The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-07-22

4
| venue hill clause appIoprlatng the who q pi"c'e
| to the States: il the law under consideration
,sents consti utional difficulties, that wou'd not
| Tor they differ only in degnee-In principle they are
| the same Would not the President owe 1t 10 MS oi'
flee and the country 10 refuse his signature To such
bill Even my colleague, think, would assem- !"
the proprIety OF such refusal But II Is also AUNT
ted that the veto was granted Tor the purpose OF ~
resting hasy and Improvident legislation now, y
not probable hat such instances would most ifequeh
ly be found in cases which present no constitutional
difficulty land might no hes" questions o' eAPeu'
ency involve the highest interests OF the counuy
need pause la illustrate ths ny suppo Gu Eases
they are 80 easily conceived tn It would be needless
Ia suggest them.
But Mr. Speaker there is another reason higher
than all the rest which has been assigned Tor vesnS
thi, power in the Executive. The extent OF our
COUNTRY and its diverstes of SOIL male anu ine-
SITS rendered il IMPOSSIBLE 10 vest the entire powers
of Government 10 grand national institution l"
be moved bv simple maj orty of people who por
suits and charac er were so Tar IRON pehg hoheeens
aus The distance ol the representative from MS
constituents aud these dversItles required 'ha mere
should be some of regulating The actiIn :" TINS
Government by the sober second thought OF the leo
pe and of legslalnI upon such principles that is
laws should be the result o the VIII OF some gtea'
oredominating interest, but compromise, which
should command the assent of as many OF these con
hclng interests il possible TO combine III ell
Gent action When its efficiency was secured, II was
manifest that the more wills 1t combined IN It's acton
the beloved, the more popular wouio Geo "o.
In the federate system the sectional or c'ntl'uea'
| tendencies supposed to pfedomnale too much'
In the national form the Centnpedli power was De-
eyed TO be too great tor interests diversified as ours
la the ruth of So many conflicting interests to the
centre their COLLISIONS mig destroy, or at ieas' en-
danger the entire system. II was necessary 10 devise
some means which IN ght make the mo'ene"t OF tnis
q ivernment tie Tesul ant of these two opposing
forces means which, # p)ssi. lie, should presc be the
,rbt IN which each 5 ale should move apart, ana ye
regulate their IN m that there siou 90 harh'
NOUS action and prog ess IN the whole 10 say that
tai, end has bsen compile ely alned would De to
claim degree OF perfection whic i, not to be reached
by human meas; but 1t has been opyr1ac led To a
d'gree which to be almost miraculous
rhe national and fedeIaiive systems are al
most EXC ly balanced under our form OF ge-
neral government; it cannot move without a ma
iory both of he whole people and OF The States
T. movement is the result of bJth of these np'lhng
powers. The House OF Represen atives represents
The whole peop the Senate represehts the , ateS
and the President elected upon conpound RATIO OF
b)th. But, as nu nbers Constitute tue chei element
the constituency of the President, 1t was feared M
might lean too much to the national part of the sys-
ten. The steady action of his powers, united wltl'
hose Of this House might niely ovepower The fed
crative action the Government. To remedy th's,
another check was introduced. The Senate was al.
lowed a negative upon the use OF his patronage SUI,
aowever it was to be feared hat, without parti-
cipauon of the President in the legislation OF the
country there might be improper combinations OF sec.
IONS or OF interests, whicn would lead To partial and
unj lst legislation. The Huue of Representatives
took he sense of the whole people but by patseach
member looking only to his dicric,, and not to
he whole The Senate took the of the States,
by parts-each Senator coki to his ow State, and
not to the whole coniederacy. But the Pfesidrnl
who represented the entire constituency or moving
power of the q ,vernment would take the sense OF
The people, and OF the nfderacy, whote. he
must look for his popularity not 10 part, but to all
Now, measure, winch night combine improperly the
particular IN, rests OF majority OF the parts, mghi
yet be opposed to the common good and general vel
fare of the whole TINS the precise effect of what
very well known the ogroliIng system of lcgsa-
non. To remedy this tar possible, the assent OF
The President, who represents the people as whole,
MAS required to all laws According then, TO the
theory OF our Government, the passage of law sup
poses the assent Of uaores OF the whole nation, 10y
parts Of me jonty of the whole contederacy, by
parts; and, may be, OF the entire nation
and OF the entire contederacy as integers The exist
my state of the laws cannot therefore, be changed
except by concurrence of these three MAJ rites
whose sense Is differently taken OF else 10y concur
renee Of wtthIds in each Hou-e of Congress Eve
~ people, who are satisfied with their Government
presume the existing state OF thlngsto be GOOD aud I'M
pose some checks up sudden or rapid changes. Stea
dine toe action of the democratic prime pie essen
ual Ia the permanence OF popular Government Every
wise md free people have adopted somc checkr
upon the spirit OF change, as Indispensable to the
! steady action of the great moving spring of denocra-
tic power. In proportion 10 the extent OF the power
IS the necessity that all changes In It's direction
should tie prog ressiye and slow is as true of the
moral as OF t mechanical powers, that, what we
gain in force, We must lose IN time. believe there
rs instance auclent or modern, In which there has
been either a happy or a permanent form OF popular
government, unless It's moving power consisted o
more than bare majority. When efficiency has
been secured the next great object must always be tC
| wills POSSIBLE the action Of that
| Government. A constitution which requires abb
solute surrender of the will of minority to mere
ma, rty, when there Is but lutte difference between
them in point Of strength and numbeis, almost in
viles The aIblramen ut the sword IN questions If high
and exciting difference And il may be said t. be-
long the OWNER part of political science, so to inst
tute government that It's action may be the result
OF compromise of as many wills as may be cOmpatI
BILE with efficiency. Sir this great principle 1T com
pron lies at the bottom OF all societies and ought
to be The basis of all social action. 1t is prescribed in
the divine aImonies of the laws which govern the
physical world, that all motion shall feel To some
tent, the influence OF every force winch npels it,.
And The moral action OF human society is harmon
aud steadily progressive in the precise pIopo
combines more of The Influences which give i'm
| pulse to its movements May | not say that this
great this divine problem IN government has been al
most completely solved the great experiment which
our fathers lnslilutedl Fne efficiency Of Gov
ernment has been de uons rated AID the harm ny on
lis people have reason to hope, has been secured
by those wise provisions which require the previous
assent OF more than mere majority to its action. II
was this las, respect that our system was supposed
| to be weaket; and shall w voluntarily throw down
| any Of those deences winch guard 1t, where II Is
most vulnerable 2 When have secured the social
sh,l 1--WE destroy any OF those provisions which ex'
tend the IN lIvdu Il liberty of he citizen When
we bject to the veto power IN the Government,
obJec to the right OF ma prity OF the VIII lie peU-
PIE to be represented whole, through The Pres
IL H. .I.ft. If MIR W. ,r.
pared say tns this prec majority shall have no
| representation IN making laws I for that Won b,
the effect Of destruction OF the veto which he
els s. SIR this has been treated mater of perso-
n Il pryi eye in the Executive. But it is not hi, pow
err bu that OF those whom he represents, and who
have light To the exercise of this power When
thl, House the SENATE, he President, act IN le
nlsln IN The nnwer l. eXeIcsed not nuch hY Ihen