The Middlebury galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1848-1850, 1848-08-08

sustain the Union OF these Otates against an
dangerous infraction of the constitution. Blu
he will permit the people of the country t,
govern themselves. He will suffer the Rep
resentatives of the People and the States, il
these halls, to make the laws. He will not Sc
himself up as an essential part of the legisla
tive power of the nation. He will, when he
reaches the Presidential chair, stand by thu
great principles avowed on this subject b,
Madison and his compatriots Of 1887, and ut.
terly rePudiate the kingly maxim p~ractised
upon in the present day-"Sic roio, sic juoeo
sac reto. Ste. pro ratione rOluntds."
l propose to look a little further into thi,
subject. Idesire the Senate and the people O,
the country to understand what kind of Gov.
eminent was sought to be established BY those
who introduced the veto power into the consti.
tuition of the United States, and the kindred
principles which actuated them. In Madison's
papers we find a copy of the constitution which
Colonel Hamilton, the father of the veto, in.
tended to propose. Here are three of its pro-
visions:
"ARTIcLE Sec. l. The legislative pow
er shall be vested in two distinct bodies of men,
one to be called the Assembly, the other the
Senate, subject to the negative herein after
mentioned.
ARTICLE IV.-Sec. 10. The President
shall have a right to negative all bills, resolu-
tons, or acts of the two Houses of Legislature
about to be passed into laws.
"ARTICLE HI.-Sec. 6. The Senators shall
hold their places during good behavior, remov-
able only by conviction, on impeachment, for
some crime or misdemeanor."
Here are the principles of the Government
which the author of the veto power intended
to introduce. ltis manifest that the mind of
the author OF the veto power was at an infinite
distance from the opinions of those who made
the constitution. 1t is evident that he intend
ed to establish a Senate for life, and to make
the President a part of the legislative power.
But the Executive practice in these DAYS
Gall of which seems to be fully approved by
Gen. CaSs) is not merely SIC ceto but sic rolo,
sic jubeo. lie now assumes the initiative in
addition to the veto power. He not only rec
ommends, but dictatesto Congress. Ills opin-
ions are daily quoted in debate here, and con-
troll our legislation. 1t has been but four days
since an attempt was made by the Senators
from Kentucky and Tennessee, (Mr. UNDER
GOD and Mr.. BELL) to emove the obstruc-
tons in the river Ohio, at Cumberland island.
Every body here seemed to think it right to
remove it but it was known and said that the
President would veto the bill which contained
it and the improvement fell. So the navi-
cation of the Ohio must be INSTRUCTED till Tay-
lor can put it all right by allowing Congress to
make laws. We have now not a single river
or harbor bill before Congress-not one meas
ure for internal improvement. Whv? Be
cause wc all know it is idle to waste our time
in passing them, as the President has publicly
avowed his resolution to veto them all. The
will Of the people is nothing. All men here
look only TO the will of the President. He is
the fountain Of favor. Now, in the British
House of Commons, under 4 limited monarchy,
the independence of Parliament is secured by
4 rule which makes it out o forIey. for any
member to state in debate what is the will of
the King and it is perfectly true, as Col.
Hamilton stated in the Convention of 1897.
that no King Of England has dared to exer-
else the veto power since the English ~revolu-
ton produced by the Wings of hun
bred and sixty years ago Why? Because
the exercise Of a power so d~espotic, which
wholly denies to the people the right of self
government, would. even in that limited mon =,
archy, have cost any English monarch his
head. Queen Victoria would not keep the
throne a week under one of our Presidential
vetoes. We have the name of a republic, but
stat nomisis um5ra-it stands but the shadow of
a name. l first came into Congress nearly
twenty years ago, and l have since been an
attentive observer of men and things here,
though one of the humblest of the actors on
this theatre, where men. with loud professions
of Democracy on their lips, cherish the most
despotic~ principles in their hearts and l now
saw that the monarchical tendency has every
wear been growing stronger, that many Of our
legislative acts of the most important charac-
ter are draughted at the Executive Depart
ments, to suit the will Of the Executive and
that Congress has degenerated, under Demo-
cratic Presidents, till it is little better than
the register of the edicts Of an Emperor. Its
but a few days since member who has serv-
ed in Congress about thirty years (MR. WEE
srER) declared in his place that he had never
known a President set his heart on any great
measure which he did not force through Con-
gress.
WHY is this? Let a Democratic report, made
10 drive the Younger Adams from powertwen-
tv-tvo wears ago, make the answer. The vet
eran member from Missouri, (MR. BENTOS)
in his report on Executive patronage, May 4,
1926. after enumerating the monstrous extent
of the power of that patronage, says:
The whole of this great power will centre
in the President. The kIns OF England is
the fountain of honor THE President Of the u
nitcd States is the source of patronage
He presides over the entire system of Federal
appointments, Jobs, and contracts. He has
power over the supported the individuals who
administer the system. He makes and I'M
makes them. He chooses from the circle of
his friends and supporters, and may dismiss
them, as often as they d%isappoint his e1pecta-
tons. His spirit will animate their actions in
all the elections to State and Federal offices.
There may be exceptions, but the truth of a
general rule is proved by the exception. The
Intended check and control of the Senate,
without new constitutional or statutory provis-
ions, will cease to operate. Patronage will
penetrate this body, subdue its capacity of re-
s~istance, chain it to the car of power, and ena-
BILE the President to rule a: easily, and much
more securely with, than without the nominal
check of the Senate. If the President was
himself the officer of the people, elected by
them and responsible to them, there would be
less danger from this concentration of all pow
=. L. IL. - e - tho huSIDaSc Of c+ataa-l