Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1879-05-05


evant section Congress thereepon ad-
journed without passing an appropriation
bill for the army, and the presens extra
session of the Forty -sixth Congress be-
came necessary to furnish the means to
carry on the Government.
The ground upon which the action of
the House of Representatives is defended
has been distinctly stated by many of
its advocates.
The President quotes quite extendelly
from the speeches of those who advocate
the bill and shows they looked upon the
question involved, as one of the .gravest
magnitude" and then says:
Upon the assembling of this Congress-
in pursuance of call for an extra ses-
sion. which was made necessary by the
failure of the Forty-ffth Congress to
make needful appropriations for the sup
port of the Government, the question
was presented whether the attempt made
in the last Congress to engraft by con-
struction new principle upon the Con-
stitution should be persisted in or not.
This Congress has ample opportunity and
time to pass the appropriation bills and
also to enact any political measurs which
may be determined upon in separate bills
by the usual and orderly methodist pro.
ceedings, but the majority of both houses
have deemed it wise to adhere o the
principle asserted and maintained il the
last Congress by the majority of the
House of Representatives. That prhci-
pie is that the House Of Representatives
has the sole right to originate bills tr
raising revenue, and, therefore, has til,
right to withhold appropriations upon
which the existence of the Government
NAV depend, unless the Senate and the
President shall give their assent 70 any
legislation which the House maysee fiG
to attach to appropriation bills.
To establish this principle isto make
radical, dangerous and unconstitutional
change in the character of ouI institu-
tions. The various departments estab-
lished by the Constitution O by laws
passed in pursuance thereof and their
duties are clearly defined and their sup.
port is carefully provided for by the law.
The money required for thispurpose has
been collected from the ,eople, and is
now in the Treasury, ready to be paid
out as soon as the appropriation bills are
passed. Whether appropriations are
made or not, the collection of the taxes
will 60 on. The public money will &C.
cumulate in the Treasury. 1t was not
the intention of the trainers of the Con-
stitution that any single branch of the
Government should have the power to
dictate conditions upon which this treas
ure should be applied to the purposes
for which it is collected. Any such in.
tention, if it had been entertained, would
have been plainly expressed in the Cor.
stitutlon. That majority of the Senate
now concurs in the claim of the House
} adds to the gravity of the situation, but
does not alter the question at issue. The
new doctrine, if entertained, will result
in consolidation placing unchecked and
} despotic power in the House of Repre-
J sentatives.
A bare majority of the House will be
come the Government. The Executiv,
, will no longer be what the trainers o
the Constitution intended, an equal anC
independent branch of the Government
1t is clearly the constitutional duty o
the President to exercise his discretion
and judgment upon all bills presented
: to him without constraint or duress from
any other branch of the Government.
To say that majority of either o
beth th h d hGHss OF cnf B uh %sE t
penalty of stopping all of the operation
; of the Government for want of necessar,
supplies is to deny to the Executive tina
) share of the legislative power which i
| plainly conferred by the second section
of the seventh article of the Constitution
; 1t strikes from the Constitution the quail
. fled negative of the President. 1t i
; said that this should be done because i
E is the peculiar function of the House O
r Representatives to represent the will Q
the people, but no single branch or de
| partment of the Government has exclus
: i've authority to speak for the American
: people. The most authentic and solemr
expression of their will is contained il
/ the Constitution of the United States
By that Constitution they have ordained
and established a Government who's,
powers are distributed among co-ordinat,
J branches which, as far as possible, con
sistent with a harmonious cooperation
) are absolutely independent of each other
5 The people of the country are unwilling
e to have the supremacy of the Constitution
! replaced by the omnipotence of one de
5 partment of the Government. The en-
: actment of this bill into law will estab
lish a precedent which will tend t
e destroy the Government. Its principl
: places not merely the Senate and tn
, Executive but the Judiciary also unde
!. the coercive dictation of the House. Tn
E House alone will be the judge of wha
constitutes grievance and also of tn
: means and measures Of redress.
d An act of Congress to protect election
d is now the grievance complained of. bu
e the House may on the same principl
a determine that any other act of Congress
r treaty made by the President, with tn
t advice and consent of the Senate, nom
y ination or appointment to Office, or tina
: decision or an opinion of the Suprem
). Court, is a grievance, and that the meas
d ure of redress is to withhold the apprc
q priations required for the support of til
o offending branch of the Government.
i. Believing that this bill is dangerou
S violation of the spirit and meaning {
q the Constitution, | am compelled to re
y turn it to the House in which it origin
i ated without my approval. The qualife
q negative with which the Constitution il
t vests the President is a trust that il