The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-05-09

| with IL The Senate refused to assent to the
billion account Of this irrelevant section Congress
thereupon adjourned without passing the APP
preparation bill for the army, and the present
extra session of the Forty sixth Congress be-
came necessary 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:
week before the close OF tine last session or
Congress the doctrine in question was stated by
one of its ablest defenders, as follows: 1t ~
| our duty TO repeal these; IL is not worth while
| to attempt to repeal except upon an appro-
priation bill The Republican Senate would
not agree to, nor the Republican President
sign, the bill for such repeal Whatever OBJ
| lection to legislation upon appropriation bills
| may be made In ordinary case does not APP
ply where free elections and the liberty OF citi-
zens are concerned. We have power 70 vote
| the money Let us annex conditions TO It
| and insist upon q redress OF the grievance.
| The Senate represents Statos We represent
the tax payers of the republic We, therefore,
| by the very terms of the constitution, are
which grant The money of the people. We
claim the right which the House Of Commons
| III England established after two centuries OF
contest, to say that we will not grant the money
OF the people unless there is redress OF grew
by another distinguished member OF the
| House it WAS said: @rhe right OF the represent
ativee Of the people to withhold supplies is as
old as English liberty. History records numer-
| GUS instances where the Commons, feeling that
| the people were oppressed by law that the
| Lords would not consent to repeal by the ordin-
airy methods Of legislation, obtained redress at
| last by refusing appropriations unless accom-
panied by relief measures"
That question of gravest magnitude, and new
in this country, was raised by this course or
proceeding, and WAS fully recognized also by
its defenders in the Senate. 1t was said by
distinguished Senator: Perhaps no greater
question, in the form in which we are brought
| TO consider 1t, was ever considered by an Amer
lean Congress, in time of peace, for 1t involves
not only the merits and dement's OF laws which
| the House bill proposes to repeal, but involves
the rights, the privileges, the powers, the dutes
Of the two branches of Congress and Of the
President Of the United States"
Upon the assembling Of this Congress,
in pursuance Of the call for an extra session,
which was made necessary by the fail
ure Of the Forty fifth Congress to make
the needful appropriations tor the sup
port of the Government, the question was pre-
sented whether the attempt made In the last
Congress to engraft, by construction, new
principle upon the constitution should be per-
sisted in or not This Congress has ample oppor-
tunity and time to pass the appropriation bills
aud also to enact any political measures which
may be determined upon in separate bills and
by the usual and orderly methods Of procedure;
But the majority Of both houses have deemed
II wise to adhere to the principle asserted
and maintained in the last Congress by
the majority of the House of Repre-
sentatives. That principle s that the House of
Representatives has the cole right to originate
bills for the raising Of revenue. and, therefore,
has the right to withhold the appropriations
upon which the existence of the Government
may depend, unless the Senate and Presid ut
shall give their assent to any Legislation which
the House may see tit TO attach to appropriation
bills. To establish this principle is to make a
radical, dangerous and Unconstitutional change
In the character Of our institutions.
The various departments of the Government
and army and navy are established by the con
stitution, or by laws passed in pursuance
thereof. Their duties are clearly defined, and
their support il carefully provided for by law
The money required for this purpose has
been collected from the people and is now in
the treasury, ready TO be paid out as the appro-
priation bills are passed. Whether the sppro-
priations are made or not, the collection of
taxes will go on. The public money will ac-
cumulate In the treasury. 1t was not the in
tention of the trainers of the constitution that
any single branch Of the Government should
have power to dictate the conditions upon
which this treasure should be applied to the
purposes for which il was collected. ANY such
intention, if it had been entertained, would have
been plainly expressed in the constitution
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 maintained will re-
suit in q consolidation of unchecked and des-
potic power in the House Of Representatives. A
bare majority of the House Will become the
Government. The Executive will no longer be
what the trainers OF the constitution intended,
an equal and independent branch of the Gov
eminent tits clearly the constitutional duty Of
the President to exercise his discretion and
judgment upon all bills pr scented to him, with
out copstraint or redress from any other branch
of the Government
To say that o majority Of either or both
houses Of Congress may insist on the approval
OF bill, under the penalty of stopping all Of
the necessary supplies, is to deny to the Execu-
tive that share Of the Legislative power which is
plainly conferred by the second section of the
seventh article Of the constitution. 1t strikes
from the constitution the qualified negative of
the President 1t Is said that this should be
done because 1t is the peculiar function of the
House of Representatives to represent the will
OF the people; but no single branch or depart
ment of the Government has exclusive authority
to speak for the American people The most
authentic and solemn expression of their will is
contained in the constitution of the United
States.
BY that constitution they have ordained and
established a Government whose powers are
distributed among coordinate branches, which,
as far as possible, consistently with harmo-
NOUS cooperation, are absolutely independent
Of each other. The people OF the country are
unwilling to see the supremacy Of the constiiu-
ton replaced by the omnipoience OF any de-
partment of the Government
The enactment OF this bill into a law will es-
tablish q precedent which will tend to destroy
the equal independence of the several branches
Of the Government Its principle places
not merely the Senate and Executive but tho
judiciary also, under the coercve dictation Of
the House.
The House alone will DO the Judge of what con-
stitutes a grievance, and also OF the means and
measure Of redress. An act OF Congress to
protect elections IL now the grievance COM
planned OF, but the House may, on the samo
principle, determine that any other act Of Con-
gress-a treaty made by the President, with the
advice and consent Of the Senate-a nomina-
ton or appointment to Office or decision or
opinion of the Supreme COURTS grievance,
and that measure Of redress is to withhold
appropriations required for the support Of the
offending branch Of the Government
Believing that this bill il dangerous viola
ton of the spirit and meaning OF the constitu-
ton, am compelled to return it to the house
in which il originated without my approval
The qualified negative with which the constitu-
ton invests the President is trust that involves
q duty which / cannot decline to perform, with
q firm and conscientious purpose To do what
can to preserve, unimpaired, the constitutional
powers and equal independence not merely OF
the Executive, but Of every branch o. the Gov.
which will be inlperiled by an adop-
i II =