Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1879-05-01

break down the BoverDment. My col.
league in the House, the oldest In ser.
vice there. who trains with the other
side, who does not belong 10 the demo.
cratic party, treated this talk about
revolution and coercion very well when
he said IL was Revolutionary in Pick.
wickian sense" There is no revolution
nor coercion here. This Il an attempt
TO play upon words and upon passion in
order to get response from the peo.
pie in antagonism 10 the assertion of
the peoples plain right.
The form OF this legislation is sustain.
ed by precedents without number. The
processes that we pursue are the modes
Of the Constitution. We neither seek
TO coerce the Executive nor submit to
be coeroed by him. We follow the line
Of precedent and the modes pointed
out 10y the Constitution in every partic.
ular; there is no departure. The la.
bored argument Of the Senator from
Maine that this is the dictate of dem.
ocratic caucus is an entire error. No
democratic caucus ever snw this bill, no
agency but that Of the Senate and the
House and the committees Of the senate
and the House ever saw this bill and
passed upon it, 1t is here a. result Of
the right Of the Representatives Of this
people to mold legislation through the
recognized constitutional bodies.
Mr. BLAINE. | sa,d, If the Senator
will permit me, that the Senator from
Kentucky Mr. Beck stated on the
iDor that committee Of the democrat.
&C caucus was preparing these measures
That ia what said. II there j. an issue
"f fact It is between the senator from
Pennsylvania aud the Senator from
Kentucky, not between the Senator
from Pennsylvania and myself. have
it here:
Mr.. BECK. A. he is chairman Of il COM
mittec--
-, That is. the Senator from Ohio, Mr..
Thurman.
that /, considering nlI these questions, and
~ ~e believe the democratic party will act
wisely, &c.
Then follows:
Mr.. CoSKIING. VIII the Senator a.
low mo 20 understand him , To what com
miuec does be refer as one Of which the
Senator from Ohio l. chairman
Mr.. BECK. A democratic committee
now considering how it il besi FOR ihis side
"f the House, who have the responsibility,
10 act % determine how We can best present
the measures fairly and properly.
And then before any House commit
tee was appointed, before there was any
fundamentally OF parliamentary char.
acter through which they could be
launched, these measures came out full
hedgcd from a democratic caucus.
Mr.. WALLACE. Mr.. President, re
peat my statement. The senator from
Maine and the Senator from Kentucky
SIll settle that issue between themselves.
! repeat that these bIlls came through
constitutional processes in the mode
aud through the channels that the Con.
stitution and the Vrccedents point out.
and that no democratic caucus or com.
mittee of n democratic caucus ever con.
sidered this bill or ever agreed that il
should be reported.
1t is said that we are trying TO ooerce
the Executive. There IL no aitempt here
At coercion. Where do you find it in
this billy 1t exists only in the lively
Imagination Of the gentlemen who a..
seTt It, Sir, we will not coerce, nor will
we submit TO coercion, notwithstanding
the finely rounded periods with which
the Senator from Maine concluded his
remarks few minutes ago in the effort
TO produce coercion.
We have our rights under the Consti.
tuition, and we propose to follow them
70 their legitimate conclusions. The
Executive has his rights, and our per.
Torrance OF our duty will not be by one
lot or little in the way of his perform.
ance OF his duty as he thinks right TO
perform it under his oath and the Con.
stitution. In the exercise of a plain
duty imposed upon the legislative pow.
er, which is vested with the power to
raise armies, TO make rules for their
government, and TO enact all laws nee
essary to carry into execution the pow.
ers granted 10 it, these bodies are about
to pass this bill in accordance with law
and precedent. There is no provision
OF the bill violating the Constitution,
and no pretense will be made that any
does. Its disputed clause relates to the
employment Of the troops whose pay we
vote. We have no issue with any other
branch of the Government. We seek
TO make none. In the exercise Of the
rule Of the majority we follow practice,
precedent, law, and organic law 10 their
legitimate result. as We judge our duty
calls US. We will not be driven into
any issue with any other power. Each
Of these bodies must perform for itself,
under the oath that il has taken TO sup
port the Constitution, its clear and plain
duty. When the Senator taunts us with
the exercise Of the negative of the TX.
ecutive he undertakes to coerce the
representatives Of the people aud Of the
States, the bodies vested by the Consti.
tuition with the legislative power.
The right to place legislation upon
money bills belongs 10 The legislative
rover. IL is nowhere denied in the
Constitution. The propriety of the ex.
ercise of this right is TO be judged of
by the two Houses, and by them alone.
No other branch of the Government can
object to the bill for this reason. We
are the sole aud exclusive judges Of this
question, and when we act our judg.
ment cannot be impugned by either the