The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-09-02

make the President be esteemed more particularly Ia
representative OF the people OF the United States thai
each senator upon this floor is to be considered III,
representative OF the people OF the United States Thu
constitution does not provide that he IS to be elected BY
the people directly and Immediately We all know that
He is TO be elected by body OF electors. these eector,
chosen.by the people Of each State in such mode hs
Legislature OF each State think proper to prescribe; ap
pointed not only without pledges, but word is to be
found in that instrument prescribing pledges The elect
ors are clrcnmscrbed in their powers They TO seec
the man best calculated to exercise the functions Of ht
high office IL the practice long after the constu
ton adopted TO have the electors selected by the
| legislatures OF the respective States South Carolina
thinks she has found advantages accnng from that sys
TEN. She believes II TO be conservative IN lis nature
and in the true spirit of the constitutional provision, AM
likely to accomplish the selection of the best men
IN the country TO discharge the duties OF the President OF
the United States; and she yet alheres to it. And how
have the other States differed in their forms OF election
What change have they mAde' They have directed the
people to elect electors BY general ticket The people OF
each State voting within the limits of their State and
speaking merely the voice of the people OF the State
make the selections but these electors speak but the
and will OF the people OF each Sla'e. Whose will and
voice do we speak Are not elected by respective
legislatures And by whom is the Legislature OF each
State elected BY the people. Our electors, then,
the legislatures of each State, elected by the people OF
the State. The electors of the President of the United
States the electors chosen by the people of each State
without association with control BY the people Of any
other State, and that under provisions which the legisa
ture of each State may think proper to prescribe.
Sir, there is another arrangement by which the popular
character OF thus body IS preserved 1t is this; thai
places are supplied by the legislatures, who speak the
of the people that exists at the period OF
each successive election Then there is nothing to be
found IN the respective character OF tier appointments
TO make usurpaon more pro Fable in the Senate than the
President What is there Mr. President, in the history
Of this body, compared with the history OF The several
Presidents of the United States, which gives the latter
the claim OF being regarded less likely to usurp power
than the Senate' should have liked the senator from
Ohio to have specified an instance
Mr.. ALLEN. | understand the senator TO desire in
stance in which the Senate has attempted to usarp
tive power. will give the passage of the resolution
condennihg General Jackson v,oaior of the consti-
uon and which the American people instructed the Sen
ate TO cancel.
Mr.. JOHNSON Is that the only one. AS the senator
does further, am to that it is the only
instance that occurs to his fruitful imagination and to
his still more accurate recollection Now, in the first
place. sir il to be proved that the Senate of the United
States in that instance, violated any constitutional pro-
In the second place, it has to be proved that that
of itself the cause of bringing Gen Jack son again
into the presidential chair But Will tell you what it
does prove. do stop to argue the constitution
al right OF the Senate TO pass the resolution Il they be-
eved the facts stated true. II proves directly, in
contradiction to the theory of the senator from Ohio the
overwhelming influence and power of the President OF
the United States II proves that he WELD the popu
lar will If he have an iron will OF his own. 1t proves,
too that he can do more than that 1t is alarming it,
usaion of the ,endencyt abuse OF the executive pow
er, and of the effect of that abuse speak it in dis
respectful sense to this bodylt proves his overpowerng
influence the Senate itself; that he even force
then, by the appliances oil power, mot to degrade them
selves because speak IN the presence OF some of those
who perhaps in the Senate at that time, for whom
entertain the highest respecO to violate the clear and
ex press niunctons of the constitution of keeping rec
ord of their own proceedings at all times sacred and I'M
touched. Sir il proves that the Senate may become the
hand, and be forced 10 hold the pen of the Executive
and be compelled to draw around the archives of their
own body black any other Ines if he commands it
The instance, therefore, to which the senator referred
demonstrates the OF his theory; instead of showing
the Senate usurpers and giving them the power OF usurp
ers, proves that the President may become usurper,
and that the Senate may be but the instruments to record
his will And this is the only which TO the
memory of the senator from Ohio to make good his theory
Will not his memory furnish an example of Executive
usurpation' suppose not And why Have there been
such usurpations' Has there been abuse OF Exec
utive power? Have the limits to his constitutional unc
tons been sacredy observed by all Presdents' Has
OF them ever respasscd upon the admitted autho
ty OF the legislative branch OF the government? Why, sir,
the records of this body full OF veto messages that
smell rank of usurpaton. took occasion the other day
to say in debating different proposition that the veto
power, il was given by the constitution, most
wholesome and conservative power. think so still |
would not change il could But did not then think,
and do not think now, that has not been abused Sir
has it not been abused Let mention only two IN
stances have not time to mention the many cases OF its
abuse During every administration down to the present.
without exception, the power ovcra certain description
of internal Improvements never had been questioned,
when eXered III particular form The Improvement OF
harbors and the internal OF the United States has
only been held to be within the clear power OF the
government, but of the most wholesome and bene
cal powers it could exert. Millions OF dollars worth
opopey and thousands of lives have been saved through
not been done that Knight have been done. Hardly a
month passes in which hundreds OF our fellow citizens
not immersed in watey graves for the want of that
protection which they had right to demand from the
government OF the United States and which had
heretofore been absolutely refused Whether administer
ed with stinted hand not 1t ever been administer
ed cheerfully and socousy, and has resulted in i'm
measurable benefit, whether regard its effects in the
safety OF private property or the security OF the lives OF
American citizens.
What have we witnessed during the administration Of
President! Bills
nary unanimty through both branches--voted for too,
by some of the most influential members of his party
and mean disparagemeht TO the es lent when say
they at least his equals, IN every quality which IN
telect and virtue give-men who participated IN his
election and to whom he indebted for 1t, knowing the
wants of their respective constituencies seeing the great
destruction of property and life gong on IN their midst
Tor the want of the further OF this wholesome
power have united in passing bills to construct harbors
and to improve still further harbors which, under pre-
vious laws, had been commenced. Sir | shall never
forget the time when the first law that subject was
submitted 10 the President | am satisfied that there
were not to be found upon the other side OF the cham
her any two senators who voted for the bull who
believed it possible il would meet with veto the
part OF the President Yet the veto came And why
did II come Ii was because, II said, there
were TO he found IN that bill measures OF local interest
contraiisinguished from objects of national conse
quence Tue alleged want of constitutional power to
portion OF the bill, because Of the alleged local char
acter of It's objects, condemned all the rest and made Mt
his friends stated the duty OF the President it,
Although there were included many objects OF. admitted
national importance, yet through the asserted illegally Of
the measure whole, II was rejected; and there could
not be found a sufficient majority override the Execu-
tive will Sir there will be found sufficient, ma
e