The Camden journal. [volume] (Camden, S.C.) 1836-1851, 1842-08-31
C. J. INGERSOLL.. r.
JAMES l. ROOSEVELT.

Mr. Glmer of Virginia, made protest against !
the report of the majority of the committee, in :
which, after arguing the unconstitutonality of
the action of the House in referring the veto to
a committee, instead of proceeding TO another
vote on the bill, as directed by the Constitution,
he proceeds to an investigation of the nature
and object of the veto power, as bestowed upon
the President by that instrument. Glancing at
theextra session. the passage Of the; distribution
law, and exposition of the Treasury as stated in
the Presidents message at the commencement
of the present session, he continues:
The revenue bill was reported on the Sd of
June, and taken up for the first time in commit
tee of the whole on the 9Th of June. This final
reduction. of duties TO twenty per cent. under
the compromise of 1888, was to take-effect on
the 30th of June, and then the the distribution
under the act of 1S4l was to commence, provi-
ded the duties were not raised beyond twenty
pei. cent.-On the 7th of June the -committee Z
ofways and means, which had reported the res
venue billion the 3d., brought in what was called
a provisional bill, the ostensible object of which
was to provide for temporary collection of du-
ties until time could be afforded for the passage
of the general revenue bill. The revenue bill
provided for a general increase Of dutiess beyond
twenty pes'cent.,' and its passage would fieces-
sariy have enforced the suspending clause of
the distribution act. The provision bill report
ed on the 9TH of June, contained no reference
to this s'lspending clause of the distribution act.
On the 9th of June second provisional bill was
reported from the committee of ways and means,
with the same general objects as the first, which
had been reported only two days before, and
with proviso repeating the suspending clause
of the distribution act.
The first provisional bill was never consider
cd. the second was passed by the House on
the 10Th of June, went to the Senate, returned
with amendments which werea concurred in the
25th of June, and was returned by the Presi- )
dent with objections on the Doth of June.
These objections were founded on the deplora:s
bic condition of the Treasury, and on the expe-
diency of adhering under the circumstances to
the terms on which distribution had been au-
thorized by the act of 1541.. The revenue bill did
not pass until the 5;h Of August. 1t was return.'
ed with the Presidents objections on the 9Th
These objections are now before the commit
tee. They are substantially the same as those
which accompanied the provisional bill on the
29lh of June. The revenue bill contained
clause most unequivocalE repeating, the sus-
pension of the distribution act, which its own
passage would have enforced, and thus it was in
effect the enactment of a new distribution law,
applleu TO lle FeEeIue Uill..EsS
Each house deliberateiYfsfused to strike out
this and persisted in associatng in lndcruouss
contrast two measures, the one an act to raise
money for the support of government by the im-
position of taxes, the other to distribute the land
revenues among the States. The majority of
both Houses had proclaimed, with the concur
renee of the President, in September, 1S4l,
that distribution should only be made when the
duties were below twenty per cent The ma
jority of both Houses had again and again pro-
claimed, in lS42, the necessity of raising the
duties above twenty per cent and yet they IN
sisted or distributing the land fund without re:
gard to the situation OF the Treasury, and with
out regard to the burthens which might be i'm
posed en- tic people. :. -..
They might have attempted to raise revenue
from imports and to distribute the land fundsins
seperate bills Then each measure would have
rested on its own intrinsic merits. But they
persisted in connecting them:in. one bill. The
restriction in the distribution act of 1S41 was
designed to guard against increasing the bur- q,
tiens Of taxation to fill vacuum occasioned by
distribution. The legislation of l842is design
ed to create vacuum, filled by increased taxa
ton. There is no precedent inthe history OF
any government, for the union, under fsncnclr-
cumstances, of a revenue and an appropriation
bill. As there was no necessity for such union 8
apparent to the public We are at Liberty to IN
ter that it resulted from q consciousness that one
or both the measures could not have separately
commanded majority The eXgenciesSof. the
national treasury were supposed tgsfurnEh a
favorable opportunity for Congress to extort
terms on which alone the government should be
supplied withfevenue to meet their own sappro-