The Hillsborough recorder. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1820-1879, 1842-02-10

he sh0nld NOS q ibis lime dwell. kolnnlr
had ihe purse Of she nsilun be seized;
ahl only did IL ssill remain in Ihe hands
Of lhs PIesidsns. bot the nation had seen
armies raised BY Executive msndsle. nnl
only wilhani aHlhariIy or shadow al
authority oflaa. but. a. il ihs esre ~ she
Florida VOLUNTEERS. slsr lsw had been
asked Tor end positively rfDsed. Olhrr
instances might be cited in which NIL
nary force had been Tsissd without the
sanction Of Congress.
Without. therefore, going any further.
Mr. q. said that be Ihouqhl = careful
review Of Ihr operations af this Govern
ussni down 20 Ille present hour. would
fnlly dsihonsisa.e that. ~h,le i, had made
no encroscamsaron the Stairs. lLelc bad
been consi.nl .enensehmeni by The Exc
cuiive on The legislative authority.
And Was not This in tile nature IL
lhing.! The Executive branch of lie
Goyenmen, Was elcInaliy IN aelian; IL
was ever awake; IL ne,er slep'; il. action
was continuous and uncrsslng. ike the
udrs Of some mighty river uhIch canlin
ned flowing aud losing on. swslling ana
deepening and aiderin1 in III onward
progress, I'll i, swept away e,ery impe
Jlmenl and broke down and REMOVED
every lrs,l obstacle which might be sci Up
10 impede ils course. Lei gentlemen lnuk
Al all history. and they would ihd that
IL had been ever % The legislative
branch II G ternmeni met only psiioj-
really; IL power lay in is assembling
and acting; the moment IL adjourned i's
power disappeared; IL was dissipa,sd.
gone; but there stood the President al The
head uf The Executive Department. ever
ready ID enforce the l.w and 10 seizr
upon every advantage which presented
itself fnr The extension and augmentation
OF iis power.
Aud now he would, upon principle, ex
anime Tor Few homenl. the motives
which might be supposed 10 have sc,ua
Ted the memters 81 the Convention IL
conferring upon The Executive this vel"
power. Let Us lhrnw ourselves back "a
lhe. period ia which they lived and acted.
and then institute comparison between
The expectations in whcih they had indul.
ged and The actual facts as they had since
occurred.
i Ga principle, certainly, The Executive
ought 10 have no agency in the formation
Of laws. Laws were the WILL Of The ma.
lion sn,horit lively expressed. The car
rying Of those laws into effect was III,
duty which ought 10 be assigned 10 lh'
Executive, and this ought 10 be his sols
duty, for il was an axiom in all free Gov.
ernmenis that the three great departments.
legislative. executive, aud Judicial. should
ever be kept separate and distinct. And
Government was The most perfect when
most in conformity with this fundsmen.
tai principle. To give, then. 10 The Tx
\ ecu,lve any agency in the ascer,aln,nen'
and expression OF The will Of the nation.
was so far ,iolalion Of this great esding
principle. But !, was SAID thai the
trainers OF our Constitution had never
lheless been induced TO place The veto
upon the list Of Executive pow ers by two
considerations; The first was a desire IL
project The Executive against the powers
Of the legislative branch, and the other
was prudent wish to guard The country
against The injurious effects Of crude and
hasiy legislation. But where was The
necessity 10 prolectthe Executive against
The Legislative department.! Were not
both bound BY their s"lemn oa,hs 10 sup
port The Constitutions! The Judiciary
bad no veto. IL the argumen, was a
snund one, why was not the same pro
lection extended to The Judiciary also!
Was there not ample security against the
encroachlnenIa of The legislative power
in the absence OF the veto! First. there
was the solemn oath Of office: then there
was the sulhority Of the Judiciary: then
there was the responsibility Of individual
membcrs TO The People. and this respon.
siblny continually kept M b. frequen,
appeal TO The People: aud, lastly. there
was the ultimate condict Of the Presiden'
and The Legislature bef.'re the grand
tribunal 81 the nation itself, in case Of any
auemp, by The Legislature 10 deprive him
Of The rigEuul exercise Of his authority.
Besides. Il veto be necessary as de-
fence against legislative power, why was
there no veto against the highest descrrp
ton Of all legislation. the fundamental leg
islation by conventions! There was no
veto there--lhere was no apprehension
oil hasty actIon--no necessity was recng-I
Missed Tor The controlling will Of one man
TO save The nation from the needless acts
Of IT'S own representatives. Bot IN the
case Of ordinary legislation why should
such spprehensions be INDUCED! On This
subject experience was our safest guide.
Now, Mr.. G. hal taken the pains 10 Look
into The provisions Of iwen,ysix Safe
Constitutions in relation to this matter of
the veto. aud the result was highly curl
Gus and interesting. The States were 10
this respect divided, as equally as their
number would admit, into three distinct
classes. Nine Of them gave to the Eek.
ecullye the veto power unless controlled
nv two thirds Of the T,ecislature. Eight