The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-31
PROTEST OF THE PRESIDENT.


To the House of Representatives:
BY the Constitution of the United States II
is provided, that ''every bill which shall have
passed the House of Representatives and the
Senate, shall, before il become law, be pre-
scented TO the President of the United States
if he approve he shall sign il but if not he
shall return ii, with his objections, TO thai
House in which it shall have originated, who
shall enter the objections at large upon the jour
nal, and proceed to reconsider it,"
In strict compliance with the positive obliga-
ton thus imposed upon me by the Constitution,
not having been able TO bring myself to approve
a bill which originated in the House Of Repre-
sentatives, entitled Gan act to provide revenue
from imposts, and to change and modify exist
ing laws imposing duties on imports, and for
other purposes returned the same to the
House, with my objections to It's becoming a
law. These objections, which had entirely
satisfied my own mind of the great impollcy, If
not the unconstitulionality, of the measure,
were presented in the most respectful, and even
deferenlial, terms. would not have been so
far forgetful of what was due from one depart
ment of the Government 10 another, as to have
Intentionally employed in my official inter
course with the House, any language that could
be, in the slightest degree, offensive to those to
whom it was addressed If, in assigning my
objections to the bill, 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 propriety is, however, not complained of
in any proceeding which the House has adopt
ed. 1t has, on the contrary, been expressly
made subject of remark and almost of COM
plant, that the language in which my dissent
was couched was studiously guarded and eau
tiJus.
Such being the character of the Off
cial communication in question, | confess
| was wholly 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, it is
believed, in the history of the Government,
thought proper TO refer the Message to Seec,
Committee Of its own body, for the purpose Gas
me to infer) Of deliberately weighing the objec-
jections urged against the bill by the Executive,
with view TO its own judgment upon the
question of the final adoption or rejection of the
measure.
OF the temper and feelings in relation to my
self of some of the members selected for the
performance of this duty, have nothing to Say
That was matter entirely within the dscre-
ton of the House Of Representatives. But
that Committee, taking different view of its
duty from that which should have supposed
had led TO its creation, instead of confning Itself
to the objections urged against the bill, availed
itself of the occasion formally to arraign the mo-
tves of the President for others Of his acts
since his induction into office. In the absence
of all proof and, as | am bound to declare
against all law precedent in parliamentary
proceedings, and at the same time, in manner
which it would he difficult to reconcile with the
comfy, hitherto sacredly observed in the inter
course between Independent and coordinate
departments of the Government, it has assaied
my whole official conduct without a shadow OF
a pretext for such assault, and, stopping short Of
impeachment, has charged me, nevertheless,
with offences declared to deserve impeachment
Had the extraordinary report which the Com
mttee 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 it is
by any particle of testimony to support the
charges IT contains, without deliberate exami
nation, almost without any discussion, the
House of Representatives has been pleased to
adopt it as its own, and, thereby, to become my
accuser before the country, and before the
world The high character of such an &C cuser
the gravity of the charges which has been made
and the judgment pronounced against me- by the
adoption Of the Report upon distinct and sepa
rate vote of the House, leaves me no aternativ,
but to enter my solemn protest against tn,
proceeding, as unjust to myself as man, as al
INVASION of my constitutional powers as Chic
Magistrate of the American People and as
violation, In my person. of rights secured t
every citizen by the laws and the Constitution
That Constitution has entrusted to the Hous
OF Representatives the sole power of impeach
ment. Such impeachment is required to b
tried before the most august tribunal known I
our institutions
The Senate of the United States, compose
of the Representatives of the sovereignty G