Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-08-21
Mr.. Hayes and his Vetoes.


WFlltThi 10 SVhipaSb pet"Ssh noNsiSibu
States, though the subject matter of
that compact was government, the
powers of which were to operate upon
the people of those sovereign States
aggregately, and not upon the State au.
thorities, as is usual in confederacies.
Frst--It is confederacy, because in
its foundation it proposes not one single
feature of a nationality. The people Of
the separate States, as distinct political
communities, ratified the constitution,
each State for itself, and binding its
own citizens and not those of any other
State. The act OF ratification declares
il to be binding on the States so rati
flying. The States are its authors-their
power created it-their voice clothed it
with authority--the government it
formed is in reality their government,
and the union of which it is the bond
is the union of the States, and not of
individuals"
SecoHd-lt is a coufederacy because of
the power of the government depend
ing not upon the people of the United
States collectively but upon the State Leg.
islatures, or on the separate States act
ing in their conventions. This cannot
be successfully contradicted or ex.
planned away, and the contrary tenor
of Mr.. Hayes vetoes is insulting to the
sovereign power of the people and their
State rights. Not responsible to the
people for the position he now holds,
he is determined to have his marshals
and soldiers at the polls 10 control
State elections, and he gives US four
veto messages because n majority Of
both houses of Congress refuse to pro.
vide monies to pay them for intimida.
ting and arresting the qualified voters
on election day. He, therefore, be
comes dictator, and intimates TO
Congress that if they applied to him he
would dictate or form bill for them
that he would approve. He had read
that Cromwell had marched his army
to London to give law to Parliament"
and he was willing to do the same with
Congress. II the States should tanely
surrender their jurisdiction over the
territory, persons, State elections, and
things within their respective limits,
the last vestige of their sovereignty is
gone. This jurisdiction is the only
sheet anchor of their soyereignty-of
their existence.
That Mr. Hayes is criminally abusing
the veto power and using it for the pur.
pose of consolidating the States into an
empire, is selfevident. How did Pres.
ident Madison act when Congress char.
tered the United States bankl On
the third Of March, 1877, he vetoed
that act which "set apart n portion
OF the bonus of the national banks for
internal improvements" Congress re.
passed the act with a slight alteration,
and Mr.. Madison approved it, giving his
reasons-in which he says, "that the
reasons given in his veto message ycn,aia
unchanged, but as Congress by majority
has passed the bill re-chartering the
United States bank, that out of due
regard and respect to the acts of the
other department of government, it
would be presumption in him to sup.
pose that he had more ,oisciou,, more
virtue and more diecrctioa than the ma.
jority of both houses of Congress, he
had approved the act" Unlike Mr..
Hayes, he did not abuse the veto
power. In 1884, it was proposed n the
United States Senate to amend the
constitution in this respect, so that
after presidential veto the act re-
turned should be law If passed again
by simple majority and such should be
the law. This is worthy of considera-
ton.
1t may be observed that the rights of
the States are two-Fold. F1a, those
enumerated in the constitution, and
second, those out Of the constitution,
which cannot be sexercised save by
free, independent and sovereign States
lst, to protect the liberty and property
of their citizens; I'd, jurisdiction over
all the territory, lives and property of
their citizens within the chartered
limits 3D., to repel invasion 4th. to
arm, train, officer and command their
own militia; 5th, to punish treason.
insurrection and rebellion against the
State; 9th, TO levy taxes on their own
citizens and on their property; 7th, TO
regulate the rate of interest on money
in their own States Sth, TO refuse send.