The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-18
REPORT OF THE MINORITY.

The undersigned, members of the Select Com
mlttee to whom the Presidents message is referred
submit brief and hasty protest against the eiaoo
rate report of the majority.
Free Government depends on constitutional checks
otherwise, democracy is despotism. Each House
Congress has an absolute negative upon the o'hef
The American Judiciary exercises power 10 an"u
laws. The Union and the States, respectively u
ne instances, nullify each others legsiatioh tt
sovereign arbiter being the people, never YET w o
than fifty years of prosperous experience, ia,iis y
nterpose their political omnipoence' Peacea9tl, M
telgibly and for the general welfare In ABOLITION
to these fundamental principles, which are ,he con
sentative bases Of our free institutions ue Cohsu
ton of the United States requires the Executive Ma
gistrate if he disapproves act OF Congress, 10 re-
turn it, with his objections, to ITS authors, and cal
upon them to reconsider before IL can become law
There is no Veto is too often supposed, elmer III
the word or the spirit of the Constitution, but mere
authority for Executive reference to legislative recon
sderation. Uniounded resemblance has been igno-
rantly supposed between this American provision for
elaboration to prevent errors OF passion and precp-
fancy, and the absolute inhibition OF the Roman OF
the modern royal veto. There is no resemblance
whatever between them They are as unlike as
free and absolute Government; as unlike as the 70
lish veto, which allowed every member oil single
branch Legislature, without reason, to repudate any
of its proceedings by his single and solitary voice.
Equally unfounded is II to suppose, as ignorance oi
France and England are not absolute enough to use
the Veto They use it every day, one OF them IN te
exclusive right of initiating all egislation ana DOM
of them by the vaster means OF Executive influence
What has been passionately stigmatsed as the one
man power in this country is, In principle, The same
thing as the separation Of Congiess into two bodies,
to correct the errorsi of each otherl though much
less powerful, because the power OF majority by
single vote in either House is absolute while that OF
the Executive is merely suspensve and subordinate
II.lo lltk ,baro Of h. ot RenreSento
tiyes voted on the tariff BILL would have been either
carried or lost by vote, and that the casting vote
of the Speaker. There is much of one-man power In
all free government.
The maorties in Congress in l774, on all the es
sential points and principles OF the declaration OF
rights, were but one, two or three All the great
critical questions about men and measures, from lII4
to I776, were decided by the vote of a single State
and that often by the vote Of one individual. The
Declaration of Independence itself was so carried
The English revolution of 1888 was determined oy
one or two votes in Parliament. The King OF France
was condemned to death by q very few votes. Jei-
ferson elected in place of Burr after thirtyseven
trials, by one vote. The expedition In lI4o, from
New England against Cape Breton, which gave peace
to the world was carried in the House of Represen-
tatlves of Massachusetts by single vote. Most OF
the acts of Congress, in the memorable session OF
1884, were carried by the casting vote of the Vice
President The vote of New York, which finally led
to the convention for forming the present Constltu-
ton, after the failure of the Virginia attempt, by
which only the States represented at Annapo-
lis was carried by one vote The first Bank of the
United States failed to be rechartered by the casting
vote of the Vice President. The late Bank OF the
United States was negatived, when FIRST proposed by
the Speakers casting vote. This instructive enume-
ration might be much enlarged teaching that the re-
sponsiblty of one man has often saved States and
changed constitutions. Such salutary executive au-
thority has been exercised from the outset OF Amer
can Government with marked approval by an intelll-
gent people, wisely approaching IN the Chef Repre-
sentative the inestimable value of firm and Judici-
nerpOsiton of this conservative and indispensa-
BILE relief. For the first time in the annals OF the
United States this immediate emanation Of the Con-
stitution is subjected the motion OF an Ex-Pres-
dent, the chairman of this committee, to the obstruc-
ton of the technicalites Of legislation The
Constitution commands to journaliZe the Pres-
dents objections, and then vote on them. The
House did so on his premontory objections to like
bill, but sent him another. Had we power to do SO
Were not the functions of the House exhausted by
the previous proceeding Can they reiterate upon
the Executive bill which he has returned, and the
House cannot carry No such attempt was eyer
made before. The undersigned feel it their mperi-
Gus duty to protest against and resist il by the only
means left to minority, preventive OF the unconsti-
tutional acts of angry Majority believing that the
time is near at hand when they will themselves most
regret, as all will condemn the innovation.
The succession of the acting President to the Chief
Magistracy unavodaby followed by collisions be-
tween him and the party and elected him,
because he suffered himself to remain in the hands of
their advisers instead of his Those whose po-
litcal sympathies the undersigned enjoy in
spect answerable for this strife which they have uni
formly treated with moderation adhering, however,
to the faith of their politics. We neither made
nor aggravate the quarrel but calmly and conscien-
tously, with all due respect to ma orities meXoraby
lung IN both Houses, stand upon our rights, and
maintain the even tenor of our way, relying upon the
people to correct and restore whatever may be amss,
they have been doing with aacrity since the
disastrous commencement OF the untoward legislation
of sessions Of Congress which have endured for
nearly twelve months Of the last fifteen. All the
elections since afford unquestionable proof, that if
there is any wrong in the Federal Government
the constitutional means Of restoring right are
IN full and active operation. While thus abiding
their time, the minortes of the two Houses of Con-
gress abide by the principle that the First Magistrate
OF great people is entitled to respect, and even by
opponents should be treated with decorum. We
know no difference in language and feeling towards
the President and those which toward each
other in Congress. His not being personally present
is, in our opinion, no reason for maligning his mo-
tves traducng his character, vilfying his admin
istration. The most strenuous, inAexible and sue
cessfu opposition, consists with the language and
spirit of moderation and, if the people are the in
teligent sovereignty supposed by our institutions,
woule be more popular than indignation, violence
and oboquy' The President has communicated his
objections to am act OF Congress, against which num-
bers SO large in both Houses voted as to prove be-
yond doubt that it Is extremely Objectionable and
which we in common with every one of those large
numbers, representing, have every reason to
believe, the wishes of large majority of the Ameri-
can people, conscentiously deem unwise, unjust and,
as many think, unconstitutional. The Presidents
objections contained in respectful message tenn
perae in tone, persuasive in argument, and develop
ing topics which we believe will meet with popular
acceptance. OF the several messages of the same
KIND drawn from Mr.. Tyler by this Congress, can
dor and history will acknowledge, we think that the
last is the best, in all the merits Of reason dicon
and temper. The Constitution gives him the fight
which his conscience enjoins him to exercise. AL
lowing the Chief Magistrate therefore, what every
President is entitled to- and has enjoyed such
casions simply to speak and act for himself the next