Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-08-23
TwENTY-sEvENrH CoNGREss--ad Session
Sir. ADAMS REPORT

fTcStdcHt,
tons, the Bill, ITO preride reUenue from Imports,
and to change and modify e1iaing ta'oS imposing du-
tics on imports, and for ohcr purposes
The Select Committee, to whom was relerreu Tue
Message OF the President OF the u D returning 10 this
House the act, which originated IN H. "lo provide reve
nue. from imports and 10 change and modify existing
laws imposing duties on imports, and Tor other Pur
poses with his objections TO 1t, with instructions 10
report thereon the House, have attended TO that ser
vice, and respectfully report:
The message is the last of series OF Executive mea
sures the result of which has been 10 deeat aud nuly
the whole action CT the Legislative authority OF THIS
Cnon, upon the most important interests OF 'he
At the accession OF the late President Harrison, by
election OF the People, 10 The Executive char' lhe
finances he revenue and the credit of the country
were found in condition greatly disoroereo ana s"
anrushng, that the frs. act ct his administrator
was TO call special session u Congress TO PROVIDE
remedy for this dslempsred state I'll Inc gieal uouy
,o,;;,c /, was even then disease Of no sudden oc
curreuce and of no ordinary mclignny -Four years
before the immediate predecs ssor Of General iiar'
son had been constrained to resort to the same eHpe
dent, special session Of Congress, the result oil
which had only proved the first OF succession OF POI
aliyes purchasing momen,ary relief at the expense ol
deeper seated disease and aggravated symptoms grow
inu daily intense through the whole TOUR years
of Tint Administration. II had expended, from year
to year. from eight TO ten millions Of dollars beyono
its income, absorbing in that period nearly ten millions
pedred for deposie with the States, eight millions OF
stock in the Bank of the United States, from hive 10
six millions Of trust funds, and as much Treasury
notes and was sinking under the weight Of lis own
improv ,dence and incompetency.
| The sentence of a suffering People had commanded
| change in the Administration, and the contemPorn'
ncous elections throughout Ike Union had placed IN
both Houses of Congress impurities, the natural expo
rcnts OF the principles which 1t was the vi" Oh TUE
pee pie should be substituted III the administration OF
their Government, instead Of those which had brought
the country TO a condition of such wrescLedness ana
fpct har
tween the chosen President of the people and this ma
iorliv thus constituted in both Houses IF Congress; nd
the first act of his Administration was TO call sp cal
session of Congress for their debe ration and acton
upon the measures nGispensaby necessary for relief 10
the public distress and 10 retrieve the prosperity ut te
great community OF the nGtinn.
On tie 3ls day of May, 1911, within three months
ter the Inauguration If Prt dent HARRISON, the Con-
c,ess assembled al his cal. Bat the rcins OF the Exc
cu;ive car were alu ady in other hands By an IN
sc.ulable decree Of Providence the chef Of the F"oe
choice in harmony with whose principles The malori-
lies OF both Houses had been constituted, was lad low
in death The President who had called the meeting
Of Congress was longer the President when TIE
Congress met a successor 10 the office had assumed
the title with totally different principles, though pro-
Tossing the ut the time of his election, winch, tar
from harmonizng, like those of his immediate prede-
cessor with The majority of both Houses OF Congress,
were saon disclosed in dametrcai opposition to them
The frs, development Of this new, and most unforlu'
nate condition of the General Government, vas mani
tested By the failure and again, OF The st gre at
measure intended by Congress to restore the cred' OF
the country, by the establishment OF Natonai BANK
"a failure caused exclusively by the operation OF the
Veto mower BY tie President. In the spirit OF the
Constitution of the u S the Executive IS not only
separated from the legislative power, but made depend
eat upon and responsible TO H. Until very recent
p Rod 81 history, all reference IN eiiner House OF
Congress TO the opinions wishes of the President,
relating 10 any subject deberaton before them, was
regarded outrage upon the rights ut the dcbera
tive body among the first of whose duties II IS TO sPurn
the influence Of the dispenser o! patronage and power
Until very recently, 1t was sufficient greatly 10 I'M
pair the influence of any member TO be suspected of
personal subserviency 10 the Executive and any al
rsion to his wishes in debate was d"emed departure
no, less from decency than from order. An anxious
desire 10 accommodate the action of Congress to the
oDincns and wishes of Mr. Ty.-r had led 10 InodEca
tons of the first bill for the establishment OF National
Bank pre- scented to him for bis approval widely differ
ing from The opinions entertained 81 their exped'ency
BY the majority of both Houses Of Congress, but which
failed 10 obtain that approval for the sake OF which they
had been reluctantly adopted. second attempt en-
sued under sense of the indispensable necessity OF
fiscal corporation to the revenues and credit OF The ma
ton 10 prepare an act to which informal intercourse
and communication between member OF the House,
charged with the duty OF preparing The bill, and the
President of the IT, S himself night secure by coinpi
ance with his opinions pledge IN advance OF his ap.
pro, al of the BILL when should be presented TO him.
That pledge was obtained The bill presented 10
him in the very terms which lie had prescribed as ne
cessary TO obtain his sanction and it met the same fate
with it's predecessors and it is remarkable that the rea
sons assigned for the refusal to approve the second bill
are in direct and mme date conflict with those which
had ice assigned for the refusal 10 81 gn the first
Thus the measure, first ainnng those deemed by the
Legislature Of the Union indlSpcnsaty necessary or
the salvation of its highest interests and for the resto
ration of It's credit lis honor, its prosperity, was pro-
tra,ed defeated annulled, By the weak and waverng
obsiinacy of one man, accidentally and not by the VIII
Of the people, invested with that terrible power, as It
prophetically described BY of his chosen MINIS
ers, this day, as he rght 10 deprive the people VI
self. government
The first consequence Of this Executive legislation
was not only to PROSTATE the efforts of the Legislature
se 10 relieve the people from their Distress 10 epie
nsh the exhausted Treasury and call forth the resources
of the country redeem the public faith 10 the fulfill
nert of the national engagements, but to leave all the
hurds MS and embarrassmcn,s OF the public Treasury
brought upon it by the mprovdence OF the preceding
Administration, hearing upon the people with agera
waited pressure. The fatal error of The preceding al
ministraton had been Of expenditure beyond
lis income. That had been an average OF eight
millions of dollars year, al least during the tour years
OF it's existence The practical system oil It's lsca ope
rations had been continued increase OF expenditures
and dimnuon of revenues, and lett as Dequest 10
its successor no effective reduction Of expenses but
double reduction of re venue the amount Of Millions
to occur of course by the mere lapse OF time, unless
averted, within fifteen months, by subsequent egIs!a'
ton.
BY the double exercise of the Presidential nterdic
upon the two bills for establishing National Bank
this legislation was prevented The excess Of expend
lures beyond the revenue continued ana increased
The double reduction of revenue ny e COM
promise Of S3 suffered TO take ts iuii eiiect-ho
reduction Of The Expenditures had been rrescrbed and
the Of eL,een months, since the inauguration
of President Harrison, addition Of at least fifteen
millions the enormous slct already exisng IN Inc
Treasury n, the close Of the last administration now
charged upon the prevailing party in Congress BY those
who had made i, the law, while the exercise OF The
veto power alone disabled the Legislature I,seli from
The power of applying the only remedy when II was
within the competency Of legislation ''sef 10 PROVIDE
The grea, purpose for which the fPee,ai session q
Congress had been called, was thus defeated hy tht
exercise of the veto pcwrr. AT the meeting Of Co"