The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-02-05

right an this position then the President is right IN wlhl
holding those instructions IRON TINS House, no iht from
with the treaty making power and deriving no nm d
the information called for Were the ENei ,b treatv
10 this CALL il would be- in effect. 10 yieia p 5u
making power to transfer il 10 the House Oh p f ,h
tyes: or AT least to place beyond the eoT ~, VI p
President and Senate, to whom alone !, NC ;nia IN |
dent has but exercised PoTS; certain instructions
given to Mr. Sidell. which; II e9Hnacso; mouia GI
feat this express grant, BY aeleauns a ueaty WIN
Mexico The very nature OF foreign negotiations re-
nnirss canton and secrecy upon this their success de-
bends II is rule arising ser neeessdfe rei, out OF The
nature of the transaction Such is the practice OF nations
one to which they forced BY necessity: lnstruc
tons given to diplomatic agents always placed under
lie ban of secrecy. But the President is not only sus
tanned the exercise of this power by the constitution
itself he sustained, also, by the opinions and reason
ing of the trainers Of that consitu,onby the
On page 1913, of the Federalis and authority which
will not be doubted BY gentlemen on the other side OF The
House) will be found of the reasons given by MIR
Hamilton, which influenced the trainers OF the constitu
ton in excluding the House OF Representatives from all
participation in the exercise of the treaty making power
Its multItudinOus composition and uctuatng character
its want of accurate and comprehensive knowledge OF
foreign poies-ot steady adherence TO the same views
of uniform sensibiy 10 national character--o decson
secrecy, and despa,chwere nsuperabe objections, IN
the judgment of that convention. 10 the exercise OF the
treaty making power by this House IL was o2lecuohs
such as ,hese-objec,ons co-exis,ent with this body-at
caused its exclusion from all participation IN ha power,
and implicitly, from all information within lis lunsdc
ton incompatible with the public interests to be dvugcd
Such must be the character OF lhe information with
held by the Executives and IN dong So he stands upon
constitution those patriots whose names recorded
the brightest pages OF our national hisory-whose all
pervading and umned minds reflected light upon every
subject within their range Of thought,-patriots who
stand beacon-ghts along the dreary track of time,
guide the wayward politician in his eratc career But
the President is also sustained in his action on this call
by the examples Of many of his ustrous predecessors
Ii Mr. Polk has erred in dIsobeying This call. General
George Washington committed the during his
administration. In 1896, call made by the House
of Representatives President Washington for the in
strucions given to the minister OF the United States,
who negotiated the treaty with the King of Great Brit
ain, together with the correspondence and documents
lative TO said treaty President Washington dsobeycd
that call He, too, refused to communicate the informal
ton called for by the resolution OF the House He assign
ed the same reasons Tor dsobeylng that call which
now assigned by President Polk Much stronger
exist for refusing the present call In the OF Pres
dent Washington, negotiations had been brought to
close, and treaty made But while the call of til is
House is made President Polk negotiations are pend
ing-no treaty has been made 1t is clear, then, tn at
General Washington, who poised himself upon the
great principles Of the constitution and upon the Same
considerations OF public policy, must the language of
gentlemen on tbs floor have been also tyran and
gress)
General Washington is not the only President who has
set the present Executive this example Mr. Monroe, du
ring his administration twice refused to obey similar calls
for instructions and information, will be shown By
consulting the journals OF the first and second
OF the eighteenth Congress General Jackson also re-
fused call OF the kind during his administration
the journals of the second session of the twenty
Congress will show Other presidents could be given to
ara nst6.hla n ,hn e p un; Htl'"' vi h'' i'oo'
- Si}L". -. IL - S:.:o"~ie A'.'. :,
bitterly denounce the President? Not precedents fur
nlshed by ms predecessors But the Journal OF the first
session OF the nineteenth Congress has been introduced
not to show the of the President in refusing this
CALL but expose assumed inconsistency on his mart
1t is aledged by my colleague, Mr. ToMpKINs by whom
Da.y ~. ~; a. uIat 'so i.esuch., WHY :,
hGpeseh'hVe on t,s moor voted Tor an absolute cali
he ponama ro;ss;on and ,ha, NJ p p' u "a
,vae then cortng nonnl,r favor hv III aJ,,a, &c
verv d;tiaran, dorir;pef rom he st ' ~ " -.
char~e he savs that ,vb;la a rasnIrton ,r.s 49, r.
fore 7,oncress ealing for snch corrna ~ anaai NJ
vOted iof MOTION 10 strike out the usual reservation
and to make the call as absolute President Adams,
the late resolution upon President Polk The reso-
luton calling for the Panama correspondence intro
duced by Mr. Hamilton, in December, 1925 sul,sti-
ute was offered by Mr. Webster in February, 1926 and
agreed to adopted. The following the resolution
'esoped That the President of the United States be re-
qsested be laid before this House much of
correspondence between the government OF the Unred
states and the new States OF America or their mlnste
e proPosed Congress- or meeting OF diponntc
mso a. h an o. snen ,normaon fespecns me nc
his md "a NAV in his opinion be comnuia
ted without preudce to the public interest and also to
inform this House, far as, in his opinion the public
eres may allow, in regard to what objects the agents OF
me ued states are expected to take part IN the deibc
uons Oh mat Congress
MT. Folk did vote to strike ont OF this resolution the
words $50 Tar AS IN his opinion, the public interest may
allow And yet, the resolution still contained the uEua
reservation and was not absolute as stated by my col
league How does the resolution read when these words
are stricken out:
cotped That the Pre- sid-p of the limited STATES he re