Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-08-29

legations.
BY The assduous and unremitting labors of the
committees of both Houses charged with the du.
ties of providing for the necessities of the royo
nue. and OF the great manufacturing interest OF
the Northern, Central, aud Western States, which
must be SO deeply effected by any adjustment of n
tariff, to raise exclusively a revenue adequate to
the necessary expenses of the Government from
duties on Imports, tariff bill believed to he near
ly, if not wholly, sufficient for that purpose was
elaborated and amply discussed through a long
series of weeks in both branches of the Lpgsla-
ture. The process OF CESSATION through which n
lone such n complicated system could be organic.
cd necessarily consumed many months of time
nor were the committees or the House exempted
from severe rcproach, which the purchased press
of the Executive Chief are even yet casting
upon Congress, without rebuke or restraint from
him. The delays were occasioned by the patient
and unwearied investigation Of the whole subject
by the appropriate committees. As the period APP
proached when the called compromise tariff
was 10 he consumnated, leaving the Government
without any revenue tariff sanctioned 10y the law,
the prudence Of Congress- without precipalimg
their decision upon the permanent system which
they iondy hoped TO establish provided aud sent
to The President temporary cxPGdlent, ilnliedn
lis operation to tho space OF one month, duru5
which to avoid, as they thought the possibility OF
collision with the unprecedented anpathes ct
the President they had suspended Tor the same
mouth the distribution of tie proceeds OF tie sales
Of the public lands which by previous law, was
to take effect the day after the expiration Of the
compromise. Not only was this conciliatUry meas
ure contemptuousy rejected but, in total disregard
of the avowed opinions OF his own Secretary of
the Treasury, con:uiring with those, nearly unnu-
lnous OF all the most eminent lawyers OF the land,
in solitary reIiuce upon the hesullng opinion OF
the Attorney General, he has undertaken not only
to levy taxes to the amount of millions upon the
.Ilf,r
ton, aud or ascerIauirg the value OF imported
merchandise, which the lsw had, in express terms,
reserved for the legislative action of Congress.
AGd now, to crown tins system Of continual and
unrecntng exercises OF Executive legislation by
The alternate gross abuse of constitutional power
and bod assumption OF power never vested in him
by any law, we come to the Veto Mesa @ @. red
by tho House to this committee.
A comparative review OF the four several yetoes
which, in the course of fifteen months, have sus
pended The legislation of his Union, combined
with that amphibieus production, the reasons for
approving and signing bill, and at the same lime
striking by Jurcial construction, at It's most i'm
portant enactment, illustrated by cOnlcmporaneous
illusions OF temper and sentiment dlvulged al con
vivial festivals, and obruled upon the public eye
by the fatal friendship Of sycophant private cor
respondents, and stripped TO its naked nature by
the repeated and daring assumption both OF e lis
lave and Of Judicial power, would present anom-
allies Of character and conduct rarely seen upon
earth. Such an investigation, though strictly with
in the scope of the instructions embraced in The
reference to this committee, would require vol
luminous report, which The scantln, IS OF time will
not allow, and which may not be necessary for
maturing the judgment OF the House upon the
document now before them.
The reasons assigned by the President for re-
turning to the House Of Representatives with his
objections, the bill 10 provide revenue from i'm
ports, and to change and modify existing laws i'm.
posing duties and tor other purposes, are preceded
10y Uriei dissertation upon The painful sensations
which any indipiduaL invested with the veto pow
must feel IN exercising it upon important acts
of the Legislature. The paragraph is worded with
extreme caution, and with obvious intent to avoid
the assertion, made in such broad and unqualified
terms i'll the letter read at the Philadelphia Indie
pendence day dinner party, that Congress can G.
nact no idtp without the concurrence OF the Ex.
ecuye. There is in this paper sudious effort
to save any individual from the impuaton of
serng the unqualified independence of the Exec
uiive upon the Legislature, and the impotence OF
Congress TO enact any law without him. That as
serlion, made in so explicit and unqualified terms,
in the Philadel plIa letter, is here virtually dis
claimed and disayowed The exercise Of some
Independence Of judgment, IN regard TO oil acts of
legislation, by any individual invested with the We
to power, is here curtaiied and narrowed down TO
the mere privilege of not yielding his wel-cvnsid-
opinions on matters OF great public concernment,
to those OF a coordinate department., without re.
guessing that department seriously To re.exnmne
the subject Of their difference. The ordinate
department 10 the Legislature is no longer The CO.
ordinate branch Of the Legislature. The power
OF Congress 10 enact n law without the co-Opera-
ton of any individual Executive is conceded, moi
merely by unavoidable inference, for the closing
paragraph of the message, recurring again 10 the
same troublesome "reminiscences, observes that, al
ter ALL the effect of what he does is substantially
to call on Congress 10 reconsider the subject. IT,
Oh such reconsideration, majority of two-thirds
of both Houses should be in favor Of this measure,
il will become law Notwithstanding his objections.
The lruism Of this remark may perhaps be nc
counted for by the surmise that II was n new dis
covery, made since the writing OF the Phllade pha
dinner party letter; and the modest presumption
ascribed 10 the Constitution that the Executive
commit no error OF opinion unless two-ihirds OF
both branches of the Legislature ARE in conict
with him, is tempered by the aniabe assurance
that in that event he will cheeriully acquiesce in
result which would be precisely the saIne whether
he should acquiesce in it or not The aptitude OF
this hypothetical position may he estimated by The
calculation of The chances that the contingency
which it supposes is within Tho verge Of possibility.
The reasons assigned by the President for his
objections TO This bill are further preceded by II
narrative OF his antecedent opinions aud comnu-
nicalions on the subject of distributing the pro-
ceeds of the sales Of the public lands. lie admits
that at The opening OF the extra session he rec
commended such distribution, but he AYERS that
this recommendation WINS expressly coupled with
the condition that tho duties OH imports should
not exceed the rate of 20 per cent provided by
the compromise act OF 1888.
Who could imagine that, after This most emphat
lc coupling oe the revenue from duties of nposts
with The revenue from the proceeds OF the sales
OF The public lands, the first and paramount obec-
ton OF the President TO this bill should be lhus it
uniles TWO subjects, which, so far from having a.
ny affinity to one unoiher, are wholly incongru-
GUS in their character which two subjects are j.
dentically the same with those which he had cou-
pied together in his recommendation to Congress
at the extra session? II there was no affinity he
tween The parties, why did heJoin them together ?
II the union was illegtmate, who was the admin.
islering priest Of the unhaowed rites 1t is OBJ
jecled to this bill that it is both revenue and an
appropriation bill What then? Is not the act
r A 4 -.