The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-09-02

The wing nominee has avowed but one principle as
his rule for establishing the administration This is an
absolute submission to the will of Congress, and viz
tual REIMBURSEMENT of the constitutional veto Mr..
Rves pronounced ii 10 be the shield OF constitu
tona rights; but Mr. Rves has abandoned his position,
and stgmazes the veto being the exercise OF the
''one-man power Mr. Preston OF South Carolina is also
understood to be Taylor man yet we cannot pay him
the poor compliment of supposng that he too has sacri-
feed his former decided opinions in favor of the veto
power to his devotion to the wing nominee We have
rarely stronger and more eloquent argument in
favor of the veto power than appears in the fol-
lowing extract from Mr.. Prestons Speech delivered in
the Senate of the United States in January 1872 on Mr.
Clay's resolution to abolish the qualified veto:
'The Executive was elected by the people OF the United
States and was the only that was no IN ne
and design OF the constitution elected with regard to
any particular section The delegation OF the other HOUSE
was voted for by the whole people ana as co-odna a
branch OF the government The President was elected for
years. the for six. He Tesponsibe they
were not He was impeachabe they were not In order
make his mind he (Mr Preston) would look back TO
the convention and what their feelings then with
regard the power 1t acquesced in as thing
almost dispensabe except as TO the extent oil the lnita
ZION acquesced in it, and in all the debates in the States
where conventions were called to discuss the constitution
veo poWer was necessary in many cases What said the
eloquent Patrick Henry? He scarcely devoted word to
ed to pass contested He held the period be past
when thty could amend the constitutions except Tor gross
evils which could not be avoided by Incidental legislation
md that instrument should be touched but with the
greatest caution. Let the constitution stand where it was
Il "A sacred and valuable instrument, and was conse
rated by the loest emotions and the prest PATRIOTISM
and for he had suPerst,ious regard But did evils ex
ia constitution Had the Workings 1t shown that
there provisions in it which had tendency pros
the prosperity OF the country Could not they get
dong with il as IL vast Anterior 10 the present admins
traon in period OF fifty years, the veto power had been
exercised twelve times But wha, was the exercise of this
power? Gentlemen could certainly be that,
slight had been the effect upon the public prosperity, the
exercised, until it dug up from the masty records
General Washington exercised the power twice; his full
proportions in point OF time, and once Tor each term The
very statement OF this truth was vndication of its exer
cse for nobody would that the Father OF his Country
would have exercised it Improperly, One of these vetoes
was ia his first erm and the people elected him Mr.
Mad exercised the power four timestwice for
each No evil resulted from it. Mr. Monroe exercised
once, and General Jackson five times What had been
the Judgment OF the county all these vetoes, good bad
and ndierentl Why, that all who esorted it, except
three Presidens-the two Adamses and Van Buren-who
the was keep them where they it was con
sentative, and this the rock which he himself
differed with req I'D the policy of the
country from former Congress They enact ii law
which altered the existing state of things enacted by pre-
vious Congress but suppose as the issue is TO be made
that it is question between their wisdom and their
wisdom months ago. the wisdom of Congress five
years ago and the wisdom of Congress forty ago-why
The President by his veto decided in the wisdom
forty years ago. instead OF that which exists and
time for serious constellation HE would not agree to
amend the constitution for whatever, however
he might be from the "reminiscences of the past. That
should into his argument. He party man,
and had occasions done things whichiie
should done upon reflection, and he presumed
with the other members of the Senate for
measures which they conceived to be right were in the
of the moment adopted but, when the deuson OF
party had passed away, and exhibited these
their hideos aspect they then felt that proceedings
ought to have been tempered by deiberaton and
station