The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1842-02-10

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fer from hat of The m0HaTchs a i1e Oh
wOAd. Here. TOO. the Chief MaglslEsse
oeeupied An isolated station, Nllene ihe
voice az his country and the eries q -
t.stress could not reach his ear. lie. TOO,
was surrounded b. Gordon of fayoriies.
llalerers, and fawns. isolated IN ms
Dis,rici, with Nc emharassmenis himself,
he echoes Of The public distress. Il hey
rearhed his ear Al al. reached u with >
faint and feeble sound. being DISTRACTED
by those who surrounded his peFscn. and
approached him only 70 flaiier. Facts
were boldly denied. and all complaints a.
Iribuled 10 = laciions spirit. Now, ne
would ssk, was i man thus separated, and
,hus surround, more likely 20 know the
real suiTerines, wants, and wishes Of his
connirymen. than the two hundred and
farty-iwo men in The other House, or the
iliy-lwo men in this House. Who came
up here directly from their bosom! who
shared in alI their suffering! who fell their
wants, participated in their wishes, and
sympalhized with ali iheirsorrOws! That
was The true question Of The veto power.
Now he thought il these things were duly
considered. land he spoke not Of Ibis or
of that incumbent Of The Office, bot Of the
circumstances of every one who filled H.
il must be admitted BY every candid mind
that the responsibility was great Of man
who should undertake. on his own private
opinion. 10 resist and suppress the will OF
Tie nation eonslituiionally expressed. IL
was a power not merely 10 annul The ma
iional will, as lawfully uttered by lis own
chosen Representatives. but the power 10
initiate Legislation itself, and 10 substitute
for he will Of the nation an alien will,
neither OF the nation nor Of It's Represen-
talives.
But he was physically unable to go
further into this subject. The question
was the old question whether we should
have, in this country, power tyrannlcal,
despotic, absolute, The exercise Of which
must, sooner or later, produce an absolute
despotism. or a free Representative gn-
yernment with powers clearly defined and
carefully separated! That was The true
question 10 be decided.
There were other amendments accom-
panying This one on which he wished to
say few words, but was to-day unable
to do so. ESeyeral Offers had been made
by gentlemen near him to move an all
journment, but he had..Pesevered in de-
clining them.
That in relation to securing to Con-
gress The appointment Of the Secretary and
Treasurer, was one Of those reforms to
which he considered the Wig party
solemnly pledged as one Of the measures
proper to be pursued in the process OF
limiting Executive power, but he could
not now dwell upon il.
The other, relating to the appointment
Of members Of Congress 10 office. only
went, in effect, 10 carry out the principle
already sanctioned by that article of the
Constitution which declares that no menu
Der should be appointed to an office which
had been created or the emnluments of
which had been increased with his con-
currence. This went enc step further,
and declared that no member should be
appointed 10 an Office which had been
created with or,wi,hoat his concurrence,
before or after he was a member. When
ever man accepted AN office which he
was reasonably expected to hold for a de-
finite term, he should continue 10 hold il
for that entire period, unless some very
strong reason existed to the contrary, and
which had not existed prior to his appoint
ment.
There was one concluding remark on
the amendment at present before the
Senate with which he would close what
he had now to say. Although he admit
ted that the principles he had laid down
would, if carried fairly out, lead TO the
abolition Of the veto altogether, as incon-
sistent with the INSTRUMENTATION OF free
government, yet he was of opinion that
this, like other reforms, should be intro
duced slowly and with circumspection,
without suddenly rushing from one ex-
treme to another. Before the power
should be utterly abolished he deemed j,
prudent that an experiment should be
made in modified form: and instead Of
requiring majority Of two-ihirrls of both
Houses 10 supersetle the veto Of the Pre-
sident, he thought it sufficient to require
the concurrence of a majority of the whole
number Of members elected, j. g. Of twenty
seven in the Senate and of one hundred
and fortytwo in the other House.
He asked whether this would not af.
ford sufficient security against the
dangers of hasty legislaiion; aud, in con.
firmation Of its sufIiciency, he would ap.
peal TO what had been the experience oI
all the States where such asprovision had
been adopted. If a bill, after having un.
dcrgone full investigation and discus.
sion, should pass both Houses, and be
transmitted to the President for his sig
nature, and he should return it with hi.
veto, and the reasons f,r that veto, and i,
should then be again considered and full.
ly discussed in view Of the objections
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