Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1860-04-19
New Series---Vol, XIV, No. "a

Authorized expediency of the inquiry propo-
sed by the resolutions being as is believed,
amply vindicated, no question remains in re
spect to it, except such as might address 1T
self to the discretion of the House. At, By
the proceedings to remedy mischief, gies@ee.
or mischief would be likely to follow. then
well.regulated prudence would indicate Its
abandonment. The President in his protest
suggests such a danger, and rests his feSls-
tance upon it. 1t is thus expressed: Inc
whole proceeding againsthim JustiheS theiears
of those wise and great men who, before the
Constitution adopted by the States, APP
pretended that the tendency OF the Govern
ment was to the ACKNOWLEDGEMENT of the leg
islative at the expense OF the executive and
judicial departments If, indeed, fears of
legislative aggrandizement should ever have
existed, the cause of those fears is lett IN
great obscurity. The history of the Constl-
tuition. through all the stages Of Its formation,
its adoption by the several States, and the
conspicuous differences between the great po-
litical parties at the time, would seem to deny
the existence of any such apprehension. The
strong sentiment of the democratic party,
through its whole struggle with the Federal
lists, until the election Of Jefferson, was Ill
rectly the reverse of the Presidents state
mcnt. In the convention that formed the
Constitutain, jealousy of the Executive branch
Of the proposed government was as great,
even, the kindred jealousy against the
probable encroachments OF the Federal Gov
ernment upon the independence and soyer-
eighty of the separate States In that body
it was even proposed that the Executive should
be removable by the Legislature, without i'm,
parchment or conviction Of high crimes and
misdemeanors.
As futher manifestation of that feeling
it was proposed that the Executive should be
plural Madison and Randolph urgently sup
ported il as a measure Of protection against
the aggressous Of the Chief Magistrate upon
the rights of the coordinate branches OF the
Government Mr. Randolph, Governor of
Virginia, and Attorney General under Wash
ington, speaking upon the subject, said; The
situation of this country is peculiar; the peo-
pie are taught aversion 10 monarchy all the
constitutions are opposed to 1t Why cannot
three execute?' The ineligibllity Of the Ex-
ecutive after one term was also insisted upon,
as necessity to prevent ussrpatlon. Jetfer-
son declared his wish to be that the Presi-
dent should be elected for seven years, and be
ineligible afterwards. Mr.. Randolph also
made use Of this remarkable expression;
The Executives may appoint men devoted to
them and even bribe the Legislature Ham
iton, after the adoption Of the article OF the
| Constitution relating to the Executive, ad-
dressing Governor Lewis, used still mora
striking expression: You nor |, my friend,
may not live to see the day, but most assu-
redly it will come, when every vital interest
of the State will be merged in the all-abscrb-
ing question Of who will be the next Presl-
dent So numerous are the proofs that the
wise and great men Of our earlier history en-
tertained forebodings of the very opposite
character to those which the President as
cribes to them, that it is difficult to resist
disposition to attribute insincerity to
the President to accomplish the pur-
poses of his protest. The suspicion on the
part of the people has become so great that
they are continually reducing Executive pow
er. In many of the States the Governor has
become but a mere chief Of police. This is
not, however, to be attributed to legislative or
judicial agency, but to the fact that chief ex-
ecutiVes so use their patrqMage rs to produce
a tendency to n Capitalization of power dan
gerous to the liberties of the people. The
world is but a great battle field for power;
and if universal history teaches any lesson,
it is this that power is always stealing from
the many to the few,' that executive heads of
nations absorb popular rights; and that all
revolutions are on the part of the people, not
to establish thrones, but to regain that which
| has been wrested from them by the throne.
The citizen of the United States has reason
! to fear that which every other nation has sui
| fered.
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