The tri-weekly news. [volume] (Winnsboro, S.C.) 1865-1876, 1866-05-12
BY Gaillard & Desportes.
'TIIE TRI-WEEKLY NEWS
Notes on the Constitution Of the United
States.
BY D. B. M'CREtGmT.
no. y

Wand House Of Representatives may
"be necessary (except on a question of
"adjournment) shall be presented to the
president of the United States and be.
'9ore the same shall take effect. shall be
approved by him, or being dsapprov.
"ed by him, shall be repassed by two.
thirds of the Senate and House of
Representatives, according to the rules
"and limitations presented in the case OF
"a Bill"
1t will be noticed in Section S, Clause
lst, that majority Of each (House)
shall constitute a quorum to do busi.
ness But this clause deals only with
such business as requires the presence of
two.thirds of both Houses. 1t does not
mean that two.thirds Of both Houses
Is necessary to pass laws. but i: does
mean, and the Constitution expressly re.
quires, that twothirts of both Houses
shall be necessary to over-rue the veto
power of the President.
In this scale again may the Radicals
be- weighed and found wanting. Two.
thirds of each House means two thu ds of
the full delegation, that s delegation
from every State. And yet the
Senate OF the United States dares
to count its vote on the Civil Rights
Bill a Constitutional one, when 33 votes
override the President, when, If that
body were now organized according to
the Constitution, instead Of 33 votes be.
ing two.third decision, it would re.
qnire 4S, Whittier are we driving
The 9Th Section of the Constitution
begins, "rhe Congress shall have the
power" Before annotations on the sev.
eral clauses in it, some notice will be
taken of the purport of the quotation
just made.
That the Constitution is something
more than a mere agent, q tool in the
hands of each one of thirty.siz sover.
eigns, and that it has latent powers and
rights that sovereignty alone can claim,
is evident from this very Sth Section.
"Congress shall have power,"-that
is authority, that is right But a right
has its corre!ative duty for every citi,
zen and State to respect and obey be.
cause the Constitution in relation to
each State and each citizen, is sover.
eign or superior.
CLAUSE lsT. "To lay and collect
"taxes, duties, imposts and excises, to
"pay the debts and provide for the COM
"mon defence and general welfare Of
''the United States; but all duties, i'm.
"posts and excises shall be uniform
''throughout the United States"
There is no mista&ing the surrender
of sovereign rights in this clause. 1t is
here where we find the force Of that first
object for the ordaining Of the Cons'itu-
ton, contained in the preamble, viz
"a more perfect Union" The very
thing that rendered that other union
only rope Of sand, was for tho want of
the very power herein granted, and
which the States were so loath to grant
then. But it will be observed that it
was not done here without compro.
mise. And that compromise between
United ane State sovereignty is found
in the last sentence t'but all duties i'm
posts and excises shall be uniform
throughout the United States. Tax.
es' are not embraced in that comprc.
mise, because in apreceding clause it is
ordained that Representatives and di
rect taxes shall be apportioned an ing
the several States y accord.
ing to their respective numbers." AS
the numbers are not uniform;, so neither
...trH Va. =. I . u