Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1842-08-22
ADDRESS
OF THE STATE COMMITTEE
TO THE WINGS OF VERMONT.
FELLOY CITIZENS.

The State Committee deem il their duty to nd
dress to you n few words upon the present condi.
ton of country, with special reference 10 the
important questions upon which you are called
incidentally to pronounce at the approaching cleo
ton. In its relation to the affairs of the nation,
Our State election IL one of unusual moment. Ii
will devolve upon the next legislature to elect n
United States Senator not only for the unexpired
term OF The late incumbent, but for the succeeding
period OF six years. and to district the state anew
for the choice Of Representatives in Congress- nc.
cordlng 10 The provisions of the late act Of appOr-
lionment. BY that act, the number of our Repre-.
sentatives is reduced to four and there is no doubt
that upon fair division of the state at least three
OF the Districts and very probably also the fourth,
would return Wing members, while on the other,
division is practicable, which would render the
result in two OF the districts if not certainly adj
verse, at any rate extremely doubtful IT, through
the remissness Of the Wings our opponents are
suffered TO carry the election, the representation
oil Vermont in the Senate, and perhaps in the
House OF Representatives, will be equally balan-
ced, and the weight of the state in the naio nal
councils where we have so long maintained
uniformly consistent and elevated position, will he
annihilated. An honorable pride, were other ar.
guments wanting, ought TO incite us to put forth
tie mos, vigorous exerions in the defence of
post, which Vermont ALONE has never shandor-
gu, ana fortress, which could u.itner be s.ufiii.
ed by the overwhelming popularity Of gallant
soldier, nor sapped by the intrigues nor won by the
stratagems of his willy successor, ought not now
to be yielded to the assaults of mercenaries, who
fight without leader or flag, and rally upon no
common principle but that Of hostility to the pol
icy of fostering the industry aud improving the
physical resources of our country.
According to the test vote of 1910, the Wings
possessed a majority of nearly two to one, having
cast more than 900 out of the $4,000 votes pol
shafA
your actual ma ority is as large at this moment.
The power then is unquestionably in your hands,
and It rests With you TO say whether, because q
mysterious dispensation OF an inscIutable prov-
dence has, for the lime, deprived you of the well
Gained and anxlousy expected fruits Of your sig
nul triumph, you will now lay down your arms
without struggle and surrender 10 a foe who
you well know gives no quarter. But we appeal
not 10 your pride only. There are yet higher
considerations. ami more urgent motives which
demand OF you sacrifices as great, aud exerlions
as spirited as those of 1910, the memorable year
oil emancipation when you, with your brethren,
administered to your rulers the severest condem-
nation and the most Illuminating rebuke that ever
free people inflicted upon weak and prof gate
government Our pride indeed, both naiiona and
individual has been huDlbed 10y The judgment oil
Providence, by the treachery of those i'll whom
we trusted, and above all by the GROWING shame
of that nulonal public pnd private bankruptcy,
which the whole contemporaneous civllised world,
and alEposieriy, will associate with the admins
traton Of Martin Van Buren,, in their true and OBJ
vious relation of cause and effect. Bat, however
our pride may have been mortified, our DUTY TO
our country ind 10 ourselves requires us 10 rouse
every lateH energy, and TO reeuter the field with
a firm and mistaken resolution to leave it, only us
we last retired from it, triumphant and conlenied.
Let us then survey the general questions invol-
we'd in the contest the ground we have taken, the
Occuulpu Inv and The q mi
ces and reward OF success, aud The possibilities
and ruinous consequences OF defeat, and consider,
whether between hope and fear, we have not suf-
fcient motives for exercising The best energies of
q people who are, and are resolved to bu, Tree.
The experience Of single year has demoustra-
ted to US the unsupported truth, that our national
constitution admits of a construction which emu
bes the chief executive officer to convert himself
into dictator. 1t is insisted by the advocates of
consolidation, that by the use of that most odous
prerogaye Of royalty, the veto, for the tyrannics
exercise OF which, IN refusing his assent TO just
and necessary laws" George Ill was declared TO
have forfeited all claims to the allegiance of his
American subjects, the President may lawfully
control all congressional legislation, by prescribing
the conditions on which only his assent 10 laws,
not only of obvious expediency and urgent ne
cessity, but most individually demanded by the
people, may be purchased. While it is certain, on
the one hand, that the trainers Of the Constitution
never designed 10 entrust 10 the Chief Magistrate,
power so portentous, it must, ON the other, be
admitted that the exercise OF the Presidential neg
alive is not sufficiently limited by that instrument.
The great statesmen who concurred in the forma.
lion and adoption Of our frame Of government,
familiar not only with the theory Of the British
constitution from which the Executive veto is bor-
rowed, but with the history of British legislation,
did never anticipate, that an American republican
President would dare thrice IN one year, 10 over
rule the deliberate judgment of the People aud
their Representatives by an act OF prerogutive
upon which even the British King has Yenlured
but once in two centuries.
The veto power was intended primarily to en-
able the President to prevent the exercise of his
legitimate executive functions from being invaded
by Congress, and it is therefore NOT legislative, but
simply conservative, in lis nature. 1t IL said fur
Their, that it was designed also as n check upon
hasly and inconsiderate legislation, but the doc
trine that The executive is coordinate and equal
branch OF the law.making power is heresy of
these latter times, and recent events have shown,
that it is as dangerous as il is novel; The restrain
ing of the executive veto within safe limits is one
of the reforms aimed at by the Wing party, and
in connection with this, they agreed in the =.
pediency of restricting the eligibility Of the exec
utive TO q single term, and thus removing the
temptation TO devote all the powers of the station
to the one object of securing 10 the incumbent a
second election-an evil which experience has
SHOWN 10 pe among Tue most lormluhDie IN our
political system.
Ia the limited monarchies of Europe the legis-
lalure has the power OF controlling and coercing
the executive, by refusing supplies, and this is q
means to which the legislature frequently resort,
because, according to the theory of those govern
menls, all national responsibilities are those, not
Of the people, but of the rulers. Tie people
therefore, by their representatives, may justly re-
fuse TO he generous TO the throne, until the throne
will he just to them But here, where executive
officers are not the rulers, but the servants of the
seli-governing people, all public obligations are
the obligations Of the law-making power, residing
primarily in the people, and by delegation in Their
representatives, and the nation, not The executive
is chargeabe for the breach Of the public faith
To refuse TO the executive therefore such pecun-
larry supplies as are requisite for maintaining the
public credit, aud fulfilling the obligations Of the
nation, would lie a step which nothing but the
EXTREMIST necessity could justify, aud which
shouId not be resOrIed to until all her conslilIl.