Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1859-03-31
large grants Of land to the new States, needs no
answer. 1t is mere ilimsy excuse, and shows
to what a strait the President was reduced
Objection number 4. is this


answer. 1t is a mere flimsy excuse, and shows
to what a strait the President was reduced.
Objection number 4, is this:
"a. 1t is extremely doubtful, say the least,
whether this bill would contribute to the ad,
vancement of agriculture and the mechanic arts
| objects the dignity and value Of which cannot
be too highly appreciated. +"
| Why should man of respectable ability so
stultify himself? In his second objection he has
stated that the object Of the bill, if attained,
would unsettle what should be the true balance
between the Federal and State governments, and
therefore he vetoes it, and now he vetoes it be-
cause it is not calculated to accomplish its OBJ.
feet. He objects to it because it will answer
the purpose designed, and also because it will
not answer that purpose. He is determined not
to take the porridge, and however presented, it
is either too hot or too cold.
The 5th objection is as follows
"a This bill will iniuriously interfere with
existing colleges in the different States, in many
of which agriculture is taughtas science, and
in all of which it ought to be SO taught. These
institutions of learning have grown up with
the growth of the country, under the fostering
care Of the States and the munifccnce of indi-
viduals, to meet the advancing demands for ed
ucation. They have proved great blessings to
the people. Many indeed most of them, are
poor, and sustain themselves with difficulty.
What the effect will be on these institutions of
creating an indefinite number of rival colleges,
sustained by the endowment of the federal gov
ernmcnt it is not difficult to determine.
We trust the colleges will remember this graz
tuitous sheer at their ability to sustain them
selves.
| The colleges are quite able to take care of
their own interest and have not asked, that we
have known, for the rejection of this bill
When they demonstrate, it will be time enough
for the President to act upon such rcmon-
STRANGE, and veto bill looking to the improve
mcnt of agriculture and the mechanic arts
We venture to suggest, however, that when
that time comes they will furnish the President
with decent reasons for such step, and not
such shabby arguments as appear in this mes
sage
And the President further finds fault under
this head, that the land was not at once dona-
ted to the colleges, by endowment of professor
shin. &c. The unairness and dishonesty, not
to say positive meanness of this objection is, that
the bill if modified in this particular, would not
be relieved from single other objection which
the message argues, and would be still left
equally obnoxious to his criticism, and liable to
die violent death by his hand. When the ex-
ecutive resorts to such pettifogging trick as
this, it shows him to be in a desperate case.
His Southern masters would have given an hon
ester, if not better reason They would have
said, what Mr. Buchanan did not quite dare to
say, that the bill would encourage free hands,
free brains, free labor and free men, and there
fore it must be killed.
And now comes the 9Th and last obieetiou.
The bill is unconstitutional. If this objection be
valid, capable of being supported BY sound rea-
soning, the President would have done well TO
have set out in his message with that PROPOSE
ton, and to have brought his message TO an
end when he thought he had established it. II
the objection is good for anything it is an ample
justification for the veto and the very fact that
Mr.. Buchanan did not feel willing to rest his
justification upon that objection alone, is abun-
dant evidence that, in his own mind, he did not
regard it as of any value whatever.
In another place we publish the message, up
on this point, entire, being quite willing to give
Mr.. Buchanan the benefit of al. the reasoning
powers he has brought to the discussion of the
question.
In this portion of the message, as elsewhere,
the purpose Of the bill is either wilfuly or igno-
rantly inisstated. 1t is said to DO a provision
for the education of the people of State,-
which is true in one sense, but not in the sense
intended by the President The purpose OF the
bill is the advancement of agriculture and the
mechanic arts among " the people Of the United
States, 1.-THE people who, at present, constitute
the government of the United States, and who
stand in the place of those who ordained and
established the Constitution under which that
government exercises it's functions. The State
governments are only regarded in the bill as the
channel through which this appropriation may
reach and benefit the subjects alike OF State and
Federal authority. The argument. stripped Of
this attempt to make the bill Objectionable, as
gift to State, as State, and not to Its lnhab-
itants as 'people of the United States" is
simply this; Congress has no power to make
any provisions for the education of any Of the
people of the United States, either out of the
Treasury, or by donating public lands.
The message in this part has some show OF
argument Instead, however, of replying to
this by any reasoning of our own, we shall show
how the President completely answers it him
self
Now we submit these selfevident propositions.
All the power which Congress- has to dispose OF
the public lands, is given to it by the Constitu-
ton. Congress either has, Or it has not, under
the Constitution, right to donate land for the
purposes OF education in some OF all of the
States. If it has that right, no considerations
of expediency can lessen or take it away. II
it has not that right, no considerations Of cxpe-
diency can give it that right. Mr.. Buchanan
says that Congress not only has not that right
but his argument if it prove anything, proves
that it ought not to have it, and the conclusion
is irresistible by any logical sequence of ideas,
that no considerations of expediency, (as the
increased value of the remainder Of the lands)
can put that grant into the Constitution which
T was not there before. But in the next para
graph of the message it is admitted that the
grants heretofore made by Congress, for purpo-