believed to be nearly if not wholly suf
fcent for that purpose elaborated and amply discuss
ed through long series of weeks both branches of the
Legislature. The process Of CESSATION through which
alone such complicated system could be organised ne
cessarily consumed many months of time; the
committees or the House exempted from reproach
which the purchased presses Of the Executive Chief are
even yet casting upon Congress, without rebuke or re-
strain from him. The delays aston ed by the pa
tcnt and unwearied investigation of the whole subject
by the appropriate committees As The period approached
when the so called compromise tariff 10 be consum
mated leaving the Government without any Ia
riff sanctioned by the law, the prudence of Congress
without precipating their decision upon the perma.
nent system which they fondy hoped to establish pro.
yided and sent to the President temporary expe.
dent, limited in its operation to the space of one
month, during which to avoid as they Thought
the possibility ola collision with the unprecedented antipa
thies ofhe President they had suspended for the
month the distribution Of the the sales of pub
lie lands which by previous law take effect the
day after the expiration of the compromise. Not only
was this most conciliaory measure CONTEMPORARY
ected but in total disregard the avowed opinions his
own Secretary OF the Treasury oncurring with those
nearly unanimous Of all the most eminent lawye of the
land in solitary reliance upon the hesang opinion