The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-10-25
CITY OF WASHINGTON.
WEDNESDAY MORNING, OCTOBER as, ls4s.


Con. Taylor and Veto Power.
We have that the whig party, in perssading Gen
Taylor to pledge himself to sign any tariff or currency,
or internal improvement bill, which Congress may pass,
are striking fatal blow, not upon the srseutrue but
upon the Legislature power defined in the constitution
We have seen, also, that the merely executive power
and influence of the wing President must be not only not
but in fact vastly augmented, by the system
of vicious legislation which this pledged OF the
veto will open the way for The plea, therefore, that the
power to be abrogaed in relation to three large
classes of laws, for the sake of clrlaHing the ExEcu
TIVE poicer is nothing less than gross and
shameless fraud upon the people 1t is the newest trick
Of the wings give their President and larger spos
to dispense!
But after all, this is only incidental evil OF this
wing attempt handcu the Presdentin the performance
of the great conservative and protecting duties enloned
upon him by the constitution The great and real calam
y involved in this purpose of the wings is, that it
changes the rchole theory Of egsa on under the consti
tuition By our constitution, the will OF three distinct and
independent constituencies is represented in every law
duly passed by Congress, and duly approved and signed
upon mature consideration, by the President FIRST there
the constituency which elects the House of Represent
atves This is the body of the people numerically APP
portioned into congressional districts Secondly there is
the constituency which is represented in the Senate
This consists of the people organized into States with
out any regard to numbers, and acting through their
State legislatures And thirdly, there is that pecu-
liar and composite constituency which acts through
the electoral colege--which chooses the President and
which constituency because the electoral college is
made up, in the various States, of the number OF
their senator's and representatives combinedD is COM
posed at once of the people numerically grouped in
congressional districts and also politically grouped, with
out regard to numbers, in States Now the constitution
ordans that neither majority of the representatives OF
the first nor of the second of these constituencies,
even majority of the representatives of both of them
together. shall have power to pass law For legislative
purposes, majority of the representatives OF both these
constituencies does not in the view OF the constitution
actually represent either the achole people, sufficient
majority of the people Some members OF the House are
chosen with small maorities in their districts. Others
have large majortes. majority of the House of Rep
resenatves therefore rarely represent majority OF
the whole three and half millions of voters in the
United States. In the same way, because OF the great
inequality in the population OF the States majority of
the Senate may by means represent majority of the
whole voting people Put the majority IN the House and
the majority of the Senate together they must be put
together IN order to pass any BILL and you have greater
probability that the will of majority of the whole
voting people has concurred in its passage Still the fact
may be- and often is oer,ce AT any rate, the repre-
sentative vote of very large minority of the whole peo
Pile may be against the Now, to meet this state
of things the constitution has ordained that
earring maorties of the two houses shall not hold full
legislative power-hat the President, and of the
peculiar and additional constituency which he represents
shall also approve measure before it can be law
When these three constituencies concur in passing bill
the constitution it to be in accordance with the
will of competent awmaking majority of the people
That this is the theory of the constitution in giving the
President the power appears clearly from the fact
that without the Presidents concurrence, t,cords
of both houses may pass law. The constitution as
sumes that when ro-hrds of both houses in favor
of law it must be in conformity the will of MAORI
ty at least of the whole people, and that the President if
he veto it, does not in doing truly express the will of
the constituency which he represents.
Thus it is manifest that the power is made part
of legislative authority in order TO secure the
curence of majority at least of the whole voting pop
ulaon in every law that is enacted In fact its object is
the of large majority, to make
the minority, which is overrued, small as possible
This object doubtless IN most cases effected and thus
the veto, in of its primary operations is intended to
protect and does protect, the rights of minores. In
republican government clearly ascertaned majority
must and in the end will, govern. But our constitu-
ton in all its provisions, and especially in its provision
for the veto, takes that this majority shall be as
large possble that it shall act deliberately pos
sbe and to these ends that the people, grouped together
in three separate, different, and Independent constituent
cies SHALL through the representatives of CHI of these
constituencies, concur in every law that is passed Or
failing of this that tco-Ards of the first two consttu
ences SHALL through their representatives, give the
measure their sanction.
Now all this portion of constitution seems to us to
be dictated by wse prudent and patriotic regard for
the rights and liberties of the people 1h seems to us
to be carefully framed, and worthy of preservation. But
this issue with the whigs relation to their course
in making their candidate pledge himself beforehand not
to the peto upon any bill which Congress may tender
him in reference to the tariff the currency, internal
issue with the wings this point,
we are not careful argue the wisdom and the exped
ency of that theory OF legislation which the constitution
imbodies. Enough for us to say, that whether wise or
unwise u.s. beyond all dispute the constitution. Ha lea
seripa The wings seek to re,rrie the law. They find
the veto power in the constitution, and bearing upon all
laws whatsoever and so finding it, they make their Pres
iden pledge himself virtually pluck out in far
may bear upon the tariff the currency or internal improve
mens Against this whole scheme its Objects its motives