Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-08-17

Houses necessarily resulted in 1t.
The new Congress, the 18th, has n
majority In both Houses of the
Democratic party. At the first
meeting of the session there was
decided disagreement among the
Dem ocrats as to the right policy to
be pursued. Some insisted to pass
the same bills identically, believ-
ing the President would veto them,
and adjourn. Now, it is well
known that it was with that view
1 did not concur. The argument
was to withhold the appropriations
for the redress of grievances and ia
sisting on British example. In
England, ever since the Parliament
was formed, whenever they wished
O redress of grievances, habeas cor
pus, liberty, they say to the King
we won't grant you subsidy; we
won't grant you any money to car
nv on your government, or support
your army, unless you grant ua re-
lief. Parliament for three centuries
past, hiss occupied that posi-
tion. Many in Congress insisted
that this country was freer, or
ought to be, than England and the
representatives of the people in the
same way ought TO insist upon the
repeal of laws and redress of griev-
ances, or grant no money. Now,
fellow citizens, do not agree with
that view. Ours is no monarchy.
Ours, as 1 stated to you, is repre-
sentative government. In England
the King is sovereign. The army
are but his own instrument; the
courts and his ministers are all Of
ficers of the government. Our SOW
ereign powers are not lodged in the
President. They are not lodged ex-
clusively in any department. Ours
is the wisest and grandest system
of government ever instituted by
man in my judgment. Applause.
Here sovereign powers are divided
not sovereignty itself. Sover-
eighty is as indivisible as human
intellect, as the human mind; but
sovereign powers are divisible.
The war-making power, the law
making power, the executive pow
er, these are all sovereign powers.
In our American system these
powers are divided and placed in
separate, distinct, coordinate and
co-equal departments of the gov
ernment. All the executive powers
of the United States are just as su-
preme within the legitimate sphere
as the power exercised by the King
of England. All these powers are
supreme to the extent of their emu
meration and Limitation. The law
making power is lodged under the
Federal Constitution in the two
Houses of Congress. The law-mak-
ing power is just as sovereign in this
country as it is in England or any
where else. The law-making pow
er is totally different from the ex-
ecutive power. The judicial powers
of the United States are supreme
within their sphere. Here is the
beauty of our system: Three sepa-
rate, distinct, coordinate depart
ments. One has no right to in
fringe upon the other. Each ope-
rates in its own sphere. Congress
has to make laws, the judiciary
Is to expound them, the President
is to execute them and, under our
system, the right to withhold his
assent to any law is given to the
President-the right TO veto-aud
therefore, in this veXed question
my position was that it would not
be right to put out our lighthouses,
to extinguish them on the coast, or
stop the functions OF the admins
tration of justice. The Constitution
says the judges shall be appointed,
it fixes their salaries and these
fixed to be paid at certain times
| were fixed by laws before, and
therefore we should not, because
the President Withdrew his assent
from the bill, stop the wheels of
| government, or as some said, starve
it out. In this country the redress
of grievances is chiefly through the
ballot-box, and other peaceful in
strumentalities of the Constitu-
ton. Now, | have heard much
said about the "backing out"
of the Democracy. I wish to
say here it was comparatively a
few only of the Democratic party
who held the extreme views stated,
but although they were q few elo-
quent men, the majority of the par
ty never, at any time, committed
themselves to such position. The
true position, in my judgment, was
to pass all necessary appropriations,
sustain the courts, sustain the mar
5hals in the performance of their
duty, carry on the departments at
Washington - legislative, judicial
and eXeoutive-all those that were
necessary, and not refuse them in
case the President should withhold
his sanction to obnoxious laws.
But as to the army, we had per-
feet right, in my judgment,to limit
the appropriation. In our country,
| constituted, as / have said, with
the law-making power separate and
dis tinct, the constitution gives the
representatives of the people the
only and absolute right to tax the
people. In this country, under the
fundamental law there can be no
tax raised nor money appropriated
to any purpose but with the sane
ton of the representatives OF the
people in the House. We. there
fore, had the right in supporting
the army to say the uses to which
that army should be applied. To
appropriate means, to designate, to
set apart. A thousand dollars, ten
thousand dollars, or any amount
you please, when you designate it
and set it apart you appropriate it,,
and the right to appropriate carries
with it the right to limit and say to
what use it shall be put, and to
what it shall not. That is the posi-
ton / thought was right and insist
ed upon. To give all that was nec-
esarry to protect our people from
the tomahawk of the Indian and
the incursion of marauding parties
from Mexico, to give all that was
|! necessary for the army, but to wind