The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1848-05-12
THE UNION.


OLD General declares that he has mo concealmenS 10
make" Of ''the great cardinal principles which will regu-
late his political life" and yet he ayows cardinal
principle but and that is his Difference 10 the legisa
tive power. He have formed no opinion OF his
own, upon great political quesons and therefore he is
willing to subscribe the opinions OF Congress, and
register their edcts In this spirit he declares the extrav
agant sentiment that Me personal opinions Of the m
d'vdudl aoo may happen to occupy The executive CHAIR
ought not TO control The action of Congress upon questions
Of domestic polieyi ought has objections to be inter
posed 1chers questions Of constitutional po'rer haze been
settled by the various departments Of government and
guessed IN by the people"
In the spirit he frters away the force of the
qualified veto power which conferred the President
and virtually strikes it out, of It's applications from
the constitution The rule he lays down is. that the veto
'should never be exercised except in of clear
violation OF the constitution manifest haste and wan,
of consideration by Congress-" and when you call upon
him TO show how far and in what he would apply
this rule, he lays down limitations which would nearly
abolish it in practice. He find fault with most
or all of the in which previous Presidents have
used the powerfor mark his specifications See how far
he limits the power of the Executive only using the
veo but in exercising his power Of to their
consideration such he shall Judge necessary
and expedient" for why recommend, if the will of the
people, as expressed through their representatives Con-
gress be mandatory? Why talk of the exercise of the
po,cer when of the most important
which have been agated in public councils the
will of Congress to supesede the conscience and the
constitutional power of the Presdent' Upon this point
he certainly leaves no doubt upon the mind for General
Taylor expressly says:
"Upon the subject of the tariff, the currency the Improve
Of great highcays, ,iuers lakes and harbors the
will of the people, expressed through their representa-
in Congress, ought to be respected and carried
through the Executive"
Who doubt after this declaration, that Gen. Tay
or would play the automaton of Congress upon all these
great measures? Who doubt that if Congress were
charter national bank with so millions of capital for so
yearspassed the very face of the constitution, and
armed with the most mschievous powers-General Tay
lor would say once, "Such the will of Congress-
is not for me to control their action % Who can doubt
that Congress lay the foundation of the most
extensive system of internal improyemenset it be local.
SECTIONAL or Haonallet it extend to roads, rivers,
nals-Gen r would say, Such is the will of Congress- 1t
is not my duty inquire into their consttuonality
pedency / am bound to register their edicts !" Holding
these views, who can believe that Gen. Taylor would
have vetoed the renewal of the charter of the Bank OF the
United States as Gen Jackson did, have vetoed the
fiscal agency as Mr. Tyler did, Would he have adopt
ed the vetoes OF Mr. Madison, of Gen. Jackson, and
Mr. Polk, on the question of internal improvements ?
Never! These mischevous measures would have been
rveted upon the country if Gen. Taylor had presided
the helm.
What though an active wing party may have obtained,
by adventurous circumstances and temporary causes
Fictitious majority in Congress! What though they
| por;tx, Df Tho p1o, ,,J
such is obviously the character of the present House
of Representatives. Indeed, who doubt after see.
ing by the lights Of the last election in Pennsyl-
vania, that many Of her districts misrepre-
scented by whgs' The late election in Virginia shows
how much she is misrepresented in several of her
districts The phenomenon is true of several of
the other States Yet in the face of the fact, that the
majority OF the people sometimes misrepresented
by the majority of the House, General Taylor would
say: IT is the will of Congress, and must sub
nit" What though some of the members of a mi
nory Congress-or even majority Congress-Inay log
roll it with each other and say, 81 will vote for the i'm
provement of your river if you will support my road
Yet, in spite Of these movements, Gen. Taylor would
consent TO throw away his veto power and sacrifice
the constitution itself to shifting majority of Congress
We shall not at this time, analyze the origin and ne
complished by others. We would point to several
speeches in Congress upon this subect-and among the
rest to the admirable speech of Mr. Buchanan delivered
in support of the veto power reply to Mr. Clay, in
the Senate Of the United States, in February 1912 is
of the best speeches which he ever delivered and
of the best and most practical arguments not the
very best-whch was ever delivered on this important
question. Would that had the space to spare for
the whole of the speech. We shall find room for it here
after, in case Gen. Taylor should become the forced
nominee of the wing convention. But, in the mean time
we must confne ourselves to the following extracts:
"The joint resolution offered by Mr.. Clay proposes to
change the existing constitution require but bare
majority of all the members belonging each house 10
any bill into law Notwithstanding the Presidents
objections"
is to this amendment that Mr. Buchanan addressed
his argument:
The great wing party of the country (said Mr. b. have
proposed amendment Feeling sensbly by experience
that they had suffered the late presidential election
from not having previously presented clear exposition
their principles TO the public eye, they determined
longer suffer from this Accordingly, conscrip
fathers of the church assembled in city of
Washington, the 18th September las-at the close of
the ever-memoabe extra scssionand adopted address
the people of the United States This manifesto
first and foremost among them all, is enuncation
power. shall refer very briefly to this address al
though use the language Of my FRIEND the present gov
OF Kentucky 1t contains much good reading so
were they pledged to the abolition the veto power that
thew soemnly and formally John TYLER of the whip