The Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1837-1867, 1848-07-15
The WiImot Proviso and Gen.
Taylor.

The New York Express throws out some
good suggestions in regard to the somewhat
prevalent error that the support of General
Taylor would be inconsistent with the main
tenance, on the part ofthe wings, of the Will
mot Proviso. Its truly remarked by the Ex-
press that Gen. Taylor is the only candidate
ofwhose election any one has expectations, un
der whose auspces any hope can be indulg-
cd for the success of the Proviso. 1t says:
THE WILMOT PROVISO.
One would think, by what one hears in some
quarters, depends altogether on the will and
pleasure of the Executive ofthe United States!
If the one-man power there will it, 10, presto!
the thing is done, and Wilmot's Proviso is the
law of the land! But if, on the contrary the
one. man power wills it not then Congress it
self nothing,-nothing at al!
We beg our worthy readers now, who are
indulging such constitutional chimeras, to bear
in mind what is the spirit aud the true intent
of the Constitution of the United States, and
bearing them in mind, 10 bear in mind also the
principles set forth in Gen. Taylors Allison
Letter. the Letter is about the best brief
exposition we have of the spirit and intent of
the fundamental Federal Law. Congress is
the Legislature power, we learn there the Pres
iGent is the crocutire power. 1t is the bust
ness of Congress TO make laws; it is the duty
of the Executive to approve them, unless in
high palpable cases of a violation of the con-
! stitution, and TO see that Congressional Laws
are executed. Congress is Tything-the
President little or nothing. Such are the true
/ ;n1 -. a.,
such is the exposition ofthe Allison Letter,
tits clear, then, if we are right in our theo-
ries-and that we are we have all the Presi-
dents of the United States to sustain us, down
to 1S29-that the "Wilmot Proviso," which
we hear so much about, depends upon Con.
gress, not upon Gen. Taylor. One member
of Congress, with an Executive who pledges
himself to obey, and not TO thwart, the populu,
will, is worth more than the Executive him
self AS in Congress is to be the governing
so to Congress alone, must Wilmot Prov
men look for the realization ofther hopeE
Why, then, from Ohio semi Abolitionists, ID
from Aboltionists else w here, do we heaIso
much about General Taylor and the Whot
Proviso?
A Revolution, the Union, as official gan,
accuse us Wings of attempting In thselec-
ton of Gen. Taylor,upon the principNpf the
Allison Letter. We plead guilty, rigpf, to
the soft impeachment. A revolutionn the
exercise of the veto power is one gE Wing
principle more than anything elseRat this
government needs. The Executiwy means
of the veto power, and the deraPtronage,
has absorbed nearly all the othep powers of
this government. What, in Confss, patron
age could not buy off, the vetoFwe could
crush; and hence the Presidentas become
law maker, as well as the law fcutor. Con-
gress has been reduced to moth, and the Ex-
ecutive made everything of . rescue the
constitution from this degradsn, to restore
Congress to what it was in trays ofthe ear
y Presidents, and therebytm it the Execu-
tive, his powers and his pat age, is the very
Revolution we intend Brhy should they
who agree with us on genl principles yet
r confuse their heads with idea that the VIII
mot Proviso depends upoienernl Taylor, and
= not upon the Congressfe elected with him'
The bad habit they havad of thinking the
> Executive monarch. the Congress n cy-
lPher, it seems, they got yet get overland