Litchfield enquirer., 1842-08-25
REPORT OF RRR. ADAMS,
FROM THE SELECT COMMITTEE on TIE
VETO,


ed the Message Of the President of the Uni
led States returuing to this House the act,
which originated in it, "to provide revenue
from imports, and to change and modify Elk.
listing laws imposing duties on Imports, and
for other purposes" with his objections to it,
with Instructions to report thereon to the
House, have attended to that service aud re-
specially report:
The Message is the last OF a series Of Ex-
ecutive measures the result Of which has
been to defeat and nulIify the whole action
Of the Legislative authority of this Union,
upOu the most important interests of the na.
eion.
At the accession of the late President Har-
rison, by election of the People, to the Exec
utive chair, the finances, the revenue and the
credit of the country were found in a condi-
ton so greatly disordered and so anguish
ing, that the first act of his administration
was to call special session Of Congress to
provide remedy for this distempered state
Of the great body polite. 1t was even then
q disease of no sudden occurrence, and OF
no ordinary malignity. -Four years before,
the immediate predecessor Ut General Ilarri-
sen had been constrained to resort to the
same expcdient, a special session of Con-
gress, the result Of which had only proved
the 6rst Of q succession of pailiatives, pur-
chasing NnOme0tary relief al the expense of
deeper seated disease and aggravated symp-
TOMS growing daily moro intense through
the whole four years OF that Administration.
Il had expended. from year to year, from
eight to ten millions of dollars hey ond its in
come, absorbing in that period nearly ten
millions pledged for deposite with the States,
eight millions of stock in the Bank of the Uni
ted States, from five 20 six millions of trust
funds, and as much treasury notes and was
sinking under the weight of its own improve
dence and incompetency.
The sentence of a suffering People had
commanded change in the Administration,
and the cotemporaneOus elections thro'out
the Union had placed in both Houses Of Con.
gress maiofi,;cs. the natural exponents of the
principles which it was the will vi the Peo-
pie should be substituted in the administra-
ton of their Government, instead Of those
which had brought the country to condition
of such wretchedness and shame. There
was perfect harmony of principle between
the chosen President Of the People and this
majority, thus constituted in both Houses of
Congress and the first act of his Admins.
tration was to call special session Of Con
gress, for their deliberation and action upon
the measures indispensably necessary for re.
lief to the public distress, and to retrieve the
prosperity Of the great community of the ma
ton.
On the 3lst day of May, 1871, within three
months after the inauguration OF President
Harrison, the Congress assembled at his
call. But the rsins Of the Executive car
were already in other hands. BY an inscru-
table decree of Providence the chief of the
peoples choice, in harmony with whose
principles the majorities of both Houses had |
been constituted, was laid low in death. The |
President who had called the meeting of Con- |
L.. akcD De- S.onA a,,ho
gress met A successor to the Office had as |
Sumed the title, with totally different princi. |
pies, though protesting the same at the time |
of his election, which, far from harmonizing, |
like those of his immediate predecessor, with |
the majority Of both Houses of Congress, |
were soon disclosed indiametrical opposition |
to them.
The first development Of this new, and |
most unfortunate condition Of the General
Government, was manifested by the failure,
once and again, of the first great measure J
intended by Congress to restore the credit !
Of the country, by the establishment of Ma.
tional Bank-a failure caused exclusively
by the operation of the veto power by the
President. In the spirit of the Constitution
Of the United States, the Executive is not on.
ly separated from the Legislative power, but
made dependent upon and responsible TO It.
Until very recent period in our history, all
reference in either House Of Congress to the
opinions or wishes of the President, relating
to any subject in elaboration before them,
was regarded as an outrage upon the rights
Of the delberative body, among the first of
whose duties it is to spurn the influence Of
The dispenser Of patronage and power.
Until very recently, 1t was sufficient great.
ly to impair the influence of any member
10 be suspected Of personal subserviency to
The Executive; and any allusion 10 his wish.
es In debate was deemed departure not less
from decency than from order. An anxious
desire 10 accommodate the action of Congress
10 the opinions and wishes Of Mr.. Tyler had
led 10 notifications of the first bill for the
establishment Of National Bank, presented
10 him tor his approval. widely differing from
tho opinions entertained of their expediency
by the majority of both Houses Of Congress,
but which failed to obtain that approval for
the sake Of which they had been reluctantly
adopted: A second attempt cnsued, under
sense Of the indispensable necessity Of fis-
the nation, to prepare an act, to which an in
formal intercourse and communication be.
tween member of the House charged with
the duty of preparing the bill, and the Pres
ident ~ the United States himself might So
cure by compliance with his opinions
pledge in advance Of his approval Ofthe bill
when il should be presented to him. That
WAR was obtained. The bill was presen.
led 70 him in the vo, ,, terms which he had
prescribed as necessary to opt~.: bis sane
lion. ard it met the same fate with its prede- |
cessor and il is remarkable that the reasons
assigned for the refusal to approve the sec
onA hiil are in direct and immediate conflict |
with those which had been assigned for the |