Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-07-11
DEsArE ON THE VETO.
IcosriNuEp.l


anyth. lie said that, Oy inc provisions OF Nnc com
pronss oct, after this day, oil duties on foreign i'm
porta,ions which previously exceeded 20 per cen
were 10 fall down TO 30 per cent and oil foreign ian
portntions were to lie valued under such rules anC
equations ~ should be prescribed by Law. No
.rrh rules and regulations Ind been prescribed
70 prevent the difficulties which would result {,
&c country in the absence OF such rules, and II IN,
aties were brought down to 90 per cent, the Com
iittee of Ways and Means had reported n bill &c
is llhouse simply continuing the present existing
until the first Of August, rs i existed on the
st ofths month. MIR Il. referred TO the various
cps in the legislation this BILL and said that as
passed il was simply postponement OF al ques'
1ns relating to the tariff and 10 the distribution o
e proceeds of the public lands from this day TO The
LIST Of August.
This was necessary for various purposes which
h. wonld not now name. The bill went to the Pre-
sicn, of the United States, and within the penoo
provided by the Constitution he had returned u 20
q House with his reasons for not signing y. ~
now became their duty, by the Consuiu,ion' 70 OK
tr,irc those reasons, and IL was their duty, US pa
riots and as legislators If these reasons were sum
.,rnt 10 Weld 10 them and recede; II, on the other
and. the reasons offered by the Chief Magistrate
houid not be deemed sufficient, then It was Their
iuty to stand in the position which they had tax
en-. -..e,,
What were the reasons offered by the Chief Ma
cistrate for refusing to sign the bif lie SAID hrst
that this bill sent him Suspended, or IN otner
words abrocated for the time, the provisions OF the
net OF 1888, commonly calleu tue SouiP'ohhe0 ~
One would suppose, from reading that reason, mat
the President held that that act must necessarily DO
preserved in its present shape and form through All
,imc. But how, Mr. b. would enquire, did u Vio'
late the provisions oil the compromise ACT IL con-
taued existing laws the first of August, by winch
a portion Of the duties on certain articles wou'u
amount for this month, TO more than ~ per cent.
Was that the point in which 1t violated the eompeo'
mise, and tho reason on account OF when the fre-
sdent nlerposed his veto2 The President sala That
a. d,,tta nh
cent, but that such the condition OF the coun.
try that il was absolutely necessary TO do so; and
further, that by the provisions oil that law they
might discriminate, and for purposes oil protection,
nbove as well as below twenty per cent. Mr. h.
understood by that they might discriminate only
below twenty per cent, but he should not quarrel
with the President on that construction.
What other provision OF the compromise act was
violated TO require the arrest 10y the Executive oil
this law so necessary for the time being7 II there
was any other he hoped those who said 1t was the
case would point it out. lie knew OF no other.
There were various other things in the message
OF the President to which he had not time 10 cali at
tenion. Among other things, the President expressed
the opinion that through his Secretary OF the Trea-
sury he was authorized TO carry into effect the pro-
visions OF the compromise law without further le-
gislalion by Congress on the subjec'. MIR b. read
from the section OF the compromise act providing
ior the evying ofsuch duties as are necessary TO an
economical administration OF Government, and that
scd on the value thereof the port where entered
"and under such regulations as may be prescribed
10y law" And yet the message said that they
we're to be collected under such regulations us
might be prescribed by the Secretary ofthe TreN'
Hury. MIR b. referred ~ the meaning Of the WORD
may" in the law and said that in Of this kind
II meant "sha," and that it was contemplated that
these regulations should lie fixed by law.
Another reason set forth in the veto was that the
hill violated the oct Of last session providing that
Oh IL
distribution should cease. lie did not know how
II violated it in this respect. One clause of the mes
cage said that this bill directed distribution to be
made on The LIST of August next. Mr. b. thought
the President was mistaken in this: it provided
such thing il merely postponed the distribution TIL
the LIST OF August and then whether il should tske
plsee was TO be determined by other laws.
Wee not these singular reasons, MIR Il. asked, on
which 10 rest this great veto power? One Of the
objections set fosth that the provisions OF this
law abrogated suspended, repealed, or altered eN-
ising laws. Why were they sent here but 10 alter,
tochange existing laws. The fact that il did abro-
gate, suspend, repeal existing laws Nit B. coz.
oelved was not a reason per Sc Tor throwing away
the law. II these nws were wise md Just, and the
public interest required that they should remain as
they were, then It was good reason why they
should not be changed; but the fact that the bill
Obrosnted existing laws furnished very little evil
dence Of the bill being wrong, when it brought with
1t the evidence in its favor OF majority of both
branches OF the National Legislature. Yet these
were the reasons set forth 10y the Presidehti Mr.
had voted for neither OF these laws and lie thought
gsinst the compromise. Its effects might have been
IN degree beneficial, but that that law was 70
he regarded as the Constitution Of the country, OF
rs having moral force beyond any other law, he
had seen nothing 10 satisfy him. The President
hsd told them that they must raise duties above
20 per cent. That law had continued 10 reduce the
duties until tie Treasury was exhausted. The
great industrial portion Of our country had had ten
years oil settled legislation, with the hope that they
might lie able to live and the country prosper un-
der il. Yet, at the same time that the Treasury
had been exhausted by its effects, the great indus.
trial portion OF the community came with united
voice, and told them il they permitted il 10 be car
led out that they would be ruined. While this
vas the state ofihngs with respect TO the wants of
&c Treasury, the wants Of the country, and the
wants of the people, he asked il the objections made
y the President, TO this temporary bill, suspendnz
nc provisions ofthe compromise for short month";
ormed sufficient reason for their reconsdering this
o2 II so, they ought TO yieldi but il was not the
in his opinion.
Mr. b. remembered the history Of these laws-the
distribution act Of 1888, and the compromise act.
There was nothing in either that looked 10 what
might be the amount Of duties thereafter. II was
nd that this distribution WAS party measure. To
demonstrate that this not the case, MIR b. refer
to the passage Of the distribution bill Of 1888
D. the fact that II received the votes Of seven jack
s'n Senators, and twenty-five Jackson members of
q. House, all "good men and true"-that it pass ed
lie House by more than a two third vote, and that
!s Old Hero" fearing that il would become a law
~ two>third vote Of both Houses, notwilhs,and-
ng hs objections, refused to return the bill with his
objections. From that day to the present, this dis
trbu,ion of the proceeds Of the public lands so far
as he knew, had been one Of the greatest principles
OF the Wing party. lie appealed TO his colleague
iMr Cushinel II was not so, and whether he and
they had not been in favor ofthe distribution princ
pie on higher and broader principles than as a mere
question Of revenue. The "Oid Hero" himself had /
declared in a message TO Congress that this fund
ought not 10 belong TO the revenues Of Government
How long was It since the gentleman from South |
ynrona had pronounced his donunciaions against
this mean, piiiiul policy olooking TO the public lands
for Tevenuel Now, all the cry was, "Rovonue ~
'Ihe country is Bankrupt" How we're we 10 tc
rescued from this bankruptcy by keeping in the
Treasury the avdis OF the public land, which had
been announced hundred times Over by our most
statesmen and by the country rs he.
longing 10 the People, md not TO the public Troa.
sury. This same thing had been announced by The
present Chief Magistrate IN a report made by him
10 the Virginia Legislature, and which did him
honor.
Mr. r. Ind another objection 10 giving M tho
public .ands now. The gentleman froih New York
lMr GRASoEpl had stated very loreibly a reason
which had its eject on lis (Mr B's) mind though |
II was not, perhaps, controlling, w: the nuctu1tion
which relying on this source Of revenue introduced
into the OF the country. lf tho distribution
hdl passed by both Houses of Congress in 1883 Il
had become a law, and the millions Of money nri
og from The LANDS had gone into the pockets Of the
People, VIC would have avoided much Of the evil
NC have suffered tince that time.
lie had another objection. Wy this distribution
net five hundred thousand acres OF lard had been
passed into The hands Of seven Of the new States
81 the Union, and provision was contained in it