The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-08-26

thlo httuHlPh w HlNt buCH lluWtIo Wpulu huNt
its weight hereafter, as an argument for in.
creasing the number of the executive"
After this DR.. Franklin again spoke against
the veto power, treating this question as if il
involved that of monarchy or republcnnsm;
and one passage of his speech contains n
prophecy remarkable that must read it 10
the Senator
"The first man put at the helm (of state) will
be good one. Nobody knows what sort of
one will come afterwards. The executive will
always be increasing here, as e elsewhere, TILL
IT ENDS IN A MONARCHY
Thus, then, it appears that the opinion ofsix
out of nine who participated in the debate, was
that an absolute and unqualified veto would
introduce great monarchial feature into our
institutions; in other words, that the executive
would be converted into n monarchy by its
! adoption. That was the opinion of franklin,
of Mason, Of Sherman, of Bedford, of all ex-
cept the ultra federalists of the day.
! THE LOCOFOCO DOCTRINE ON THE
| VETO IDENTICAL WITH THE OLD
FEDERAL DOCTRINE.
! Now, where are WEI What is the party
that now maintains this ultra veto poweri-
| The party that arrogates to itself the name of
| Democratic? That is the party that places in
the foreground of it's political platform, the
doctrine of the absolute and unqualified exer-
else of the veto power. That is the party
which sustained the absolute and unqualified
tribute the nett proceeds of all the public lands
among the States, which passed both Houses
in March, 1888, was bill which would have
given the people of each State in this Union
the means of educating all their children with
| out taxation, and improving their harbors and
rivers. These funds have been since wasted
upon land-jobbers and party favorites, on Gov
eminent contractors and Office holders, and
not a dollar ofall these unnumScred millions
! has been given to those who owned them, as
| righttully as any man on the earth ever owned
his own house. By an absolute veto--Wa Dock
| et.veto''-a vile trick ard a fraud upon the
people and their Representatives, this bill was
defeated after the Representatives. of the ma
ton had passed itby yeas 95, and nays 10
more than two thirds The bill passed within
the last ten days ofthe session, as three. fourihs
/ of all the laws of Congress always have, and
always will pass. Experience shows us that
the labors of Congress are consummated with
/ in the last ten days of each session, and that
| bills which have been discussed or matured
for months are generally signed at the close
of the session. If, therefore the President can,
| for the want OF ten days within which the Con,
stitution allows him to retain bill for his sig.
nature, withhold his sanction and refuse 10
return the bill, he can defeat it, although two
thirds of each branch shoud be disposed to pass
ii as the Constitution authorized them To do
The Senate, well the House, March, Is.
33, stood ready to annul the veto on the land
! bill. Senators from North and South Caro-
/ lima, (hlr Mangum aud Mr. Calhoun as well
| as myself, were present at the time in the Sen
ate, and we are all here now ready TO attest
this to be tue. The President obtained Sc
crct information ofthc spirit Of the Senate A.
gal INST his veto power, and pockrtcd the bill, in
defiance Of the whole spirit of the Constitu.
/ ton. Tins was n gross case of the exercise
of the absolute and unqualified veto, which has
never been condemned, but always approved,
! by your Pscwd0 Democracy; and it is a fatal
| breeder mt which may virtually annul the whole
power Of Congress. The qualified rule or pow
er of revision recognized by the Constitution,
subject to the will of two-thrds of each
| branch OF Congress, has been exercised in the
| case of the hill to pay the interest due the
States for expenditures in the last war, the
/ various bulls for improvement of rivers and
hnrbors, the bill to rcCharter the Bank the
| ball to equail2e the session OF Congress, the
French sPoliaton bill and in so many other
cases that it is difficult to enumcrate them
These vctos have been sustained by executive
influence. Congress has fallen beneath the
| Executive arm, strengthened as that is, and
always VIII be by vcnal and subsrrvent
press and the ready aid the Post Office De-
pnrtment, with a hundred thousand Office hold.
ers, many of whom will always "crook the
pre- gnant hinges of the knee where thrift IN Nv
| follow tawning." This whole veto power, as
thus exercised, is now sustained by the Balti-
more platform, and promptly adopted by Gen.
| Cass, in his acceptance of the Baltimore nom.
nation. 1t is part of mis- established creed
GEN. TAYLOR'S OPINION OF THE.
VETO.
On the other hand, how stands the man we
support on this Igreat and vital subject? He
denuunccs the kingly power-the power for
the exercise of which n Stuart and bourbon
lost their heads-and confines the veto to the
cases in which the fathers of the Republic in.
tended it to be exercised. He treats it as
"hgh conservative power" So did they.
They declared by their exposition in the"Fed-
eralst, that its chief object was "to enable
the Executive to defend himself when attack
ed They meant it to be a shield, not a
sword. ain my opinion" says Gen. Taylor,
in his letter to Captain Alison, ''it should new
er be exercised except in cases of clear viola
ton OF the Constitution, or manifest haste and
want of consideration by Congress" He mod
estly adds; "Indeed have thought that for
many years past, the known opinions and
wishes OF the Executive have exercised undue
and injurious influence upon the Legislative
department of the Government: and from this
cause hare thought that our system leas IN
danger Of undergoing great change from its
true theory" Sir, if he had been forty years
IN these halls, instead OF the tented field, he
could not have more thoroughly understood
the true theory of this Government and its ac-
tual and inevitable tendency, as now admins
tered 1t is evident he has, in the silent hours
allowed him in the camp, by the watch fire in
the night, or amid the intervals of battle and
military service, deeply studied the genius of
our Government and its practical adminrstra
ton
Sir, it would consume more time than is
necessary for my purpose, to show how often
the will of the people, expressed by their Rep.
resentatves in, Congress, has been defeated by
the iron will of President, and especially by
the exercise of his monarchial negative on the
laws. In the language of distinguished