Daily Richmond Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1840-1842, 1842-09-22


Ter himself In his Report TO the Virginia Lesisla.
ture in 1889, he ASSUMED these posilons-lsi, tina,
the lands belong to the States; edy, the disir,oe-
ton is therefore, act Of strict equity, apart tom
ali other CONSIDERATIONS; 3dy, that II the question
were not now settled, the new States would soon
have strength enough in Congress to sisze upon the
public lands, and TO wrest from the I'd Thirteen
their just proportion o. that great National inhen.
lance; ithly; that so long they coninuc to 'ur-
nish for the federal government. proh saey
OF expenditure will bs the necessary consequence,
and that distribution. Therefore, IS measure OF G.
economy as well as Of equity. II IS needless to say
that when he selected by the wings as can.
dida;e for the Vice Presidency, he was pledged
friend Of distribution, without reservation or quail
cation. But, under the tuition and guidance Of his
new friends and eounselors who first induced him,
by their arful wies TO defeat whig measures, with
out regard to his personal consistency or personal
honor, and who then taunt the Wings with their
failure 10 redeem their pledges, dependent upon inc
success Of those very measures tho defeat oil which
they prompt and praise,-he has wiliully violated
that pledge, and has compelled the majority IN Con
gress, under the omnipolent Influence oil his Setb
to surrender D.sr,hution as the only means OF Sc
curing Revenue Nor can it be forgotten that, in
dong. he manifested not only signal contempt
for his old opinions, but manifest disregard OF tho
welfare and honor OF his country-sinee II the M
jotity in Congress had been rs obstinate and per
verse as himself, tho Treasury would have been
left without means to dtfray the current expendl-
lures or to meet the incurred obligations of the go.
vernment-and Repatriation would have been as
ecctney decreed by the Veto as though II had been
enacted by Law
But a majority OF Congress, in order to secure
Revenue, surrendered Distribuiion-nud the tn
umph Of the President Congress in that, as IN
other cases. before and since,-beore IN direct, and
since IN pocket vetoes,-was complete; turnishlnS
another melancholy Illustration Of the rapid decline,
and foreshadowing the downfall of this, as OF all
otherfrcs governments, by the refreshments OF the
Executive upon the Legislative department of tho
government.
The power 10 check this downward tendency
however, is yet in the hands of the pcoplc-and 1t
IS because that 10 the case, and because we believe
that while the Wings are alive TO the dangers that
threaten US, the great body OF our opponents arc
not wholly inscnsible TO them, or 10 the remedy
which alone arrest their fatal tendency, and a
vert their disastrous consequences, thGt we are in
favor Of making one more effort 10 rescue the coun
try from the destructive Influence OF bad men and
bad measures. lift be true that the One Man Petc-
or is the conservative feature OF our instutions-i,
indeed, II be right 10 retain provision IN the con
stitution which subjects the legislation of Congress-
rsi to the initiative suggestions Of the Executive
and finally to its arbitrary control, ii is our debe
rate opinion that the Representative principle IS a
failure, and tha, the Legislative body, If not mis-
ehievous, is at best uteless branch of the govern
ment. The trainers of the old constitution OF Va,
as we'll as Of the new, did not deem Executive
cheek upon legislation at all essential 10 the pre-
on Of liberty. On tie contrary, they gave unlimited
power TO the legislative d. irtmoni, because thGy
well knew thatn the organization OF that department.
the constituent body has generally ample security
for the fidelity of the Representative to their ints-
rests while he has rarely any indueement 10 violate
his vows; and that the Executive, on the ether hand
from the unity Of its character from its remoteness
from the body the PEOPLE, and its consequent ir.
responsibility, and from the facility with which II
may be tempered with and seduced by venality and
ambition, was not thus safely TO be trusted. Hence
in Virginia, - far from the Executive having veto
upon the acts Of the Legislature, he is regarded as
a mere cypher in the State-enlirely without pa
tronnge. and almost without power. How different
is the Federal Executive, even when lis authority is
no; perverted or abused, How formidable is il,
when bad man is clothed with its tremendous
functions and forgetting his elevated station and its
high and solemn responsibilities, wiliully wiods it
for party selfish purposes regardless OF his coun
try's interests, and of his own plighted faith We
emphatically invite the attention OF the people Of
Virginia the broad end striking contrast between
the organization of the Executive OF the U. S. and
that OF the Old Dominion. II the Veto power be a
necessary check upon the arrogance and irresponsi
biiy of the legislative deparment-nn assumption
which is refuted by Tie bare statement ofit-then
cannot too soon incorporate it into the eonst;u
ton OF the State; but II is not necessary HERE or
as we believe 50 far from being necessary, expert.
Cnce OF its baneul effects in the practical operations
ofihe Federal Government, has demonstrated alike
its inutlity and lis danser,-it cannot he too soon
abolished, or essentially modified, THERE. The
argument which defends the one man power, ns the
ve'o is aptly AMI toTcibly STYLED, will vindicate mo-
narchy and justify dcspotsm. 1.-THE Representative
principle be sound, the veto is eXcrescence and
absurdity. II the veto lie necessary TO protect
the people against their Representatives, then the
Representative system is utterly deceptive, and il
ought 10 be abolished-ant as a democracy is a VIZ
sonary idea, and not tangible thing, there is but
one practicable scheme oil governing mankind. and
that is by unrestricted monnrchy,-not Ike that
o: England or France, where the King dare not
ray himself il opposiion TO the PariIamen, or the
Cnambers,-but ike that OF Austria and Russia
where the will OF the monarch is in fern. as is here
in fact, nnobsrucle1 10y the People or their Repre-
sentatve5.
We nigh, extend our cl'alogue OF complaints TO
an indefinite extent; but VIC have slrolJy said mere
than was sufficient TO convince those whose are
open TO the voice of reason. With the prejudiced,
the strongest arguments, we'll as the most preg-
nant facts, alike unaSailing. For the Wings
they unnecessary. The country is still suffer-
ing from the effects Of the last twelve years expe
riments-this suffering the people Jeel-snd to us
Il seems impossible to mistake its true origin. No
one, who is not hopelessY blind, can mistake il -
IL TO be found in the destruction OF the settled
policy OF the Government, under which the country
had prospered beyond all parallel-and to the res
toraIion OF that policy, believing that return OF
prosperity would he its natural and necessary re-
suit was the Whg party pledged. They have not
redeemed that pledge; because MIR Tyler has thrown
himself into the hands OF our adversares, by whom
these evils have b.en inflicted upon the country,
and whose policy it Is, by the tnstrumsntall,y Of
their dupe and instrument, TO rrolong them, in or
der to bring dscredii on the Wings, and thereby to
aid them in recovering that Power, which they for
feiied by their msdeeds, and which, If they be re
stored 10 it, they will continue to use, as they did
before, in wild experiments TO restore the prospect
~ they destToyed-eIperiments as hopeless, so
long as they turn their backs upon the lights Of ex-
perience and the lessons Of history, were the ef
forts OF him who,
"Dropping buckets into empty wells,
Grew old IN drawing nothing up"
The Wing party, in ngain asking the confidence
Of the people, have selected their leader with ns
tonshing unanimity, and without the agency Of a
Convention, the name of HLERI CLARA name
hch carries with it is own tu ogy-a leader Of the
Republican party oil Kentucky, in i93-is champ
ion during the second War Of Independence-the
bold nsserer OF the rights ofreemen in every Cline
an American in feeling, in interest, IN principle
a who never turned bis back upon friend or foe
ono, thoroughly imbutd with the principles OF
the mouarchist and the mobocrat Its such mar
uneom promising defender OF his couniry's rights
in var,-an unyieldIng champion Of ali her inter
os.-"ono Of tho people," in birth, in practice, in
interest, and in desliny,-it is such a man that we
present 10 fellow citizens rs our leader in he
approaching struggle. We present him 10 IN, coun
~ With the confident assurance that he will never
violate his Lodges or beray his party,-iha' neither
hvarico nor ambition, nor both combined, ran sway
him "lhs ninth part ola hair" from the line OF 10
to-rty and honor.
Entertaining these sentiments, we therefore Re
soius
1T. That the acts Of John Tyler, since he has
been in the Executive Office, has been in direcr con-