Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1857-07-17

| subsequently members OF AOuSTeSS anu QlsA ID
position with their respective parties,
It will thus be seen that there was but one voice
In Tennessee on this subject The then recent fall
ure 10 elect President and the evils that resulted
from it being thrown before the House, there to be
gambled over In disregard of popular sentiment
and TO the great deteriment of the country, was
| practical argument which oil felt and acknow-
lodged.
But for fear of being tedious We would proceed to
enumerate various instances of propositions mads
to amend the Federal Constitution by leading lights
of the opposition party, which conclusivey show
how insinoele absurd and 4 iculous is their pres
ent assumed indignity at the advocacy by Gov.
johnson Of similar propositions. One instance
however will suffice our purpose.
Ex-Gov. WM. B. CAMPBELL, JUDoE r. L. CART
THEIRS, Hon. NJ. p. GENTRY, AND Elk President
| WILLARD FILLMORE FAvoRISG CONSTITUTIONAL
AMENDMENT
BY reference to the House Journal of the 9th
Congress, first Session. page 494, will be found the
| following:
"a motion was made by Mr.. Owsley (of KY
that the rules in relation the order of business be
| suspended TO enable him to move joint resolution
| proUidiRg 10 amend the CoRs,itatoH as follows:
LIST. That person who sail have been elected
President of the United States shall again be eligible
| to that office.
ID Every bill which shall have passed the House
of Representatives and the Senate SHALL before it
becomes law, be presented 10 the President Of the
United Stnes and if he apl rove he shall sign it,
but if not he shall return it, with his objections, to
that House in which it shall have originated, who
shall enter the obiec ions large their journal,
and proceed TO reconsider it. H. af err such recon
81 leration, a majority of all the members elected
10 that House shall agree to pass the BILL it shall
be sent, together with the objections, to the other
| House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered,
| and, if approved by majority of all the members
| elected TO that House, it shall become law"
The object of this I'd clause, as will be seen, was
to abolish the veto power Among those voting in
| the affirmative from Tennessee we find the distin
guished names of VIM B. CAMPBELL, ROBERT L..
| CARUTHERs and MEREDITH P. GExTEY. The vote
stood, yeas 81 nays 81. TwO-thirdS not voting
in the affirmative the question was lost
motion was made by Hon, Aaron V. Brown,
that the rules be suspended to enable him to submit
joint resolution proposing to amend the eonstitu-
ton of the United States follows:
''No person who shall hereafter be elected Presi
| dent of the United States, and who shall serve as
such the period of four years, any part thereof,
shall he again eligible to that Office; this disability
not to extend to any person on whom the office or
the duties of President may have devolved by rea-
! son Of the death, resignation or removal of the
President
Aud the question being taken, we find among
those voting in the affirmative, MILTON BRowN,
WIN B. CAMPBELL, NJ P. GENTRY end WILLARD
| FILLMORE The vote stood, yeas 100, hayes 81.
Two-hirds not voting in the affirmative the question
! was lost.
| Where was the danger, in the estimation of these
| gentlemen, in amending our Constitution, when they
thus voted in 1911? VIII the opposition now say,
to be consistent, that they were 'tampering" with
the Constitution because they favored amending it
in The way specially provided for that purpose in the
instrument itself? viii they call them radical and
roll up the whites of their pious eyes Mt the very
thought that they have had such men as leaders in
their party. If they do not the world will see and
mock at their shameful insincerity and brand them
as a set of political pharisees.
But one more reference is necessary to our pur-
| pose.
Mr.. CLAY IN FAVOR OF AMENDING THE CONSTITUTION.
Soon after the foregoing proceedings in the House,
Mr.. Clay, as a member of the Senate, moved on
amendment to the Constitution, TO restrain the veto
| power, prohibit Executive appointments of members
of Congress- and to transfer the appointment of the
| Secretary of the Treasury from The Executive to
the Legislative branch of the government. In his
speech upon this motion he said:
Whatever is the work of man necessarily par
takes of his imperfecons: and il not to be ex-
| pected that with all the Acknowledged wisdom and
| virtues of the trainers of Constitution. they
| could have sent forth plan Of government free
from all defect, and full Of guarantees, that it
should IN he Of puihi nd
Of excited passions be perverted and misrepreSent
| ed
Z" Fifty years had now elapsed since the Federal
! Constitution was formed, and it was derogation
to the wisdom and patriotism of the venerable men
| who framed il TO say that the work OF their
| hands, though as perfect had proceeded
| from human hands, WIS, nevertheless, not GbsO
! lulely so because that what nothing that
! sprung from had been. But now, after
the lapse of half century, it was interesting 10
pause to look back, TO review the history of that
period and compare the predictions of those who
then looked into the future, with the actual results
! Of subsequent experience"
! That we may not be tedious TO the reader, the
brief references we have thus made 20 the past his
tory Of the country must suffice for the present.
| They amply show that what Andrew johnson has
! advocated, the wisdom OF Jefferson conceived; and
that MIR Bell in the purer days of his political life,
set him the example. They further show, by the
strong arguments of Mr. Clay and the votes of other
| prominent men, who were opponents to Democracy,
the utter allacy, the can't the pure hypocrisy
from which the cry of danger to the constitution"
emanates.
Unfortunately for Know Nothingsm, but fortu-
nately for the country, its preences generally
too shallow to accomplish the purposes in view The
people have more cOmmOh sense, more discernment,
than Federalism in any of its various forms, have
! ever given them credit fer. They well know that
Gov. Johnsons only offence has been in favorng the
people That he is assailed, not for divesting hem
Of power, but for advocating the policy of reserv
ing to the people more of it, and of giving them
more direct charge their political affairs
The people are not afraid of themselves. When
Liberty once becomes dangerous in the hands
of the people, Gov. Johnsons theory will prove to
be wrong, and his opponents to be right.