The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-10-21
From the Waterman.
THE VICE PRESIDENCY.

We trust the people oftho North viii care
CulIy weigh the views expressed in the fol
lowing article. Should the Van Buren, par
~ so far prevail in the North ms 10 prevent
an election by the people, the election OF
President will dcvovc upon the lower House
oCCongress, and Tint Of Vice President up
IN the Senate. In the House, the vote - 10y
STATES, each State casting one vote; and the
stotes stand 10 Wing, 10 and lied. 1t
NAV be doubtful whether any election for
President could he made by the House,
though the Speaker oithnt body Qlon. X. {.
Winthrop of Mass has expressed the opin-
ion that the election of Cass is certain. But
suppose there is no compromse--no corrup-
lion on!the part Of either side: then there will
be no President elected 81 the Jicc President
,cW be President. Who, then, will he Vice
President, in case of II fhilure to elect by the
People and by Congress? The answer is
clears the Locos have decided majority in
The Senate, and WIN. O. BUTLER Of Ky, the
SIavcocratic candidate, would he the mHm--
Butler the stakeholder, the anurXulionist, the
war candidate, the coutemucr of the right
of petition, ana the man who voted to eXpel
Member of Congress from his seat for the
Offence ofbeing an aboltionisl. DO The Free
Soil men pray for such Il result? lfthcy
do not why do they ,ro,% for it? Come, let
us reason together.
But few men seem 10 understand The vast
importance which attaches, il the present
state of affairs, to the office of Vice President.
In the adjustment Of the questions which
have arraycd the North against the South, it
is not ut all Improbable that II strictly section
nj vote win be cast in the Senate.
In this event, rs there are Just fifteen Free
aud fifteen Slave Safes, the Vice President
will have the casting vote. This fact invests
the question whether the Vice President shall
be for freedom or slavery, with the utmost
importance. Now, every one must see al
glance, that whether the Presidential election
be decided by the people or thrown into the
House, the result will be that either MiIIiard
Fillmore, the weIl-tried friend ofiiecdom or
WilIom O. Butler, the slavery cXtcusiouist,
must be elected just look at il. Ii Cuss he
elected 10y the people, Butler must he also :;
for precisely the same votes that elect the
ono mnst t,Cc;; ;!t..@ other. They are beth Oh
the same ticket, and they al tnscnoIUbe.-
tits precisely the same with TaNlor and Fill
entertain
the idea that Van Buren, and Adams stand
The least chance of an election by the people
Their only pretended hope is ia throwing the
election into the House. But it must not be
forgotten that the Constitution provides IN
mai contingency, tlmt the HouSe shall eject The
PreStdeM ona The Senate he Flee Pycsidcni-
ihe senate as now constituted, aud it will
remain 'he same when the election takes
place, has "a Locoiocos, and 24 Wings ma
I'M ,rit, ,,,fI
ground hope have the friends of Mr. Adj
ans thai he could DO elected? lie would
probahly receive tie votes of Mcssrs. n lies
and Din. and 10 others, and there viii still
he majority often ovCriIlmogc and Albums
Tor Batter. On the suppostion, then, that
The third party can elect Us President any de-
voted friend of Free Territory, even one
whose whole life atlcSiS his smccrily.-shut
will II avail us, provided man hold the of
flee Of Vice President, who, by his casting
vote, will prevent any bill, prohibiting Slave
ny from the Territories, from ever reaching
abe President for his signature?
The friends of Freedom must he doubIy
guarded on this great, this momeulous qucs-
ton, this question which in importance over
shadows all others. They must have not on
ly IL President pledged not 10 Ieio II Free Tor
9Ttory Bill, hut also II Vice President, who, if
he be called upon to do so, tciH girc his cast
ing vOte IN fdror Of such a BILL.
And no candid man will for a moment
doubt that Gen. Taylor is unequivocaly plcdg-
ed against the exercise of the veto power in
the case in question. Such is the testimony
of the Washington Union, and ofthe entire
Locofoco party Of the South, who. us avowcd
Slavery cXIcnsionstS, object to Gen. Tayur
on this very ground. And as TO Fillmore,
who doubts him? Not one! Dctructiun il
self dare not assert that this great aud good
Northern Statesman, whose every word and
action throughout his public career has been
for Freedom, would not vote on the question
ofslavery MS the free Norh would most wish
The Vice President TO vote
Our only safety is in Taylor and Fillmore,
and they must and will be elected by the
people, Cleveland HeraLd.