1823.

Greece

Warning against latent negatives

Now then for the instances.

First as to all operations together, taken in the lump.

1. By Article 24. "To the President, namely of the so-stiled Legislative Senate, it belongs to determine the day on which each Session of that Assembly shall commence; as also the day on which it shall terminate." If then he determines no such day, no such Session can have place: moreover if such having been his pleasure so it be that a Session having commenced and for a certain time continued, his pleasure in this behalf has changed, he declares such his pleasure, accordingly, and for that time a negative is put by him in the lump upon all such proceedings of the Assembly as would otherwise have ensued. True it is that by Article 17 to that same Senate itself it belongs to choose this same high-seated functionary. But, when the choice has been made, such, as above, is the state of dependence in which that body has been placed under this its own offspring: dependence for its very existence. Now then, an act of this sort of parricide suppose it to have been committed: the consequence is - that what is left of the powers of government falls of itself into the lap of the so stiled Executive Council with its five Members, acting as they are to do in a perpetually secret conclave.

Supposing him to have, (under Article 24) put an end to the existence of these his creators, by Article 25 he is empowered to bestow upon them at any time a new existence. "In case of need" (says this 25th Article) "he may convoke the Senate to enter upon an extraordinary Session." Thus it rests at all times at his choice whether to sell existence to them at his own price, or to leave them in a state of annihilation. If and so long as they are sufficiently obsequious, he suffers them to act accordingly: if refractory, he lays them asleep: and so toties quoties. Thus far as to the latent negative or veto in the hands of the President, on the operations of the so-stiled Legislative Senate taken in the aggregate.