Richmond enquirer. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1815-1867, 1842-08-30

,rv The vote Iitytre III Tie Affirmative ~ III, >
SIX in tine negative This act PROVIDED Tor '''e Ieuu'
- ,ha military cstabsh mcnt of the country; and
;lr d,v viii proir.y never again arrive wien any
President will venture To veto an act REDUCING ''e
s,aud,n, army %: tie u. States
l IN The ra;,c. Of time since the year 1879, there
how. a. ,eu bu, :weaiy vr.ocs and eleven OF ti=se re
, =, only three subj els which have radically dvl'
I'D NE two rrea. political parties ofthe country WIN
no c~ceoIion OF twenty, all the acts which have ever
Congress- have been allowed 10 take their course
without any Executive interference.
That this power has never been abused, rs as ciea.
no ,h. l;uh, of the sun. ] as, Senators, aud appear
10 ror Sir whether the American people nave not
sanctioned every of the vetoes on the three great
suh.cs TO which have referred. Yes SIR every one
M, aycpp,inr those the Fiscal Bank and Fiscal cor
..,;.,I,be leading measures the Extra Session.
Notwithstanding the solemn Remuneration against The
p,ssa; made by the Wing party, and their appeal 10
IN. ,aonle there has been election held since tha,
SESSION in winch Tie people have not declared, III a
vice Of under their appreciation OF the TWO vctoes o.
President Tyler. shall not upon tie presen; OCCASION
discuss The question whether all any OF these Setoes
.ors ,.,, or wroaw. merely state the incontrover-
ble fact lha, they have all been approved by the Anne
ricsn people ~
tho striking contrast between the power when en-
rns,ad to an elective and responsible Chief Magistrate
and VIXEN conferred upon European sovereign us
rovsl pr,rogatve. All the vetoes which an American
President has imposed on any important act OF Con
except Tux oUe, W pCu. W
have alluded have been many instances OF self
denial These acts have all been returned, accomPa-
MED by Messages demonstrating against The extension
of Executive power, which they proposed to grant
Exprng the influence winch these acis proposed 10
confer upon him, the President might indeed, have
made long strides towards the attainment OF monarch
cal mower. Had National Bank been established
under his CONTROL uniting the moneyed with The poll
teal power of the country; had splendid system oi
internal improvements been adopted and placed under
nj npr
are TO almost every individual throughout tie land
and in addition TO all this had the States become PEN
sioners the bounty of the Federal Government for
the amount of the proceeds OF the sales OF The puoc
lands we nigh. soon have witnessed n powerful con.
sodated Government, with chief at its head far diff.
ferent from the plain and unpreendng President re-
cOgnised by the Constitution. The General Govern
ment might then have become every thing, whilst Tie
State Governments would have sunk 10 nothing
Thanks 10 the vctoes of Presidents and not 10 Con-
prtss that most OF these evils have been avcrtcd-
Had these acts been all approved by the PRESIDENT IL rs
nv firm conviction that the Senator himself would as
deeply have deplored the guences as any other
true patriot and that he woud forever lave regretted
his oan agency in Substantially changing the form OF
our Government Had these bills become laws, the
Executive power would then have strobe over all the
other powers OF the Constitutions anu men, ihoeeo, tEe
Senator nigh! have Justly compared tie President OF
the L. 5 with the monarchs OF Europe Oar fres.
dents have had the selfdenying irmness TO render all
these attempts abortve TO bes,ow on themselves extra
ordinary powers, and have been content to conhne
themselves TO those powers conferred on Them ny Inc
Constitution. They have protected the rights oil lie
States and oihe people from The unconstitutional means
Of influence which Congress had placed within their
grasp Such have been the consequences OF the veto
power in The hands of our elective chei agsirate.
For what purposes has this power been eXeried by
European monarcs, with whom our President las been
compared? When exercised at all, has always been
Tor the purpose of maintaining tia royal prc!ogatirc
no ot NM. ,ltr
aecn bu two instances of lis exercise IN England SINCE
;ne Revolution of 1868. The frs, was in 1902, by
William the Third the rival OF LOUIS the fourteenth,
and beyond question tie abisst man who has sat upon
the throne OF Britain for the last century and
half lie had the hardhood TO veto tie Earl OF Shrews.
bu-ys bill which had pa ssed both Houses. limiting the
duration OF paramens three, instead OF seven years,
and requiring annual sessions to be held lie dreaded
tie influence which members OF the House OF Com.
mons responsible to their constituents at The end OF
each period ofthree years. exert aga Dst his royal
puwgr and prcroratiyes; and therefore, held on by
means cr the veto TO sep,ennia Paramen,s And what
c,d George the Third do In 1866, he vetoed the Ca
baljc Emancipation bill, and thus continued 10 hold
political bondage millions ct his fellow men, because
they insisted upon worshpping Their God according 10
the Dictates Of Their own conscience.
Here Mr. Cay, observed that this was mistake, and
EXPIRE his bel e that upon tie occasion alluded to,
the matter had gone further than the resignation oil
the Grenville administration
Mr. Buchanan. | shall then read my authority
1t Is TO be found in "Random Recollections of the
House Of Lords, by Mr.. Grant, page 20 The author
says:
aB, The King refuse his Signature IA bin George
Tie 1d did ~ tie rase ee Ca,fac Emancipation M ri le06 II
necessarily falls he counh The way III which the King MI
mates his determination his t" the measure Is
not hv positive words; lie simply Observes ~
10 tie application made to him Is that prp'e Le III"
,,a ic.a namely lIr Kin. viii consider of H. which I'M
cr,s,o, not 10 sanction the measure
But Sir he :hs amthor correct or incorrect as to the
existence Of veto in 1cG0 II is 4 matter oil triing
( IN tbn
the exercise Of The veto power has fallen INTO Gsuse
! in nsland since the revolution. And what are the
reasons: FIRST because its exercise by hereditary
sovereign 10 preserve unmpared the prerogatves oil
the crown against the voice OF the people, is always
an odious exertlon of the royal preroga,lve II is far
different from its exercise by elective magistrate
acting in the character of tribune OF the people, 10
preserve their rights and Liberties unimpalred And
secondly because this veto power Is no longer neces
10 the prernga'ves OF The crown against Inc
assaults Of popular liberty.
4 Two centuries ago the people Of England asserted
,hcir rights by the sword against their sovereign
/ They deihroncd and hcheaGed them Since that time
the Kings of England have changed their course. -
They hare discovered from experience that 1t much
easier govern Parliament by means Of the patronage
and money at the command Of The CROWN than openly
TO resist 1t by the veto power. This system has sue
ceeded admirably. Influence has taken the place oil
prerogntivc; and since tie days Of Wapoe, when the
votes Of members were purchased almost without d s.
curse, corruption mas nearly
action Of Parliament. 1t has descended into the
ranks Of The people and threatens destruction 10 the
institutions Of that country. In the recent contest ior
power between the Wings and the Tories, the bargain
and sale of the Of the electors open and
torious. The bribery and corruption Of both parties
sought disguise In many places the price Of vote
was fixed, Ike any other comraodity in the market
These things have been proclaimed without coniradc-
ton On he floor OF Parliament The Tories had the
,ncs, money cxpend; and the Of dear bread
with starving population, prevailed over the modf
cation or repeal of the laws. In 4 country
nal il is easy for the crown, by polite distribution OF
lis hoEors Offices, and cmonnens, and if these should
all fail, by direct application of money, 10 preserve lis
prercga,ives without ,hr use of The veto power.
BESIDES, the principal ministers of the crown al
ways members of the House Of Lords the House Of
Commons. It's they who originate the important laws;
and they and they alone esponsibe, because it is
maxim Of the British Government, tina, the King can
do wrong If they cannot maintain majority in