Weekly national intelligencer. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1841-1869, 1848-08-26
THE CAMPAIGN, No. VI.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT, AGAINST WHICH
THE VETO Is CHIEFLY INVOKED.


Convention applauds its use, on ali occasions, by III,
Executive. 1t is mainly because of its having beer
Ee of defeating particular measures, andespe
ciaHy appropriations of public money for pur
poses of Internal improvement, and other measure:
designed to confer practical benefits on the Peo
pie, that the Veto power has met with the una
nimous appreciation of The Democracy in Con
vention assembled. 1t has long been a favorite
doctrine with the leaders of that party that the
powers OF the Government under the Constitution
aTe 10 be so strictly construed that no good shall
come Of them. The Government is, in their view
al IL machine for imposing restraints and bur-
dens ON the People; for laying taxes raising ar
saies, navies, hosts of officeholders; for making
foreign war, annexing foreign territories surveying
distant lands and it is machine, in short, by
which any thing can be done outside of the United
States, in which the People have individually no
sort OF interest; but is so incapable of being made
available for any purpose directly beneficial to
them, that within the last fortnight the two Houses
of Congress have been obliged TO surrender paltry
appropriation for removing distractions from a
river, under threat, By the President that, ra-
zher than such an appropriation should pass, he
would, by imposing his Teto upon the annual &C.
neral Appropriation BILL stop the wheels Of the
Government
In perfect consistency with this doctrine, we
ard the Baltimore Convention approving of the
Veto power, because g it has saved the American
@ people from the corrupt and tyrannical DONNA
ton of the Bank of the United States, and from
z corrupting system Of general Internal Improve
,aeafs.''
We shall not stop here to show that the Bank Of
the United States, whilst it was yet National
Bank, waSneither tyrannical nor corrupt. but on
the contrary, was convenience TO the Govern
ment and useful agent 10 the People. We have
The less need do this there being no idea, in any
quarter, of reviving that defunct question. When
ever, il ever, the question OF National Bank shall
ne again agitated, the highest possible Democratic
authority THAT Of Gen. JACKSON may be produced TO
prove that !" Bank of the United States is in many
respects convenient for the Government and useful
10 the People !" and that such Bank might be 50
organized as not TO infringe in any way the Con
saitulion.-
Il is here worthy Of note that the Veto Resolu-
tlon Of the present platform Of the Democracy
Is literal copy of the similar resolution in the
Platform Of the same party for 1874, except that
in the latter The denuncation of Internal Improve
RlsItt finds no place. That is one of THE NEW
ISSUES Of the present campaign; an Interpolation
IN the old party creed. put there for the especial
purpose OF ratfying Mr.. Folks Veto, and oblig-
ing Gen. CAss to include hostility 10 all Internal
Improvements among the principles which he has
pledged himself 10 adhere 10 firmly as he ap-
proves cordially"
whilst our Democratic President and his party
followers have been able 10 find in the Constitution
authority for his undertaking war without the
consent Of Congress, without their knowledge, and
without even their suspicion OF such thing being
within his contemplation whilst he could find
In it the power TO establish civil government in
California, and send out Governor not only be-
fore il was conquered from Mexico, but six or eight
mouths before war was declared 10 exist between
the United States and that Republic; whilst he
could find in it power TO march our armies into
Mexico for the purpose of overthrowing tyranny
and Furnishing usurpers IN Nerico; whilst he
could find in it power, in particular, to vindcate BY
arms the freedom Of the press ia Merico whilst
nc could find in it power TO levy taxes in Mexico,
appoint persons TO collect them, and disburse the
proceeds al his pleasure whilst, more directly in
point in the, present connexion, he could find au-
thority for dispatching national vessel TO survey
and iathom the Dead Sea whilst he has exercised
with entire license almost all conceivable powers
certainly the most important powers of sovereign
ty-,lot confded TO him by the Constitution,
there is one power, heretofore exercised by the
Government under every Administration, which
he has thought fit TO place under The ban, and, un-
der pretence Of its being unconstitutional on all
occasions to denounce and prescribe. We refer
Of course to the power Of
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT.
We cannot let the endorsement by the Baltimore
Convention Of the Presidents hostility to this in
terest, and the adoption Of that sentiment by Gen.
CAss, pass, without such exposition of the merits
of the matter as may be useful at least TO the
Younger of our readers, and on that account not
unacceptable to their elders.
INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT, in its popular sense
ronprehends the appropriation Of money by the
General Government for the purpose Of deepening
harbors and constructing sea-walls and breakwaer.
on the sea-coast, and on the shores of our grea