Glasgow weekly times. (Glasgow, Mo.) 1848-1861, 1856-01-24

to have the message read.
Mr. Taylor--Let the House decide wheth-
er or not it will interrupt the business Of
the House by the reading Of that message.
Let it be laid upon the table. l make that
motion.
The Speaker Gentlemen will remember
the provision Of the Constitution in refer
ence 10 veto message Of the President.--
Bills being returned with the Presidents
objections, the House shall proceed to con
slider them. -t .DIt
After the message was read amid stor
my debate, one, whose words are always
felt, and whose fame is national, spoke:
Mr.. Benton-The Constitution requires
that we shall consider veto message.--
| Congressional Globe, Vol. 80, I'd Session,
33d Congress, 1853, 1855, 1857.
close my examination of the praptice Of
the Federal Government, under the clause
Of the Constitution in question, and come
now to consider the practice of the State
Government.
l have examined the proceedings Of the
General Assembly, in reference to twenty
4
veto messages, interspersed in the Journals
from the organization Of the Government 10
the present time, and there is not solitary
case--not one--in which bill was first re-
considered, and the objections entered on the
Journals afterwards and in every case
every one--in which such bill was before
both Houses, the objections were with it,
and entered at large upon the Journals Of
both. This is the practice Of the State Gov
eminent. a-
The words of the Constitution, and the
order in which they stand, fully sustain the
construction thus gathered from the debates
in the Convention, the comments of the most
eminent iurists, and the uniform practice Of
thesnational and State Governments: sthe
House shall cause the objections at large 10 be
entered on lis Journals and shall proceed 10
reconsider the bW." The word "proceet'
used in the latter part Of the clause clearly
shows this: pro. forward and eedo, 10 move,
pass or go forward, from one place 10 an
other; to pass from one point, stage or topic
TO another; [ Webster. This word thus
used implies that the motion, journey or voy,
nge, had been previously commenced and tc
proceed is then to renew or continue the
motion or progress: Webster. To enter
the objections on the Journal first, gives
this word its plain, ordinary meaning; to dc
it afterwards, reverses it, pro, backward
cedo to move, as il does in the order in which
the words stand in the clause, and it wcud
make il read thus: "the House shall recon
slider the bill and go back and cause the OBJ.
jections TO be entered at large on its jour
nails" If plain man were told by thi.
principle to go to Jefferson City, and pro,
coed to St. Louis, he would hardly under.
stand that he was to go TO St. Louis and
come back to Jefferson City.
This view of the Constitution is enforced
by another consideration. A majority o.
each house constitutes quorum, TO do bust
ness, and a majority of quorum, transacts
the ordinary business oflegislation. Ifthert
is nothing in the Constitution requiring the
objections to be entered on the Journal, be.
fore the reconsideration of the bill, there /:
no constitutional way in which they can be
heard or considered. 4 majority of quo.
rum may keep them from being read oil
printed, or from being entered on the Jour
nal, until alter the passage of the bill: and
they may force action upon il whenever
they please, Immediately, if they choose; and
in all cases of wrongful Legislation by design
It would most certainly be done. Tie sol,
emn formula OF the Constitution would, il
such case, become solemn mockery.
But it may be argued that the time of en-,
terng the objections on the Journal, is i'm,
material, that the only constitutional pur.
pose to be answered by them is to advise the
public, after the passage Of the bill, wha
they were. This argument is fully answer
ed by the debates in the Convention, show.
ing the reason why the cla3se in question
was put in the Constitution; by the com.
ments of the most eminent jursts, and by
the uniform practice Of the National anC
State Governments. 1t may be answered
by other considerations. II such is the
only purpose to be answered by the objec.
lions, tits folly, it is worse than folly, it i,
solemn mockery, TO require them to be re,
turned with the bill to the House, in which
it originated, and to be sent with It to the
other House, if goes there. 1t would dc
just as well to send them by themselves, &c
the Secretary of the Senate and the clerk Of
the House, to be printed in the Journals, OF
put in the appendix. Not only SO, but bet
ter. 1t would remove the ten days restric-
ton, give more time TO prepare them, and
make the appeal to the public more foroible.
There is another consideration. The argu-
IL