The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1869-01-26
The &e0iater,
MIDDI.ItBURY. VT.
TUESDAY, JANU AIRY 20, 1860.



NJ. Morri'l on the 14th inst, read
the resolution adopted by the Lcgisla-
ture of Vermont on the renewal OF reel
procity with the Dominion If Canada,
and made u tells -lntca against the
treaty, of which ihc ,u,io. Ing is an alb
stract:
Mr.. Morrill, in commencing his speech
referred to the resolutions of the State
of Vermont upon the subject, saving
that they expressed the opinions of some
of the ripest statesmen of the country
in times past. He expressed his disap-
probation of reciprocity treaties where
by the foreign commerce of the country
is regulated by the treaty making power.
instead of by Congress, to whom the
subject of foreign trade properly and
constitutiona!ly belongs. Blythe ratifi-
cation of such treaties the House of
Representatives is forced to accept of a
subordinate position and resign some
share of the functions conferred by the
Constitution, in that provision which
declares that "all bills for raising rev.
enue shall originate in the House of
Representatives.
He remembered that in earlier years
a a.
Committee ON Toreirn A G,irs Iconot,,r
Sumner. under tho iead Of NJ 'o,,s,'~
Secretary of State wns = rolnst dorou.
dor of Tho nriviIerns of ti,o TIn,,g, ~ a.,
resnnct refnrnd to ond honod tLot ho Of
all mon wouId not To Ia, ,,,'o,, ~
record. He nrocreded to "hoy, that tho
circumsioncns Of n1odor, ,o+i,,,,'' 'lid
| not require that the common benefits
| uerivablc from trade should he solicited
through dinlomacv ~ - favor 10
thouTht If MIGHT he ,ee,,nod nc = eo,,,tJ
axiom under thc Consfitntion Of thr
United STATES TINT subiects nronnr
for IeoisIotiire are NOT nronor f,i. ia.
ties.
Mr.. Morrill, tben wont ot Iourtb into
n disonisition On Tho nonetit,,tjo,, 49,,
+ ture of treoiies showing that cYonnt i've,
mower ourhi 70 bc increoeod in III
| direction nv the first orticIo saotian
eioht of tbn Constit,,tion IL ,riIi la
foHnd thot ConpressNnot tba President
and senators alone-wos to have tho
mower " fo rcrulafe commerce with fnr-
eeirn nations If Compress was to have
the mower TO do this if il cleor thot if
cannot be done bv either tho judicial mr.
executive authority nor was # tho mr.
nose TO lodge the hover i'm any HOLY
less responsible than the whole Cont
gress. Since the decision in the cosp of
| the jaw treaty and the recent treaty fn.
the purchase of Alaska II may nrrhans
he considered tho settled Joctrino thnf
n treaty made bv the President with
the consent oftwo-thirds of fine Senate
involving an aDprobation. binds the
House. or ut least Overwhelmingly mr.
pes il. to make the augmentation with
out Stopping to consider its Justice or
eXpcdiencv, whether the treaty is rood
or bad, l. not that enough > Forpipn
nations. it is argued. can neither inter
fear with our internal machinery nor
know whether our agents exceed thcir
authority or not, and they deal only
| with the sovereign authority REGARDING
the mouth-pieco of that authority rs
the aut horily itself, whether so in point
of fact or not. such consideration
should inspire great caution about am
plitying or cnlarging the jurisdiction of
the Senate in the formation of treaties.
1t is enough that We coniine the Senate
to its legitimate and unqucstionod func-
tions, but when we step beyond and
remove subjects OF ordinary legislation
by Congress within the control of the
treaty-maiing power, we justly arouse
n suspicion that II we are not aiming at
consolation, we are removing, step by
step, from the popular control OF the
people. Among the admirable checks
and balances o! our system of govern
ment there IS none more revercnced
than that OF theSenate, but lift attempts
70 nlashl.S ns t oiiIcc py chsrosslllg
uouotnu' pU,T Ti9, i1ili .nuV l'lo,iitht Us
pitGsel5e MI "esiii ~ VIII uiiu us use
luiIltis W. " ,JiiIT'islS cullalieu' Ih'
question III us WI'1icI eilglil ana piclutI
- tilS c"ii tle l Ictiuciiu, WIN TWO
tiilIuo VI iLoI ",ll W tiiG senate, rcpea
lu"' P"sSru - po1h pIuiicilH7 % Soil
SlcIs9 "i Nv "pn,o,iup pS li'c lIesl'cnt
anu ~ l.l' SIN tiilE i"9'eli upon INC
Pcolie ;'n 'e1ilDIe law ~ 'ilIs can
nov NC Jaw lulI! uoilc, '"elc Is no emu t'
IcciPioo''3 "e"''e9.
In continuation Mr.. Morrill, gave
history of the French and Zollvereiu
treaties, to exhibit in how far prcce-
dents justified the making OfreciprocitN
treaties. The ccsslon of Louisiana, II,
proved, brought us no reciprocal bcne
fit, owing 10 the reclamations made by
France, and because any reciprocal
concessions made by that country Wcrl
to cancel large claims made by the
United States. The Prussian treaty
drawn up by Mr., W Wheaton,, and highly
commended by Calhoun and Others, Wa'
again and again rejected, not by par
| tV vote. Int uDOu the ground of dpfpr-