Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1860-04-14

nifS.snl Is rFesass aasersiHiak ID zabsefiEisns
ras rspsrt II TIE oonnistes = the Judiciary
in the Haase oil Representatives: to whom wa
referred The Psssideafs late "indignsas protest,
has iast been made. and rsvives certain rccollee
.sions " Tie visws q many eainent men. Wit
were either opposed altogether to the adoption o
The csastitutien. from m apprehension Of the cen
tralsing tendencies Of the Federal government
and the consolidation q power in the hands o
the Executive branch ;--or, In ccnsentine to nc
oeptit iabsred to csrtail the power Of the Execa
tive with;n the nasrowcst limits consistent will
the indepsnss and dignity becoming the head oil
great nation, and eo-erdinatc branch ct the
government. Those whe are familiar with the
debates in the Virginia Convention. called to con
silcr the proposed Constitution; vial remember
that two classes Of persons were found there
che one being represented by Patrick Henry aud
James Moaros; the ether by Governor Randolph
and Mr.. Madison. "Tbe forcss-born Denosthe-
nes." depicted with NIL that glowing e'oquence OF
which he vas master the danger to liberty which
he eonceised lay hidden in the ronetiou~ fropo-
sition to invest the Executive with the power con-
coded to that officer 10 tho Constitution lie OPP
no~ed the whole instromcnt as centralizing and
consolidating in its tendency; as calculated to
impair the rights Of the States; aaa ultimately,
to deprive the peop!c Of their liberty. Waen re-
minded that eigh. Of the thirteen States Ind
adopted tho Constitution, his reply was. II de-
clare that II twelve States aud half had adopted
it, l would, with manly Hrmnes, aud in spite Of
an erring world reject It,"
Governor Randolph and Mr.. Madison, whilst
opposed to everything savoring OF u'onarcb'eai
feature in the new government were yet in favor
of the Constitution, though anxious to promo'"
the influence Of the legislative and judicial de-
par,inents. somewhat at the expense Of the Ike
cutiye. But, in oil the debates which We have
examined upou the subject, it does not appear
that any body indulgod the apprehension that the
Executive Office would dwindl0 in influence or
importance or suffer serious encroachment from
the other coordinate branches. Such. we know.
has not been the tendency Of thin g. frou, the tme
whom Washington put tho wheels of government
in mJtiln J.; whilst it is as well authenticated MS
any other fsct in history, that the chief opposi.
ton to Washing:on's Administration. which eul-
minated in the expulsion of his immediate sue
ccssor from power at the end OF his FIRST ae7m,
and resulted 10 the destruction of the Federal
party; was iostira.cd and kept up by men who
adopted Mr.. Jeferson's theory relative to the
Of all political power; and desired to over
awe the Executive with the popular branch Of
the government chosen directly by The people.
Dir. Jefferson, out Of office, went iar stripping
the President Of nearly all power, and was scarce
ly willing to allow him what Mr.. Calhoun years
afterwards called the unconstitutional power Of
removal from Office, with which that officer was
ntrusted by the FIRST Congress-"
However much Mr. Jefferson himself may in
practice have disrc garded the principles that
brought him into power-and with this we have
nothing to do at present they were as clearly de-
fined at The time, land as distinctly identified with
the Federal and Republican parties respectively Of
that day. a. fhe everlasting negro is now. with ,hc
Democratic andBlack Republican parties. In proof
Of this fact, We need only cite tho authority of Mr.
Jefferson as given in his letter to John Adaa,s.
written in 1878, when both Of them had Je,iys.L
forever from Office, and d assumed the friendly
relations towards each other which existed vince.
they stood togethsr in opposition to the demands
Of the British crown.
From the time. then, Of the early struggles be-
tween the Feleralists and Republicans, To the
present day. the power and influence OF the Pres
ilential Office have been steadily increasing, un-
til it has essayei, not only 10 influence by its pa
tronage the Legislative departments; but to con-
troll. with public money, the selection Of the peo-
ple's representatives! Its influence has been ex.
banding pan passu with the growth Of the coun-
Try. the multiplication Of Offices. and the increase
OF Executive patronage; and will, IN the Same
ratio. continue to expand. There is, therefore,
very little ground for the apprehension. and no
historical accuracy 10 the assertion Of tho Presi
dent, that, the whole proceeding against him
jusii6es the fears Of those wise aud great men
who. before the Consultation was adopted by the
States, apprehended that tho tendency of the Co
vernment was to be the aggrandizement Of the leg
islative at tho expense Of the executive and judi
cial depaEtments"'
Westatsd on . previous occasion, that we did
not Justify she spirit manifested by the larger
party in the House Of Representatives towards tho
President; whilst, at the same time, it is demon
strabls and apparent that his conclusions are alb
surd, and in direct contravention Of the expert
ence Of the government. The President Of the
United States is invested with great powers. and
when these are exercised by corrupt man. and
prostituted to unworthy ends; are almost unlim-
ted. 1t is perfectly compe.est for Congress,
without impairing the just inausnce of the Exc!
eutiss, 70 lop sG some Of these. Let the patron
age b removed from Executive control; by the
Substitution, whenever IL is practicable, Of tho
contract systsua; and provide Punishment by tho
severess enaetnents. for the use Of money, or, Of
Executive fntasfsrsnce in the elections.