The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-08-09
From the Philadelphia Public Lsdger.

Men must be little given to the laughing mood, who
can gravely read the remarks of politicians IN
Congress about the VetOi and some of these pollii
clans must rely largely public creduty II they e1
pect TO be believed. Mr. Adams says the Veto Is
monarchia power, that il is power which the BI'-
tish would not dare TO execise that when, IA
F. the reign Of George Nv, bill 10 restrain the royal
power before Parliament he threatened that II
should pass he would quit the British Isles and retire
TO Hanover; and this Is mentioned by Nh. Adams 10
prove that the British crown dare not Veto bill
All this is tue, but it is far from being the whole
truth; and that whole truth will prove that the Veto
power in the United States is far less dangerous TO
liberty than this British Veto power, which BRUSH
monarch is afraid 10 No man IN this country
understands this subject better than MI Adams anu
his reference TO the British Veto for the purpose at
proving that an American President has mole power
than a British monarch, or, in other words, that our
country is more under the domination of Executive
power than Britain, excites special wonder.
Mr.. Adams says that our Veto Is monarchlcal
power and some of the partisan newspapers, which
make assertions without always knowing their mean
ing, stigmatise il as "the one man power" Both Mr.
Adams and these newspapers simply, by these asser-
tons, that this power Is inconsistent with popular
rights is abstraction from the power OF the people,
to augment the power of the Executive. Yet neither
assertion is true in the in which it thus used
This power is strictly republican, democratic conse-
vatve of popular rights. Instead Of being the power
of man, is the power of the whole people exer-
csed indeed representatively by one man. The pow
judicial and the executive. Perfect, absolute mon
archy despotsm is the union of all three in one man;
and government approxlmatcs to perfect monarchy,
with its approx mallon To this union. Ii then the
Veto power be monarchal, it must invest the Presi-
dent with Legislative, Judicial or executive power
than he would have without it, As 1t gives hun no
control the courts, brings him in no way in con-
necton with their proceedings or DECISIONS does not
affect Them and therefore gives him no Judicial pow
er. So far then, is not monarchial. Does it en-
large his executive power2 This consists Of two
classes only the execution of las civil magistrate
military commander, and the appointment of Off
GERS civil and military The Veto power belongs TO
neither class II relates not to the execution OF laws
for laws cannot be executed before they made 10y
the Legislature, and applied by the Judiciary So
far as laws are concerned the President be
ecutive officer only through the courts 1t certainly
lates 10 executive appointments Therefore it is not
an executive power 1t must then be legislative power
This is the power prescribing laws and is divisible
into two branches, the making of new laws and the
retention of old. The veto power does not belong to
the first for in exercising it. the President makes no
new laws. 1t is merely the power Of retaining old
laws, or leaving the subject of the proposed law
without regulation, and 50 far is negative and not
a positive power of legislation. And how far does
this negative power oxtend? 1t Is qualified, not alb
soue. 1t can suspend law till the Legislature can
again express its opinion but cannot take the subject
entirely out of its hands. The President cannot say
absolutely, this shall not be the ta,o He merely
say, this shall not become lac at this session Of the Le
gisia,e, unless too thirds of each branch rote for IT,
And it, after the President has done this the MAORI
ties of two thirds appear what becomes of this sus
pensory power Ii IS exhausted, annihated. The |
Legislature moves without his concurrence and their
will becomes the law in spite of his opposition =
Really this is very monarchal power power |
to suspend the action Of the Legislature for moment
and to prevent its will from becoming the law unless
that will be sgnifed by two thirds almost equals the
despotism of Mahometan Sultan And if tw,
thirds of each House will not vote for the proposed
Al.
totives of the people divided in opinion upon the
subject in nearly equal numbers, and that if they
properly represent their constituents, the popular de-
mand for the law cannot be very urgent. Those who
desire it are little more numerous than those who de-
sire it not. A power control the Legislature in |
such case cannot be very oppressive when neatly |
one half of the people desire the control.
And how long is the restraint thus imposed by the |
President to endured Till the next session of Con
gress. And as the people, during the recess, can
elect new Congress, or instruct the representatives
already in office, or otherwise proclaim their opin-
ions upon the proposed law and the Veto the act of
the President must soon be submitted to popular |
judgment for approval or condemnation. What des- |
potsm What tremendous monarchal power, And |
what is the design Of this power' 1t is to prevent
hasty legislation, by suspendng law till the Legs-
lature can subject it to sound examination and ap-
prove it by majority of twohrds, till the PEG
die can express their opinions upon it in their origi-
nal primary capacity. 1t is then q reference of the
the popular judgment And this is called a monaI
chial power-the power of one man. To our com |
prehcnsion it appears like Democratic power-the
power of the whole 1t is conservative power but
conservative of popular rights, and not of executive
authority 1t is a power by which the Executive
cannoten large IFS own prerogatiyes, but can merely
call upon the people to forbid or command Govern
ment action upon particular subject. How the
will of the whole people is monarchal power sur
passes comprehension.
And what is the veto of the British crown, II -
absolute, unlimited. If the hereditary King or
Queen which is an Executive for life rejects bill,
it is rejected absolutely; and until change of opn-
ion in the Executive, which may never occur
bill rejected by the crown cannot be passed by ma
jority of two-thrds, or even an unanimous vote
new election cannot cure the difficulty for though
the whole people should unanimously demand the
law, and elect House of Commons unanimously in
favor OF 1t, and the House of Lords should unan-
mously concur with the Commons, still the veto of
the crown may be nterposed, and is absolute Such
is the theory of the British Constitution and if this
be a monarchal power, which Mr. Adams will
doubtless admit, W ask him to show resemblance
between it and the veto power of the President and
especially to pove that the latter is the most extern
sive, and consequently the most monarchal.
But the British Crown never exercises this power.
This is true, and because in practice, in theory
the Crown is only nominal executive, while the re
al executive power is in the ministry, and the exis-
tence of hat ministry depends on the legislature.
The Minister'S not the crown, responsible for all
exercise OF power, legislative or erecure-and the
British Constitution does not impose responsibility
without power, the ministry exercise all the power
for which they are thus responsible. The King per-
forms official act without the consent of the privy
council And who are they Mostly the ministry
and members of parliament. The chief of the min
isry is invariably elected, after his appointment to
seat in of the Houses, and is there the leader of
his party, AS he remains in the ministry only while
sustained by majority in Parliament he introduces
no bill which Will not be sustained and after that
bill is passed, veto by the would be yetoby
himself The crown cannot reject bill without the
consent OF the privy council bill cannot reach the
crown for signature which has not been prepared by
the ministry commanding and composing this council
and passed with its appreciation and common sense
can decide whether ministry would reject a bill
which IT had prepared in council and carried through
Al A