The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-08-17
CONGRESSIONAL.
OF TENNESSEE.

OF TENHIssEE.
In the House of Representatives, august 2, ls4s-ln
the bill making appropriations for the support OF the
army for the fiscal year ending 3oth June, lois'
MIR. JOHNSON said:
Mr.. CHAIRMAN have for some days a.e' h NO 20
obtain possession Of the floor when the House has oee
in COMMITTEES of the Whole on the state oil the Union
and having length succeeded, may not COMING myself
general Character as other gentlemen have done who
have meceded me in debate. l make the admission
frankly that shall introduce some general .oPcs o. a,s
shall say may be dgnhed with the appeiaton o. an al
gument However, as an hour is but very limited tune
in which to speak such varied and important questions
IA present themselves my mind shall directly address
myself those questions and cannot embody all my
views. may be able TO present the outline the bones
the general of those subjects and leave to those
who may feel sufficient interest in them to listen to my
remarks to fill up the outline and cothe the bones with
suitable muscles and flesh.
For the last two or three days. and may say weeks,
the more immediate subjects of discussion have been
twofold. The first the veto power; and the next
with N Meaes Sss %
prncipallycon6ne myself And FIRST m relation to
the veto power confess feel great dlfhdence IN APP
preaching a subject of much Importance for at one
period Of my life entertained doubts as to the ex
ercse OF the power myself But from the best IN
have OF b q 20
In the discussion of the veto power, and tracing i
from its origin the present time, may be charged with
something Of ultraism; for upon more thorough exam
ination find it to be of pebeian origin. Where did
the veto power originate IT. was established 10 en ,he
rights The veto power had its origin IN old Rome, 3ooI
A. NJ and before Christ, 497; and from the building OF
the CITY of Rome 255 which would make, SINCE IFS orgln
2345 wears These dates will show that the people OF
Rome had been submitting to gradual encroachments 800
years, until further SUBMISSION was nsuPPoltaoie "A.
this period of time, the levies and laws OF the Roman
Senate enormous and oppressive, that the people
compelled 10 resort to some means to resist their
further encroachment The people retired to
ntain three m
Monsacer and there addressed by Junius Lucius
and Sicnus Beerus with masculine eoqnence. which is
always the child of nature which induced the people to
compel the Roman Senate to yield the power 10 them to
establish five ibunes from among themselves, (Which
Of time neeasrd to aeh @ho nace
at the Senate door, and all laws passed by the Roman
Senate were presented them for their approval or re-
letter IL but Il not approveds they used The word ueto
which signifies al forbid" This is the origin OF the
and So long as was els BY Gunes or
election or appointment the end that the people designed
was successfully accomplished is resistance to en-.
was preserved in its original purity and simplicity it
exercised to the advancement of the peoples rights and
interests.
Augustus 7o6 years from the building of the city Of
Rome ASH after the establishment OF the veto
power BY the people, 80 managed as to nave Inc power
81 the and rovy The bunes we're
still elected, and existed nomnay but in fact they ex
ercised tribunitian power The bunes in fact con
9a3 years from the building Of the city, e7s years from
the creation Of the Veto when the office OF tribune was
completely merged in royalty, and abolished.
We may now pass on from this period OF time to the
the days Of Augustus will see that the exercise of
a Is from he people 10 the eow ' England BY
resolution of Parliament, this power was conferred
upon the King, and has not been exercised by him
1922, which makes one hundred and y-sx years;
and from this argument is drawn to prove that even
the King of England afraid to exercise the veto power
and Therefore aS ho hs "a os
land is not Immediately responsible to the people for the
exercise of this power, or responsible to them for the
position he holds He ascends the throne in the course
OF hereditary succession; and when the power is exer-
cised BY him. in most instances is to resist the popular
will instead OF carrying it out Hence the great fear OF
exeTcisng the veto power in England lest the popular
throne; aud consequently he resorts to the liberal be-
those measures on their passage which would require the
exercise OF the veto power, necessary to protect the
other prerogatives Of the The constituent
bly, of France conferred the veto power the King
1885, but the very first exercise of proved his 1t
in opposition to popular will and in protection of the
prerogatives of the crown The same power was also
vested with the King of Norway; and in this instance it
was exercised twice to sustain the family upon the
throne, until at last popular will became SO strong that it
more length in the enumerated and refer to
others. but time will not permit
Twill now pass to period Of time when this power
returns to its original sOurce-he people. The patriots
and sages OF the revolution after eectng separation
from Great Britain, who perfectly familiar with the
veto power il existed in the colonies and in Great
Britain were called upon to form constitution; and in
that constitution we find the veto power established and
submitted to the States and, after mature and deliberate
consideration by them, it was adopted On the 18th of
March, 1889, George Washington, the Father of his
country delegate to- and president Of the convention
that made the constitution, inaugurated President
ofthe United States, and for the first time under the
constitution, the veto power exercised or, &C.
cording TO our opponents Of this day, the " one,
the ground of convenience and economy and the
second time upon constitutional grounds And, in
this conHexiOn, although MIR. Jefferson never eyer-
cised the power while President himself we can adduce
proof which shows that he approved of the incorporation
of the power into constitution and exercise after
wards: In his letter. written when he was in Paris to
Mr. Madison. dated December 90 7S7, he takes decided
ground in favor of the veto In his opnon written
out whilst Secretary OF State under General Washing
toms administration he urged its exercise upon the
ground that its omission might be construed into nom
official negligence We find, then, that these
two men, whose patriotism and purity of purpose no
mortal man doubt, in favor OF the veto power
as established in the constitution James Madison, the
third republican President, and, as he is called by
some, ''the great Apostle of Liberty" who was a
member of the convention that framed the great chart
of American liberty and afterwards President OF the Uni
ted Staesand that, too, while all was fresh and green
his memory OF the expressions and outrages that
hal been committed by the British government under
every preence whatever. during his eight years admin
to Mr. Monne; and during his administration it will
be remembered tina. was called "he of goodwill
and Cancellation of all Icrhes; who, it may be said
came into power almost withC@t opposition, and under
whose administration parties alnicst merged-a
that one will charge with possessing the ast element