Bloomington herald. [volume] (Bloomington, I. T. [Iowa]) 1840-1849, 1842-09-23
pROTEsT OF TIE PREsxDE.,.E


is.proyided. that s every hill which! shall have
passed the House Of Representative and the
Senate, shall, before it become law, be pre-
scented 10 thssPresident of the United States;
If he approve, he shalt sign il; but if not he
shall return h, with his objections. to that
House in which it shall have originated, who
shall enter the objections at large upon the
journal, and proceed to reconsider it"
In siric, compliance with the positive ohli-
CATION thus imposed upon me by the constlfu-
ton. not having been able to bring myself TO
approve a bill which originated in the House
OF Representatives, entitled IAN act 10 pro-
vide revenue from inpos,s, and &c change and
modify existing laws imposing duties on inn
ports, and for other purposes returned the
same to The House. with my objections TO lis
becoming law. These objections which had
entirely satisfied my own mind Of the great
impolcy, if no, the unconstiluiionaiiy, OF the
measures, were presented ~ tho most respect
fni, and even deferenial, terms. i would not
have been so far forgetful Of what was due
from one department Of the Government TO an
other, as TO have Intentionally employed, IN
my official intercourse with the House, any
language that could be, In the slightest degree,
offensive TO those 10 whola 1t was addressed.
If in assigning my objections to the bill, Il had
so far forgotten what was due TO the House OF
Representatives as to impugn its motives IN
passing the bill, should owe, not only to that
House, but to the country, my most profound
apology. Such departure from proprlety is,
however, not complained Of in any proceeding
which the House has adopted. II has, on the
contrary, been expressly made a subject of
remark, aud almos. Of complaint, that the Ian
guage in which my dissent was couched was
SfndinuSlv Uuarded and caufinus
Such being the character OF the official COM
murication in question, confess was Who'll
ly unprepared for the course which has been
pursued in regard to it. In the exercise Of the
power to regulate its own proceedings, the
House, for the first time, il is believed, in the
history Of the Government, thought proper to-
| refer The message to select committee OF its
| own body. for the purpose las my respect for
the House would have compelled me to infer)
Of deliberately weighing the objections urged
against the bill by the Executive, with view
| 10 its own judgement upon the question OF the
final adoption or rejection Of the measure.
OF the tempe. and feelings in relation 10 my
self OF some Of The members selected for the
performance Of his duty, have nothing to say.
That was matter entirely within the discre-
tion Of the House Of Representatives. But that
committee, taking different view Of its duty
from that which | should have supposed had
led 10 its creation, instead OF conining itself
10 the objections urged against the bill, avail
ed itself Of the occasion formally to arraign
the motives of the President for others Of his
acts since his introduction into Off g. La the
absence Of all proof and, as am bound to de-
clare, against all law or precedent in parlia-
men'ary proceedings, and at the same time, in
manner which il would be difficult TO recon-
ii,o Jl,,o
ed in the intercourse between dependent and
coordinate departments Of the Government, it
has assaled my whole official cond ust, with
out shadow of pretext for such assault, and
stopping short of impeachment. has charged
me. nevertheless, with offences declared to de-
serve impeachment.
Had the extraordinary report which the COM
mittee thus made TO the House been permitted
to remain without the sanction of the latter,
should not have uttered regret, or complaint,
upon the subject. But. unaccompanied as j.
is by any particle Of testimony to support the
charges itcontains, without deliberate en-
animation, almos. without any discussion, the
House OF representatives has been pleased to
adopt il as its own, and, thereby, TO become
my accuser before the country, and before the
world. The high character of such an accuser,
the gravity Of the charge which has been made.
and The judgement pronounced agains, me, by
the adoption of the report upon distinct and
separate vote of the House, leave me no alter
native but TO enter my solumn protest against
the proceeding; as unjust to myself as a man,
as an invasion of my constitutional powers as
Chief Magistrate Of the American people. and
as violation. in my person, of rights secured
to every citizen by the laws and the constiu-
tlon- That constitution has entrusted to the
House of Representatives the sole power Of
impeachment. Such impeachment is required
10 be tried before the most august tribunal
known 10 our institutions.
The Senate Of the United States, composed
OF the Representatives Of the sovereignty Of
The states, is converted into hall of Justice,
and in order to insure the s,rictest observance
of the rules of evidence and Of legal procedure,
the Chief Justice of the United States, the
highest judicial functionary or the land, is re.
CURED to preside over lis deliberations. In
the presence Of such jndicatcry the voice of
faction is presumed to be silent, and the SEN
tence OF guilt or innocence is pronounced un-
der the most solemn sanctions of religion, of
honor and of law. 10 such tribunal does
the constitution authorize the House Represen-
tasives TO carry up its accusations against any
chief OF the Executive Department whom it
may believe to be guilty Of high crimes or mis-
ao'oa"o'S' DeioIe mat tribunal. Inc accused
Is confronted with his accusers, and may de-
mand the privilege, which the justice of the
common law secures to the humblest citizen,
OF full, patient and impartial inquiry into the
lacts, upon The testimony Of witnesses, rigidly
examined, and deposing in the face Of day.
II such proceeding had been adopted to-
ward me, unjust as should certainly have re-
garded II, should, trust, have met with
becoming constancy, trial as painful as it
would have been undeserved. ] would have