Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1844-08-29

conc lusion that, even admitting a possible
abuse OF the veto power, II was proper to
erase from the constitution that great barrier
and check to unconstitutional and highly in
expedient Legislation, thereby making the vii
Of Congress supreme, and installing the ma
jority Of that body in the full possession Of al
the powers Of Government Or did you, ol
do you now. sttl cling to the op'nion ~ which
the qualified veto originated, that a Govern
ment without checks aud balances is the
worst torn OF olgarchy-and that too many
guards. in order To secure public liberty. can
not be thrown over its different departments 7
| II, indeed. you are advocates of a chang
so vital as that proposed, then may not only
the Garrisons and Tappans of our own coun
! try rejoice, but shout should ascend from the
abolition convention "of the whole world" |" al
the fact that our Federal system had given
way before the power of a consolidated gov
ernment, whose will, uttered forth by sec.
tional msorities, was absolute, admitting OF
no check or resistance from nny quarter what
ever. II, indeed, these be Your opinions, then
have ! most grievously disappointed the
hopes in which you induIged, in connection
with my election aud my administration.
II ] must nevertheless, most solemnly aver
that had been aware that such would have
been expected and required Of me-if | could
have believed that you, whose candidate ! was
peculiarly considered, and To conciliate whom
was nominated for the Vice Presidency.
would have required Of me in the conlng ency
which unhappIly occurred, that | should com
lnence my administration with an act OF per.
Jury, and sanction measures abhorrent To
every principle Of my past life, and Mt war
with the prosperity Of the country and the
Of / huv 20
suffered NV name. humble as it was, To have
been brealhed in the canvass. No, claim
the proud privilege Of an American citizen to
think for myself on all subjects and To ac. in
pursuance of my own convictions-and il
would require a total change of my nature in
order to convert me into a mere instrument Of
party,'or of purity dlctatlon.
II | would appeal not only to yourselves but
to all my countrymen to say, whether in the
matters appertaining to our foreign affairs.
they anticipated more success IN the adjust.
ment OF difficulties and in the formation OF
highly important treaties than it has been my
province to cause to be negotiated. Long
standing difficulties have been adjusted
difficulties which threatened most seriousl y
the peace OF the country. Nor has any OPP
pOrtunly been lost for. enlarging The com
merce OF the country, and giving new mar
kets To our agricultural and manufactured d
products. II the country has not reaped foil
fruiion Of benefit from all the treaties thus
ne gocaed, it surely has not been the fault
Of tha Administration.
\ The loss Of two Of those treaties through
The action Of the Senate, cannot but be de-
plored by me as grea, public calamities. BY
the treaty with the German states, we had
opened the way to a more exte nded com
merce with 81 900 600 of people, in our cot
ton, tobacco, rice and lard, at duties on tobac,
CO, rice and lard greatly reduced, and with q
stipulation for tho free admission Of cotton
while Se had agreed to receive at some what
reduced duties articles from those states which
entered iuto the most limited competition, II
at all, with few similar articles of American n
product.
| The treaty was particularly interesting from
the fact, that for the frs, tune, after repeated
struggles on the part Of my predecessors, 10
accomplish a reduction OF duty on tobacco,
the government had succeeded in doing so.-
1t was negotiated under resolutions original.
ing with the tobacco states. and with the
presumed sanction OF Congress, who had
rsised,as it Is believed the mission to Vienna
from a second To a frs. rate mission, with
direct reference to the tobacco interest. nnd
~
years ago, to enable The Executive to employ
an agent IN Germany to acquire information
as to the tobacco trade, the services of which
agent had only ceased "a short time prior To
the negotiation Of the treaty.
| MY hope still. however, is that the benefits
Of the treaty itself may not be lost to the
country. | lhiuk it proper to add ,ha, there
was no design to deprive the House OF Rep
reSentaiivcs of any righlinl aud constitutions
action over the suhjec which It might proper
| ~ exercise. II wus, on The contrary, my IN
,entlnn to have submitted the treaty, and all
| papers calculated to clucida,e II. TO ihr
| liouse of representatives, II It had been rati
| fed by the Senate. for such an action as they
might have deemed II proper 10 ad"pt-n
course pursued IN all eases IN which The nc
ton of the House Is required 10 vote supple.
of money, or fulfil any other object falling
within the scope of their power.
| IN negotiating the treaty for the anne xa ion
of Texas. which was rejected by The Senate,
motives have been ascrlbed to the Admins
'raiinn which had 10 place IN its mind or
hcart.-Onc gentleman occupying a proml
nent place IN the Democratic party, whether
\ for good or evil IL does not be come me To say.
has assigned IN an address recently delivered
IN Missouri, two prominent motives tor lts
negOc laton lst. persona ambition. and, 2dly
a purpose to dissolve the Union. Mr.. Clay
also, IN recent letter written to the editor o
II newspaper in Alabama, has called the treaty
Infamous aud ascribed TO it, in it's origin.
u sinister object.
i i rcpel both their assaults upon the Treaty
and iis negotators. What object of mere
personal ambition IN any way connected with
office could have Influenced the Admlnistra
tl"n IN ncgociailng the treaty? The public
archives furnished the strongest reasons to
believe that The treaty would have met the
unqualified approval Of both Mr.. Clay and
Mr. Van Buren,.
II While the one was Secretary of State to
Mr.. Adams and the other To General Jackson.
each IN his turn attempted to obtain The on
nexa,ion of Texas. Mr. Clay's negotiation
was carried on with Mexico IN the third yca'
\ other revolutionary struggle. while SPAN re-
led her AS rcvolted province, and her
armcs were in possession Of many Of The
sirongholds of the country.
Il What reason. then, could have had for
I snpposing for an instant that treaty with
Il Texas, after eight years of actual indepcn.
Il dence, with no Mexican soldier within her
territory. and subject only TO occasional Dor.
der interruptions, could or would have mel
with opposli0n from him or his friends /? and
meeting with no such opposition on The par
Of either Mr.. Van Buren, or Mr. Clay, and
their friends, Il would puzzle sounder
casuiSt than ] profess to be, to conceive H.
what possible way It could have interrupted
the relations Of those two gentlemen, whr
stood at the moment at the head of their re.
spectIve parlies. and were looked upon by al
as competitors for the Presidency.
iii