The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-05-02

CurIenI yeuIs Wnlle waiting IOf All agfl-
cultural student, the agricultural presi-
dent, the professors of agricultural
Latin and agricultural Greek, the tutor
in agricultural metaphysics and the in
strnctor in agricultural mathematics,
and the balance of the agricultural fac
ulty, devote themselves to educating
the cheerful but voracious potato bug
to live on promises. This would be a
real service 10 agriculture throughout
the state, such as could be rightfully
expected from an institution enjoying
nine thousand dollars q year.
10 The presidents veto of the army
appropriation bill is done in a way that
is creditable to the presidential brain
and backbone. The unconstitutionalitv
of the Objectionable sixth section is
clearly set forth, as well as its need
lessness in view of the restrictions by
which the employment of the army is
already hedged about. AS he says:
1t sufficiently appears that under the
existing laws there can be no military
interference with elections. No case OF
such interference has in fact occurred
since the passage of the act last referred
to. No officer of the United States has
appeared under orders at any place of
election in any state. No complaint
even of the presence of troops has been
made in any quarter. Ii may be, there
fore, confidently stated that there is no
necessity for the enactment of section
six of the bill before me to prevent mil
itary interference at elections. The
laws already in force are all that are
required for that end, but that part of
section six which is significant and Wit
ally important is the clause which, if
adopted, will deprive the civil authori-
ties Of the United States of all power to
keep the peace at congressional cleo
tons. Congressional elections in every
district i'll a very important sense are
justly matter of political interest and
concern throughout the whole country.
Each state, every political party is en-
titled to n share of the power conferred
by legal and constitutional suffrage. 1t
is the right of every citizen possessing
the qualifications prescribed by law to
cast one unintimidated ballot and have
that ballot honestly counted. SO long
as the exercise of this power and the ell
joyment of this right are common and
equal practically as well as formally,
submission to the suffrage will be ac-
corded loyalty, and the departments of
the government will feel the true vigor
ofthe popular VIII thus expressed.
The message further shows that the
constitution gives the citizens a right to
protection in the exercise of the elective
franchise, both from violence in the
South and from fraud in the North, and
cites a number of laws affording this
protection, which it is the duty of the
executive to enforce. "The intent and
effect of the sixth section of this bill is
to prohibit all civil officers of the Uni
ted States under penalty of fine and i'm
prisonment, from employing any AIDE.
quate civil force for this purpose at q
place where their enforcement is most
necessary, namely at places where con
gressional elections are heidi Further
more, if the pending legislation should
become a law there is no power vested
in any officer of the government to pro-
tect from violence supervisors of cleo
tions engaged in the discharge of their
duties. Their rights and duties under
the law will remain, but the national
government will be powerless TO en-
force its own statutes. The message
alludes to the attachment of political
riders to appropriation bills in order to
coerce the executive into approval of
legislation which he may deem mis-
c%hieyous, and closes in the following
noble words, which every American
citizen who believes in our constitution
should study carefully:
To say that a majority of either or
both of the houses of Congress may in
sist on the approval of a bill under the
penalty of stopping all of the operations
of the Government for want of the nee
essary supplies is to deny to the Execu-
tive that share of the legislative power
which is plainly conferred by the sec
ond section of the seventh article of the
Constitution. 1t strikes from the Con-
stitution the qualified negative of the
President. 1t is said that this should be
done because it is the peculiar function
of the House of Representatives to rep-
resent the will of the people, but no
single branch or department of the
Government has exclusive authority 10
speak for the American people. The
most authentic and solemn expression
OF their will is contained In the Consti-
tuition of the United State. BY that
Constitution they have ordained and es-
tablished a Government whose powers
are distributed among coordinate
branches which, as far as possible, con-
sistent with a harmonious cooperation
are absolutely independent of each 9TH
err. The people of the country are I'M
willing to have the supremacy of the
Constitution replaced by the ON
Impotence of any department of the
Government. The enactment of this
bill into a law will establish a precedent
which will tend to destroy the equal
independence of the several branches
of the Government. Its principle places
not merely the Senate and the Execu-
tive but the Judiciary also under the
coercive dictation of the House. The
House alone will be the judge of what
constitutes a grievance and also of the
means and measure of redress.
An act of Congress TO protect cleo
tions is now the grievance complained
of, but the House may on the same
principle determine that any other act
of Congress, a treaty made by the Pres
ident, with the advice and consent of
the Senate, a nomination or appoint
ment to office, or that a decision or an
opinion of the Supreme Court, is a
grievance, and that the measure of re-
dress is TO withhold the appropriations
required for the support OF the offend
ing branch of the Government.