The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-12-16


the President Is responsible not only 10 an
enlightened public opinion, but TO HE people
of The whole Union, who elected him, IA mo
representatives IN the Legislative branches
who differ with him in opinion, are RESPONSE
bic 10 the people ofpnrlicular Suites, or DIS
uicls, who compose their respective consult
nenccs. To deny 10 tie President the eNer'
cisu Of this power, would ho TO repeal maj
proyision of the constitution which coHiers II
upon him. TO charge that its exercise I'M
duly controls tho Legislative will, Is TO com
plain Of the constitution itself
i lflhe Presidential veto be objected TO upon
tho ground that il checks and thwnrs the pub
lie will, upon Tie same principle the equality
Of representation oflhe States ~ the Senate
should he stricken out ofthe Constitution
The vote of Senator from Delaware has g.
quail weight in deciding upon the most I'M
porinnl measures with the vote Ofn senator
! from New-YorkMud yet the one represents
Suite contaiuiug,uccording 20 the cNis!lnS mp
portiounient Of REPRESENTATIVES IN tho House
/ Of Representatives, bat one thirty-tourIh part
ofthe population Ofthe other. by HE con-
slilulionai conIpositiou of the Scnule,a MAJOR
| ity of that body from the smaller States rep
/ resent less than onc-iourlh Of the people OF
! the Union. There are thirty States; ana I'M
| der the existing npporIionment OF represent
lntves, there are two hundred ana lhlrIy
members in tho House of Representatives.
Sixteen ofthc smaller States are represent
ted in that House by about flly members;
and vet tho Senators from these States con-
stiiuc II majority Of the Senate. So that the
President may recommend Il measure to
Congress, aud it may receive the sanction
aud approval of more thun thrcc-ionrlhs OF
the House Of Representatives, and OF more
Than lhree-luurths Of the whole population
of the United States; aud yet the measure
may he defeated by the votes OF the Senators
from the smaller States. None, ii is prcsum-
ed, can he found ready 10 change tie orSanl-
zaion of the Senate on this account, or to
strike that body practically out OF existence,
by requiring that lis action shall he conform
ed to the will OF the more numerous branch.
Upon the same principle that the veto OF
the President should be practically abolished
the power OF the Vice President 10 give the
casting vote upon mn equal division OF the
Senate should he abolished also. The Vice
President exercises The veto power as etiec-
tually hy rejecting bill 10y his casting vote,
us the President does by refusing TO approve
and sign il. This power has been exercised
by the Vice President in II few instances, the
most important of which was the rejection
of the bill to reclarter the Bank Of the United
Suites in 1911. II may happen that bill
may he passed by large majority of the
House Of Representatives and may be sup
ported by Me Senators from the larger States,
aud The Vice President may reject it by Civ
ing his vote with the Senators from the small
er States; and yet none, it Is presumed, are
prepared to deny TO him the exercise Of this
power under The Constitution.
But it is in point of fact, untrue, that an
act passed by Congress is conclusive evil
dence that il is an emunnlon of the popular
will. 4 niority of the whole number elect
cd TO each house Of Cougess constitutes II
quorum, and n majority of that quorum is
competent 10 pass laws. 1t might happen
that u quorum of the House Of Representa-
lives, consisting of single member more
than half of the whole number elected 10 that
House, might pass bill 10y u minority of Il
single vote and in that case fraction more
than onc-iourIh Of the people of the United
States would be represented by those who
voted for il. 1t might happen that the same
bill might be passed by minority of one, of
quorum of the Senate, composed of Sena-
tors from the IS smaller Suites, and single
Senator from 10Th State, and if the Senators
voting for it happened to be from Of! the
smallest ufthese States, il would be passed
| by the votes of Senators from States having
! but II Representatives, aud containing less
than 1-l6 of the whole population Of the us.
! This extreme case is stated to illustrate The
! fact that the mere passage of n bill by Con-
gresS is no conclusive evidence IEat those
who passed il represent the mn orily of The
people of the L. States, or truly reflect their
will. If such an extreme case is not likely
to occur cases that approximate il are Oi
constant occurrence. II is believed that not
IL single law has been passed since the adup-
ton of the constitution, upon which all the
members elected to both houses have been
present and voted. Many of the most i'm
porlant acts which have passed Congress
have been carried by close vote in thin
houses. Many instances of this might he
given. Indeed, our experience proves that
many of the most important acts of Congress
are postponed 10 the last days. and often the
last hours ola session, when they are dspos-
ed of in haste and by houses but little eX-
cccding the number necessary TO form Il quo
rum. ...... ..
Beside, in most of the States the members
of the house of Representatives are chosen
bv pIuralites, and not by mniorites of all
the voters in their respective districts; and it
may happen that majority of that House
may he returned by n less aggregate vote of
the people than that received by the minority.
lf;he principle insisted on be sound, then
the constitution should he so changed that
no bill shall become n law unless it is voted
for by members representing IN each House a
majority ofthe whole people ofihe United
States. We must remodel our whole sys-
TEN strike down and abolish, not only the
saiutary checks lodged in the executive
branch. but must strike out and abolish
those lodged in the Senate also, and thus
invest the power of the government in ma
jority ola single assembly, majority I'M
controlled aud absolute, and which may be-
come despotir. To conform to this doctrine
oflhc right of innj orities to rule. independent
of the checks and limitations of the consttu-
ton, must revolutionize our whole system.
} We must destroy the constitutional compact