Daily Davenport Democrat. [volume] (Davenport, Iowa) 1864-1874, 1867-01-11
Of that liberty Of which il should be the

Of that liberty OF which il should be the
mes. powerful CONSERVATION.
Great danger 10 therefore TO be appre.
Blended from an untimely extension OF the
elective franchise TO any new class in cur
country, especially when the large majority
Of that class, in welding the power thus
placed in their hands, cannot be expected to
correctly understand the duties and respon-
sibilities hich pertain to suffrage. Yestcr-
day, as il were, four millions Of persons
were he'd in a condition OF slavery that had
existed for generations and generations, to-
day they are freedmen, and are ass umed BY
law to be citizens II cannot be presumed,
for their previous condition Of servituce,
that, Is . class, they are as well informed -
70 the nature of our Government as the in.
telligeut foreigner who makes our land tho
home OF his choice. In the case Of the lat
ter, neither q residence Of five years. and .
knowledge Of our institutions, which it
gives, nor attachment to the principles Of the
Constitution, are the only conditions upon
which he can be admitted TO citizenship
He must prove, in addition. good moral
character, and thus give reasonable grounds
for the belief that he will be faithful to the
obligations which he assumes % citizso Of
the republic, where people, the source Of
oil political power, speak BY their suffrage,
through the fundamentally Of the ballot
boz, Il must b. carefully guarded against
the control Of those who are corrupt prin.
cples and enemies Of free institutions, :os Il
can only become to our political and social
system a safe conductor Of healthy end
popular sentiment when kept free from dc>
,nora,:zing influences and controlled through
fraud and usurpation BY the designing, and
anarchy and despotism must inevitably fol-
low; in the hands of the patriotic and
worthy, our Government will be preserved
upon the principles Of the Constitution -
inherited from our fathers. Il follows,
therefore, that in admitting TO the ballot boz
q new class Of voters not qualified for the
exercise Of the elective franchise, would
weaken our system Of goves nment instead
Of adding to its strength and durability.
In returning this bill to the Senate,
deeply regret there should be any conflict of
opinion between the Legislative and Execu-
tive Department Of the Government in re-
gard to measures that virtually affect the
prosperity and peace Of the country. Il has
been my earnest wish to co operate with
Congress in al measures having for their
object proper and complete adjustment Of
the questions resulting from our civil Wal.
Harmeuy between the CO ordinate branches
of the Government is always necessary for
the public welfaic, aud was never more de>
mandcd than ut the present time, and il
will therefore be my constant ain to pro-
mote ~ far ~ possible concert Of action be
tween them the d,fferenccs Of opinion that
have already occurred and have rendered me
only the more c1utious lest the Executive
should eocroach upon any Of the pseroga>
tives Of Congress, or BY excluding 10 any
manner the Constitutional limits, and of his
duties to destroy the equilibrium which
should exist between the general CO. ordinate
department, and which 10 30 essential to the
harmonious working Of tho Government.
| know it has been urged in the Executive
Department il is more likely to enlarge the
sphere Of its action than either Of the other
two branches Of the Government, and espec.
tally in the exercise Of the veto power con>
ierred upon it by the Constitution, Il
should bs remembered, however, that this
power is wholly negative and conservative
in its character. and MAS intended TO operate
as check upon unconstitutional, hAsty and
improvident legislation, and as . means Of
protection against invasions Of the just
powers of the executive and judicial de.
partments 1t is remarked BY Chancellor
Kent. that 10 annul laws is transcendant
power, and il the body that possess it be .
full and equal representation of the people,
there is danger Of its pressing with distinct
i've weight upon Gil the other parts of the
machinery OF government. 1t 10 thought nee
essary by the most skillful and most expert
enced artists in the science Of civil policy,
that strong barriers should be erected for the
protection and security Of the other neccs
sary powers Of the Government; nothing
has been deemed more ct aud sxpedicnt for
the purpose than the provision that the
head Of tho Executive Department should
DC so constituted rs to secure requisite
share OF Independence, and that he should
have negative upon the passing Of flaws, and
that the Judiciary power resting on still
more permanent basis, should have the
right Of determining upon the validity Of the
laws by the standard Of tho Constitution.
The necessity Of some such check in tho
hands Of the Executive is shown by refer
ence to most eminent writer's upon our sys
tenn Of government, who seem to concur in
be spprehended from the Department Of the
Interior. where oil legislative power is vest
Cd BY the Constitution. Mr.. Madison in 70.
ferring to the difficulty Of providing some
practical security for each against the inva.
sion Of others, remarks:
The legislative department is everywhere
extending the sphere Of its activity, and
drawi Z all power into its impetuous vortex.
The founders Of on. republic seem never to
have Iecellccted the danger from legislative
u>urpation, which, by assembling all the
power in the same hands, must lead to the
same tyranny as is threatened by executive
usurpations. In a representative republic
whore the executive magistracy 10 carefully
limited both in the extent and duration Of
its power, and where tho legislative power
is exercised by an assembly which is in
spircd by . Supposed influence over the
people, with an intrepid confidence in its
own strength which is sufficiently numsr>
Gus to feed all the passion which actuate .
multitude, yet not SO numerous % to be in
capable Of pursuing the objects Of its pas.
sions by the means which reason prescribes.
IL is against tho enterprising ambition Of
this department that the people ought to
suuuss0 ~ suess JC~sOussCs oNu CAosuss ASb
their precautions.
The legislative department derive supe.
riority in our Government from othese Cir
cumstances-its constitutional powers being
ct once more extensive and lese susceptible
Of precise limits-it can, with the greatest
facility, mark, under complicated and indi-
rect measures, tho encroachmcnts which il
makes on the coordinate departments; on
the other side the Executive power being re-
strained within . narrower compass, and
being more simple in it, nature, and the ju-
dietary being prescribed BY law makes less
uncertain projects Of asurpation by either
Of these departments would Immediately
betray and defeat themselves, nor 10 this all
the legislative department that has access to
the pockets Of the people, and hae, in some
constitutions, full discretion and in al =
prevailing influence over the pecuniAry 70
wards Of those who with other departmenta;
. dependence 10 thus created in the latter
which gives still greater facility to the ems
croachments Of the former. We have seen
that the tendency Of republican govern.
ments 10 to an sggrandizsment Of the legis-
lative at the expense Of the other depart :
lnents.
Mr.. Jefferson, in referring to the early
Constitution Of Virginia, objected that by
its provision oil powers Of the Government.
The legislative, executive and Judiciary, 70
sorted to the legislative body, holding thas,
by concentrating these in the same hands,