Richmond daily Whig. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1842-1861, 1846-08-26
RICHMOND DAILY WHIG.
ny roLER. ELLIOTT a co.
"WEDNESDAY MORNING. AUGUST &c. Isas.
The Veto,

We hopo readers will be deferred, by the length
Of the keen end scshing criticism Of the National Intel
gencer upon President Polls Veto OF tho River and Har
bsr bill. from giving poru.al Iesves that distinguish
ed sIpoundsr OF tho constitution inch Of ground
upon which stand and all surprised that
the eonuovcrsaist OF the "Union, who
always the ssi ripe with lance in ready for attack
defence, whenever assault made medtsted upon
the Administration any OF its members, reeosd
from the which he Indicated purpose
tempt, when he the welortfed positions of Mr. Folks
reviewer. and the hOpees.ness of any effort make
breach in them. After very weak he beg.
ged leave to postpone the conflict q convenient
season! His discretion is not to be doubted
Tho Intelligence takes the precauton preface its
msnary upon Mr.. Folks message with list OF aPprop ia
tons for works Of improvement sanctioned by Old Hickory
tho "real stuff" Mr.. Brinkerhof remarked and not
the nane" and plant shrub which. apparently eager to
dare the vioea gales Of popular passion which
mu,ic in the Of the Old Hero lacks strength OF lungs
make his voice heard above the tempest Of
nerve TO SEN its fury II WILDE by reference that
aloRuc, that every principle laid down by Mr. Polk his vc
Message, wiihouta solitary exception, practically con.
demned by his lustrous predecessor political
Which, then, ask, the real Simon Pure-thc founie,
OF the Modem Democratic church, he who the second
IN the line oil (omitng the Tyler admnstra
ton, as parenthess When one desires TO be accurate
y informed the principles upon which the Democratic
fsb1c to whom he nppes-to Jackson or Polk
OF obviously ~ Jackson right
in approving River and Hsrbor bills containing smi
lar in every material feature those embodied the bill
recently vetoed Polk wrong And IT, the other hand
the constitutional provision this subject correctly in
erpreted by Mr. Polk it necessarily follows that il was en-
several occasions deliberately violated BY Cen Jackson
and by Mr.. Van Buren, also who in th. particular fully
redeemed his pledge oow in the footsteps Of the man
by hanging whose skirts he lifted the Pesi-
denusl chair In either event. obyiou. that the gres,
principles of the Democracy" about which hear SO
much sublime twsdde bic shifting sand.
the landmarks established by its idol OF day being
washed away by the OF popular opinion hch
bears another Of its leaders into the chief the syna
gosue The constitution ITSELF their hands. instead Of
being fixed role Of action by which the legislation OF the
country is be rendered stable is Of wax which
in the hands OF nrtu politicians may be made 10 ehanRo
shapes with Proteus We need not, however add WORD
10 the admirable commentary Of the National Iniegen
upon the general merits of the controversy.
In regard to frequent the Veto power where
by single individual, distinguished for no extraordn.
mental or moral endowments enabled defeat the will
OF the people, their immediate Representatives resh from
their midst, be considered lis legitimate and proo.-
opponents, have only word say. Senator Bssby
OF Alabama took occasion 10 remark during the late
sion That here nothing republican, nothing re
publican in the Constitution, the Veto"-and such in
deed be the general OF the party O,
which he is distinguished member. Such remsrk il
IL al Gil, must De based the
that the President can be safely trusted than Con
sress-that 10 who is virtually irresponsible 10
the constituent body, the administration public affair,
may be more properly conhded than the
OF the people, elected for brief periods. and Immediately
responsible them for the in which they discharge
their delegated duties Is this uue2 If be- il is mani
fest that the trainers OF the federal mace very
mistake when they clothed Congress with all Legs
lAuve power, and carefully guarded it, they believed
against Executive intrusion and interference They should
have dispensed with Representative body alto geher
which, ~Pea hypothesis is a wholly superhu-
Of our Machinery, and have u
vested the Executive with Dicstoa wcr The Trainer. Ct
he construction however-as all who will read the debates
its adoption and the OF their cotem-
porares will perceive-did not in bestowin,
upon the Executive the Veto intend TO confer upon him
any Legislative power whatever 1t mainly designed
TO enable him TO protect himself against Congressional
enerosehment upon ms rights and powers and give
him the means Of arresng the legitimate action of Con-
gress. II was intended to be shield OF defenee-not
sword Of aggression. Madison, Jay and Hamilton wouIs
have secuted the assumption boldly put forward in our
day that the Executive is component part of the Leg.
laye departmontan assumption contradicted BY the eY
press language OF the constitution ITSELF terms too plain
admit Of misconstrucuon.
The advocates Of the One Man Power in TN,
county, had they lived in The Of the great conflict in
England between Popular Liberty and Kinsy Prerogsty,
In
arts would have had Jealous champions in their
pertnacious and stubborn though happily abor,iye efforts
TO concentrate in the person Of the King all the
powers OF governmon-leavng the Parliament 4 mere H.
pendage OF the Throne, assembling periodically not TO de-
hbea'e upon matters concerning the general veal bot 10
register The edeis Of the King and to comply with In. m
eensng oIactons King CHARLES was rot less attached IN
the Veto than President Polk and not know thotn
conclusive be given to the advocates OF
the ndscminaie Of the Veto Power in this country
than TO borrow the language Of JOHN MLroN whose glory
tho energetic and eIoquen, champion Of the true pnc
piles Of Civil Freedom, will survive possible even bis re-
putaOn the great Poet OF his age Treating In his
King Charles tssys tho National Intelligsneer Il,
which indebted for the quotauon) Of like as,ur,
ton Of the Veto power long since wrested from b., No
narchs by the English people, Milton employs the follow
ing bold ard beautiful wOrdF surely lee, fl to be utter
ed Republicans than be addressed TO the subject. Of
King;
The conclusion, them must be quite contrary n wis,
he concludes that nothing be more unhappy more
dsboBorsbie unsafe for oil, than when wise
grave. and honorable Parliament shall have aborsd de-
bated argued consulted, and (as he himself speaks con
rbutrd' tor tho public good all their counses In com
mon, be then frustrated disappointed denied and re-
pulsed by the snge Whit Of a negative from the mouth oil
one wfu mani nay to he blasted, be struck o. mute
and mouonleH' parliament Of tapestry IN tho hanginR.
OF else, afIsf oil their pans aud travail 10 be dissolved
and away ike many nourhs in arithmetic; unless
be 70 turn tho Of their insgncsnce into smsnta-
ton oi the people WHO had vainy them For this
enact oil things by public consent fss be vgd
have DO persuaded this "a to enact nothing b., n,
tho pripafe consent aud leave II not lucrative H.
rant this u mitchell without remedy; n s'aing and oh
suucunR evil that hath vent. no outlet no pas.,g.
through Gran, him but this aud the Parliament bstb
M moro freedom Than h al In hia moose; which, when
he pleases draw together with one witch Of his ne "a
tive, tha, tho wish Of CaIigu.a throttle whole M,
ton in one neck. .