Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-08-25

UpT Tltltfns fHuslOIs VI kth'p'i "HN W Nv
,pcni diyngra at congIyials. and nblrnded
upon The public eye by the fatal friend
lsbip of sycuplant private correspondents,
and stripped 10 It's naked nature by ,hc re-.
pcn,cd aud daIng assumption both Of lgls
latlye aud of Judicial power. would present
nnomnles of character and conduct rarely
seen upon earth. Such an investigation,
though strictly wiihln the scope Of the IN
slruclions embraced IN the reference 10 this
committee. would require volumlnons re-
port, which the scanuncss nt time viii not
allow, and which may not be necessary for
maturing the Judgment of the House upon
the document now before them.
The reasons assigned By the President for
returning to the House Of Representatives.
with his OBJECTIONS, the bill to provide rcve'
nue.. from imports, and 10 change and modify
existing laws imposing duties and for other
purposes, are preceded by n brief dlssertn
lion upon the painful sensations which any
indiriltini invested with the veto ppwer mus,
feel IN exercising il upon important nets OF
The Legislature. The paragraph IS wofdcd
with extreme caution, and with obvious IN
tent To avoid the assertion, made IN such
broad aud unqualified terms III the letter
read at the Philadelphia Independence. day
dInncr party, TINT Congress can enact no inc
without the concurrence of the Executive.
\ There ~ ~ this paper siudious effort tn
save ana iadiriium from the lmpntallon of
\ asserting the unqualified independence q!
the Executive upon the Legislature, and The
Il Importance Of Congress 10 enact any law
L without him. That Insertion made IN so cN
II pclt aud unqualified terms, IN the Phlladel-
l pha letter, is here virtually dsclaimed nnd
II di.avowtd
H The exercise Of some Independence OF
II Judgment IN regard To all nets OF legislation,
| by any individual invested with the veto
\ power is here cunailed and narrowed down
| TO the mere privilege of not yielding his wei.
considered, most deeply fixed, and repeatedly
declared opinions on matters oi great pubIlc
conccinuIcut, to those Oi a co-ordlnute de-
par,mcni without requesting that depart
mcnt seriously to re examine the subject 0i
their difference. The coordinate depart
ment 10 the Legislature IL no longer the CO.
ordinate department ofthe Legislature. The
power ui Congress To enact n law without the
Icu-operatlon of any indIvld1a Executive
is conceded, not merely by unavoidable ln-
/ ference. for the closing paragraph OF the
message, recurring again 10 the same trou-
Il besomc "Reminiscences, observes that, after
all, the effect of what he does is substantially
10 call on Congress 10 rccOnsiitr the subject.
/ Ii, ON such reconsideration, majority oi two
1 thirds of both Houses should be III favor OF
this measure, it viii become law notwith-
standing his objections.
Il The truislp of this remark may perhaps b.
Accounted for by The suruise that 1t was a
/ new discovery, made since the writing of the
Il Philadelphia dinner porty letter and the
modes, presumption nscribed to the Consrtu.
/ ton that the Executive can commit no error
Of opinion unless two thirds OF both branches
| of the Legislature are IN conflict with him, is
n tempered by tie 8miablc assurance that il
h that event he will cheerfully scquiesce IN a
! result which would be precisely the same
| whether he should acqulcsce in it or not
H The aptitude Of this hypolheiical position
! may be estimated by The calculation of the
chances that the contingency which it sup
poses is within the verge OF possibility.
\ The reasons assigned by the President for
| his objections 10 this bill are farther prccc
/ drd hy a narrative of his antecedent opinions
ard communications on the subj CT at dlstrl-
| bniing the proceeds of the sales Of the public
| lands lie admits that at the opening OF the
II extra session he recommended such a dlslrl
/ button, but he ayers that this recommrnda.
| tiOn was expressly c0upicd with the condition
that the duties on imports should not exceed
the rate 20 per cent. provided by the com.
proni'o net Of i-S'.
Who could imagine that, otter this mos,
emphatic coupling Of the revenue from duties
ni mpost with revenue from The proceeds o
Il the sales OF the public lands, the first anC
| paramount objection of the President to thi,
! bill should be that 1t antics two subjects
II which, so far from Iarug any affinity 10 ono
| another, are wholly lncongruons III their char
! acter--whlch two subjects are identlcally
/ The same with those whmh he had coupled
! together in his recommendation Ia Congress
! a the exirn session? If there was no aft
! nifty between the parties, why did he JOIN
! them together? II the union was lllrglu
/ mate, who was the administering priest oi
| the unhallowcd rites? II is objected TO this
u bill that II Is both rcvcnur aud an NJ D. OprIa-
| ton bill. What th"n? Is not the act ol
| September I, ISL approved and signed by
l. the President himself, both revenue and dn
| appropriation bill Docs i not enact that
|. ~ the event OF M insuiiiclency Of Impos: du.
i ties not exceeding twenty per cert. ad vnlo-
rem Ia defray !he current expresses Of the
u Government, the proceeds OF the sales Of tho
lands shall be levied as part OF the same reve.
uuc, onG appropriated la the same purposes
\ The appropriation of the proceeds Of the
sales OF the public lands TO dcfray the ordna
Try expenditures Of the Government Is be-
/ llcvcG to be system Of fiscal management
unwIsc. impoliic, lmprovlGcnt and unjust !:
and 1t IS precisely for that reason that the
bill now before the House provides that sha u
mol be So appropriated. The putilc lands
are The nubIc and lnapprcciable inheritance
OF the whole nation. The sale Of them 10
individuals Is not a lax upon the purchaser,
but an exchange Of equivalents scarcely
more bnrdeusninc 10 the grantee than II he
should receive /! as gratnltuus GoualIon.
To appropriate the proceeds of the sales to
deiray the ordinary expenses Of The Govern.
ment Is to waste and destroy The property.
This property is held by Congress IN trust
Mr.. Tyler speaks of the distribution as If II
was giving away the property. II Is precise.
" the reverse. il IS restoring 1t TO The own.
or. To appropriate the proceeds To delray
the current expenditures Is To give II up to
dllaplda,on and waste. II is in political
economy precisely the sam" ae if an ndlvldu
al landholder should sell off, year after year,
parcels of his estate, and consume ITS pro
cceds IN The payment OF Els household cx.
penses. The first principle OF political econ
Omy necessary for nation j. 10 raise BY
iaraiion within the year the whole sum re-.
quIred for the expenditures nl that year.
Every departure from tins principle Is step
ia the Dath of natIouul baukruutcV and rum