Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1848-10-12

making The Rio Gfande the western boundary up to
that degree and said the South should never agree t.
the Wino Proviso although he did not believe there
would ever be slavery there, yet If the country
acquired the citizens should be left flee on that sub
iect He SAYS ALL Mexico WILL EVENTUALLY
COME INTO OUR GOVERNMENT BY DEGREES; THAT
1T CANNOT BE AVOIDED"
This statement stands to this day uncontra-
dicted either by Gen. Taylor-or 10y any member
of the committee.
3 In the Allison httr-of 22d of April,
lS4S. In this he defines his position on the We
to power
"TIhe VetO po,0er-The power given b. the Con
stitution to the Executive to nterpose his veto Is
high conservative power; but In my opinion, should
never be exercised except in ofcear Uoiaon Of
The Constitution or manifest haste and want ofconsid
Grafton by Congress" 1.-THE personal opinions oil the
individual who may happen to occupy the executive
char ought not to control the action of Congress upon
questions Of domestic pohcy nor ought his objections to
be ntcrposed where questions of constitutional pow
ers have been settled by the various departments Of
the Government and acquiesced in by the people"
And Sd, he instances as questions of domestic pol
icy-thc Tarif-the Currcncy-and Internal Improve
mems (thU Wilmut provsO is not among those excep
ted) which he will not veto.
| And he adds, "lhese are my opinions upon the
subjects referred to by you and any reports or publ
cations, written or verbal from any source, differing in
any essential particular from what is here written,
unauthorized and untrue"
Taken in connection with the principle he
had laid down in his letter of the 18th of Feb,
no inference can be drawn that he intended, in
this instance, to depart from that principle
In this letter he reserves the exercise of the veto
Gin cases of clear oiOidtiOa Of the Constitution
or manifest haste and rant Of consideration by
Congress-" with the qualification that it ought
not to be nterposed-"aOhrre questions Of cOnsti-
tutionat poDer hare been settled By the uariouS
departments of the government, and acqujcsed in
By hcpeoph"
The ground taken by the Taylor press, at the
North, (onIy) was that the Wlmot proviso came
within this qualification. Without stopping to
enquire into the business Of this position as
matter of opinion, the alI-important inquiry is,
how does Gen. Taylor consider it, He has been
asked the questionable rcfascd to anSaoer it, as
being one o(the various questions of policy 'nO,0
at issue etween the political parties of the
country" Is not this conclusive that he does
not consider it a settled question!
He refusing to answer-how do his friends at
the South consider it! The whole South, of all
parties, unite in considering the WlImot proviso
as an unsettled constitutional question. 1t is
the very question which the late compromise
Bill proposed to submit to the decision of the
judiciary; the unsettled question which Mr. Cor
win was unwilling to submit to that tribunal, as
now constituted 1t is the very question on
which the South hold that congress has no pOao-
er either neg0tiUe or affirmative on THE subject"
and of which Southern Senator in his place
said: 81 AM SIRE THAT THE QUESTION IS SAFE
IN HIS Gen. Taylor's HANDS," and on which
'the whole South mW put their trust in him aoith-
ont any misgi0i"gs."
In addition to this, it is stated that Mr.. Has
kali, member of Cong, ess from Tennessee,
ana atravaiGng friend of Gen Taylor, in reply
to question put by the Hon. John S. Blrbour,
on the 18th instant, in Fairfax Co. Va.-"wheth
err Gen. Taylor would keep his veto in allegiance
and withhold its exercise on the Wilmot provi-
So" sud that Gen Taylor would hold that to
be hasty and nconsiderate legislation, and a00ulo
veto it,"
The National Intelligencer, the acknowledged
organ of the Taylor Party North and South
in its editorial article of the 5th Of Sept under
the title The CAMPAIGN No Z, adopts commu
nication from Northern man, addressed To
THE SOUTHERN STATES, in which are the fol-
loving very significant paragraphs:
at is proper, in a matter of such transcendan
importance as the election of a President of the
United States, that every section of the Unlor
should distinctly understand what it has to en-
Dect from the candidates in tohOm 1t is invoked Il
repOsc its confidence
Various circumstances may constitute the ba
sis Of faith and trust. The iocal residence Of I
candidate, his identity Of property and interes
,OiM the peopIe wiM OhOm he resides the integri
ty and stability of character are sufficient Nth
out any ptedgcS to authorize AN IMPLICIT RELr
ANoE on his principles, and his action in his CT
ecutiUc capacity"
Such then is the position, past and present, o
Gen. Taylor in relation to the extension OF sla
very. lie has recanted the pledge given in thu
Signal letter. He has declared, at the South
that the South ought not to agree to the Wilmo
Proviso-that all Mexico will be annexed to the
, United States. lie has refused to answer thu
question twill you or will you not veto the Will
mot Proviso" He has the entire confidence O
the Southern wings that he will veto il. Are tn
strong grounds of southern confidence to be dis
J regarded by the North-when there is not
particle of evidence to shake that confidence?
! Can you safely rely on the unsupported opin
ion of any Northern man! Have you not
claim for the evidence on which such opinion
founded! RecoIect that the Wilmot Provis
was voted down by the wing convention in Mas
sachusetts in Oct lS47 and the memorabl
! declaration made to that convention in reatio
, to the Wilmot Provso: "IHat certainly at is
iust sentiment, but it is not a sentiment to toun
F any ne,o party upOn." EccoIlect also that tn
Wilmot Proviso was voted down, and by vote
from Free States in the Philadelphia CONVEX
ton
+ The conclusion, then, in my Judgments tina
no Free Soil man can consistently vote for Gel
t Taylor.
l. But it is said, and repeatcd-that Taylor {
! Cass must be elected There is no must in I'll
: case. No one Isuppose, now expects an ele
II ton of either by the electoral vote If the eleC
. ton comes to the House Cass has only Is state
q (giving him s. Carolina, which is doubtful.
lie cannot get another state without the aid
/. Taylor votes Mr.. Winthrop, in his late speeC
ID in the Massachusetts, Convention, has to kill c
Mr.. Stephens of Georgia, to give him the poss
bility of an election But Mr. SIS recover
from his wounds has deleated that chance.
u Tavor cpn ret at most but IL states % beiI