The evening Argus. [volume] (Rock Island, Ill.) 1861-1871, 1866-04-12

In the United States senate, on the 5th
inst, the veto OF the civil rights bill being
under consideration, Reverdy johnson, of
Maryland, in reply to Mr.. Trumbull, spoke
as follows:
Mr. PREsIDENT-In the discussion which
l propose to give to the measure before the
senate, 1 need hardly say that shall not be
Influenced by any party motive. The ques-
tions which are before as are in part strictly
legal questions, and In part questions of poll
cy. The objections which the president
makes to the bill, and which have induced
as we'll as to the eXpediency of the measure
as 10 its alleged unconstisusionslity. l do
not understand that the chairman of the
committee on the judiciary denies that the
first grounds OF obj sction Ia as good q one
for the application of tho presidential power
of veto Is the second. The purpose of cloth
ing the president with that power was first
to guard his own department against en-
croachments by the legislative department,
to guard the states against the like encrosch-
ments, and to guard the individual citizen
also; but, in addition to that object, one of
the purposes of the convention was to guard
against insxpsdient and ill.considered lsgis-
lation. Looking to what had taken place
Al cOuSroSS "a Gu0 Coni0QoFaCy, ana TO
whas had occurred In the several state gov.
ernmsnts, the members of the convention of
1877 were satisfied that it was almost as
necessary to the public veal to protect the
country against inexpedient Legislation as
il was 70 protect it against unconstitutional
legislation. 1t has heretofore, by some, been
doubted whether the president is justified in
using the power except upon constitutional
ground. That principle WAS, in part, urged
by the leading members of the whig party,
at the head of which stood Mr.. Clay, when
they became very much dissatisfied with the
exercise of that power by the then president
of the United States, Gen. jackson and,
the fact being called to che attention of Mr..
Madison, he expressed his opinion upon it
IN . letter, written with the ability which al
ways marked his writings. dated on the 18th
Of October, 1884, in which he said:
Another novelty of great practical i'm
portance is the alleged Limitation of the
qualified veto of the presidents to constitu-
tional objections, That it extends to cases
OF inexpediency also, and was 80 understood
and 30 indicated, (sse the federalist,) can
not be doubted. NY veto to the bank was
expressly to the inexpediency of its plan
and the validity of the veto was never
questioned."-[ Madison's Writings, vol. 4,
p. 800.
The honorable member from Illinois seems
70 suppose that he finds q valid objection to
the exercise OF this power by the president 1. in
this instance, in the fact that the bill itself
was passed by more than two-thirds of the
members of each house and he cites, in
support OF thst doctrine, a speech delivered
BY the president. when he was member Of
tins BODY, In 1850, in which the senate, per
hsps, were induced, by what the honorable
member read from the part of the speech to
which ne called our attention, to believe tina,
the president had stated the principle to be
that bill 80 passed could not constitutional
Do subjected to the veto power. If he had
read the latter part Of the same sentence, he
could have found that the president inten
oeo no such thing. Let me read q pas
sage that the honorable member omitted e
read:
II am one of those who have always beer
the advocate of the veto power under th,
constitution. When bare majorisies hav,
passed bills it 10 . salutary check to srres