The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-07-28


"a Il unnecessary, every thing being done
tuscordine 70 the will Of the ministers. he
~ afia;d, IL negative should % gwen s
| proposed, that more power and money Wong
Be demanded, till q last enough wouIo = ~.
| 70 influence and bribe the ieg,slesure NV
complete subsection to the Will Oh tho 'As''
tive"
| RoaEn SHERMAN, the wise and patriou-
shoemaker, spoke briefly and to the point -
usual:
iMr. Sherman was against enabling any one
man 70 stop the will OF the Hhols. % Qne
nan could be found 10 FIR above Ill thS reg,
iin visdom. He thought We ought TO avail
ourselves Of his wisdom in revising the Avs,
| hut nat nermit lin 70 oRoEaao - AoeeaeA
| and cool opinions Of the legislature.
Mr.. BurLER, of South Caroline, Ar.
RrnroRp. of South Carolina, and Col. Ma.
SOY, Of Virgins, followed in order;
nMr. Butler had been in favor Of single
executive magistrate but could ne nave en-
ltertained an idea that complete negative on
the laws ss to be given him, ne ce.sain1y
should have acted Wy 1cF ~, e !.
had bsn observed, thAt in ~ cecntrN "
executive power Is in ccnstaat course 81
ifnCfPASe.
Great Britain. Gentlemen seemed to think
that we had nothing to apprehend from an
abuse of the executive power. But why
miuht not Catiline or Cromwell arse IN
this country - well Is m cthAfsf s8a.
Mr., Bedford was opposed to every check
on the legislature, even the council OF revis'
t, ion first proposed. He thought it would be
sufficient to mark out in the Constitution the
boundaries to the legislative authority, which
would give all the requisite security to the
rights Of the other departments. The rep
resentatives of-the people we're the best
| ;udQes Of what was for their Interests ana
on ght 70 be under no external contrcl whAts
ever. The two brances would produce :
sufficient control within the Legislature itself.
Col. Mason observed, that vote had al.
ready passed, he found-he was out at the
time-for vesting the executive powers IN
Susie person. Among these powers was that
of appointing to Offices in certain cases. The
mobabie abuses of negative had been well
explained By DR.. franklin, as proved by ex-
ner Fence the best of ali tests, viii not the
same door be opened here? The executive
NAV refuse its assent to necessary measures,
till new appointments shall be referred to him /;
and, having by degrees engrossed all these
Into his own hands, the American executive,
! like the British, will, by bribery and rinfu,
ence, save himself the trouble and odium OF
exerting his negative afterwards. We are,
Mr.. Chairman going very far in this business.
! We are not indeed constituting British gov
eminent, but more dangerous moperchy-a
elective one. We are introducing : new
nrinciple into our system, and not necessary,
as in the British government, where the ex-
ecutive has greater rights to defend, Do
gentlemen mean to pave the way to heredha.
| ry monarchy r
/ Then DR.. FRASKLIS spoke again and con-
cluded with the following remarks, applicable
| to the present times:
"Col. Mason had mentioned the circum-
stance of appointing officers. He knew how
| that point would be managed. No new APP
! pointment would be suffered, as heretofore
| in Pennsylvania, unless it be referred to the
executive, so that all profitable Offices will
be Mt his disposal. The first man put at the
helm will be a good one. Nobody knows
what sort may come Afterwards. The execu.
tive will be always increasing here, as else
where, till it ends in monarchy"
From the debates in the Virginia Conven-
ton on the adoption of the Constitution Of
the United States, we quote some remarks Of
that eloquent revolutionary champion Of lib.
erty, the renowned PATRICK HENRY, in de-
precation Of this amongst other features Of
the Constitution in relation to executive
power, '.sasinting towards monarchy.' Par
RICK HExhY said:
This Consultation is said to have beautiful
features; but whea l some to examine these
features, sir, they appear to me horribly
frightful Among other deformities, il has
an awful squirting; it sqnints towards mon.
archy; and does not this raise indignation in
the breast Of every trnp American
Your President may easily become king.
Your Senate is so imperfectly constructed
that your dearest rights may be sacrificed by
what may be small minority; and very
small minority may continue forever I'M
changeably this government, although hor
ridly defective. Where are your checks in
this government? Your strongholds will be
in the hands of your enemies. Ii Is on q
supposition that your American Governor.
shall be honest, that all the good qualities o.
this government are founded; but its defec
tive and imperfect construction puts il il
their power to perpetrate the worst of mis-
chiefs, should they be bad men; and sir
would not all the world, from the Eastern tc
the Western hemisphere, blame our distract
ed folly in resting our rights upon the con-
tingency of our rulers being good or bad
Show me that age and country where the
rights and libeties of the people were placed
on the sole chance of their rulers being good
men, without a consequent loss of liberty!
say that the loss OF that dearest privilege has
ever followed, with absolute certainty, every
| such mad attempt