Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-11-04

raj times, but always in conformity with the prin-
ciples which he had asserted in debate and in the
Federaist. And in his Message of January 80,
1915, refusing his assent to Bank BILL he thus
emphatically avows the doctrine now maintained by
General TAYLOR, as objections on constitutional
grounds:
"W Waiving the question of the constitutional au-
thorty OF the Legislature to establish an ncorpo-
: rated bank, AS BEING PRECLUDED IN MY JUDGMENT
by REPEATED RECoGNITIoNs, under carried circ,na-
stances, Of the uaiidity Of such an institution, IL,
'aclS Of the LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE, and JUDI-
'oIAL branches Of the Government, accompanied
by indications, in various modes, Of CONCUR
RENEE OF THE GENERAL WILL OF THE NATION" DC.
President MADISON then assigns his reasons for
refusing his assent to the particular BILL But, de-
ferring to the judgments, differing from his own, on
the question of constiutionality, in his Message of
December 5, 1915, he invited Congress to consider
"the probable operation Of National Bank" and on
the 10Th Of April, 1916, approved bill creating
such an institution.
We have, then, the construction given by FIVE Of
the fathers of the Republic, OF whom three be-
came its Presidents to this veto power, as existing
under our Constitution. They tell US that it is a
OF Executive aggression; that it is security against
haste, inadvertence or design, leading to the palpa-
Die and evident sacrifice Of the public good that it
is to De exercised with caution, and only in strong
and clear cases and that in case in which the
public will has been authoritavely and firmly pro-
nounced, the constitutional duty of the President is
not to oppose to it his individual judgment. This
proposition emanates it should be observed from
one of the most conscientious minds that the world
has known, and was enunciated after the
working OF the Constitution for twenty five years
had tried his original opinions by the test of expe-
rence. On these principles the veto power was
exercised during the first forty years of the Govern
ment, and was exercised but nine times: on the
same principles, Gen. TAYLOR tells US in the ALI
letter that if elected, he would exercise the pow
CT; and, in previous letter, he had said that he
should, in that event, administer the Government
strictly in conformity to the provisions of the Con-
!" si.ution, as near possible IN the aoay IL acas
" acted on and construed by our FIRST PREsI-
/" DENTS" &c.
With the Inauguration of Gen. JACKSON as Presi-
dent of the United States on the 4th Of March, 1929,
new set of principles, in regard to the veto well
ing the interval Of nineteen years between that day
and the present. the veto power has been exercised,
by the direct refusal of Executive assent, and by
taining bills toeaty times. Besides these
of negatives on bills passed by Congress, the
man power has, during the same interval, been ex-
ered in other forms to obstruct legislation. l. Pre-
sident JAcKsoNs approval, May 81, 1880, of an In
ternal Improvement Bill with the " understanding"
that the road, authorized by the bill, from Detroit
to Chicago, was not to be extended beyond the
limits of Michigan, is sort of quasi veto, and ar
rogates dispensing power over law. 3. This
usurpation also practised by him in the cases
Of railroad routes from the city of New York to the
Portage summit of the Ohio canal, and from Geauga
or Ashtabula county, on Lake Erie, to the Ohio
river, in Columbiana county. Congress had provi-
ded by law that the expenses Of surveys, in such
cases, should be paid by the United States.
The only legal discretion of the President was
to determine whether proposed road or canal
was OF national importance" In the cases
referred to (of which there is full account
in the National LteMgenccr Of August lS,
1892 President Jackson decided this question
afIirmatvely, and there exhausted his authority
under the law. But "jura neget sibi natG''-he
decided further that portion ofthe expenses should
not be paid by the United States. These were
cases Of refusals by the President, not to approve
bills, but to execute laws which he had himself ap-
proved. 4. He removed the deposiies from the
Bank Of the United States in September, 1888, be-
cause 4 the exercise Of the VI 20 po,oer must be So
eured," and to prevent the President from being
"ttwarted by Congress-" This may be called a
preventive, or heading veto.' S. On the whole
subject OF our Indian relations President JACKSON
reversed the settled administrative policy of the
country, and refused TO execute the laws of the
United States that subject, and their treaties
with the various tribes. This wholesale abroga-
ton by Executive command or permission Of laws
and treaties may be termed nuiyying vetoes, and,
like the Of the internal Improvement bills just
mentioned, involved the exercise of a '.dispensing
power" that species Of usurpation which, in an
other country, contributed to lose to Kings their
thrones and their heads.
Of the ttcentyfour Presidential negatives on bills
passed by Congress since the commencement Of
the Jackson era one-haf are cases Of what is call
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