Weekly national intelligencer., 1848-11-04
THE ONE-MAN WER-THE OFFICE
HOLDERS; AGAIN.

ment occasioned by the U,,ions article of the
Sunday preceding, on the same subject. Our art-
Gle Of Thursday, however, does not dispense us
from the duty of more formal and thorough re-
ply to the Union, and an exposure Ia final one we
hope) of its sophisms in regard to the character
and exercise Of that monarchical principle in our
Government. We proceed to the discharge of this
task.
The editorial ucubrations of the Government
official OF last Sunday are thus introduced:
"SuSDAr MORNING, OcToBEa 20, Is4s.
"THE VEro.one of the principles of the leaders the
Wing party if they have any principles the destruction of
the power Despaing of being able persuade
the American people strike from the constitution this great
power conservative of their rights and of the existence Of
the Government ITSELF they hope get round or nuy the
constitution, by pedgng their candidate for the Presidency
to exercise the in question: thus subornng him
violate his oath to support that sacred instrument"
In this paragraph are condensed msreprpsenta-
tons which have been so often reuted that their re-
production is an outrage on the good sense of the
American People. Let any candid mind look at
Gen. TAYLoR's true position in regard to what is
called the veto power. and fnd if it can, an excuse
for the Court Journal.
In the Allison letter of 22d April, ls4s, Gen.
TAYLOR says:
"SEcoND. The Veto Po,oer. The power Civ
en- by the Constitution to the Executive to inter-
pose his veto is high conservative poacer bat,
in my opinion, should never be exercised except
in cases Of clear violation of The Constitution, or
manifest haste and ,cant Of consideration by Con-
gress. Indeed, have thought that, for many
years past, the known opinions and wishes of the
4 4
huence upon the legislative department of the
: Government; and for this cause / hare MoagM
oar system Was IN danger Of undergoing great
change from its true theory THE personal
opinions q The indiridual who may happen 10
occupy the Executive chair ought not 10 control
TIE action Of Congress upon questions of domestic
policy ought his objections TO be i,aterposed
achere questions Constitutional pocer hare been
settled By The uarious departments of Govern
"e,t, and acquiesc sced an By The People.
"THIRD. Upon the subject of the tariff, the
rency, the Improvement of our great highways,
rivers lakes. and harbors, the will of the People,
as expressed through their representatives in Con-
gress, ought to be respected and carried out by
the Executive"
To this last passage, and 10 it only do the parti-
sans of the Veto dynasty refer in proof Of their
charge that Gen. TAYLOR is pledged "not to exer-
else the power in question - that he is SuJorned
to violate his oath to support the constitution:
and they affect to consider him as surenderng, in
this passage, the veto power as to any and every
bill which may be passed by Congress relating to
the tariff the currency, and internal improvements.
This would be a very forced construction of the
passage, even if it were all on the subject Of the
veto power which is contained in the letter but il
is not all. In the passage next preceding, the wr-
ter had plainly indicated his opinion that the power
ought TO be exercised in cases Of clear violation
Of the Constitution, manifest haste and want Of
consideration by Congress" The familiar rules
of construction require the passages to be taken to-
gether and show plainly, that if Congress were to
pass tariff bill, currency bill, or an internal i'm
proyement bill, which particular bill should be in
clear violation of the Constitution" or be enacted
in manifest haste or want Of consideration" such
a BILL like any other bill Objectionable on similar
grounds, ought, in the opinion of the writer, to be
negatived. Bills the subjects of the tariff, the
currency, and internal improvements were obviously
the very sort of bills which Gen. TAYLOR had in
his mind, and he was referring to the Jackson, &C.
veloes Of such bills, when he said !" The personal
OpUtOHS vi TIE lnulFluudl WHO may happen W OC-
cupy the Executive chair ought not to control the
action Of Congress upon questions Of domestic
policy; nor ought his objections to be interposcd
where questions of constitutional pomer haze been
settled by The Uarious departments Of GoUer-
me,t, and acq,iesced IN by The People," On the
several subjects Of the tariff, the currency, and in
ternal improvement-on these questions Of do
mestic policy TAYLOR thinks that the Pre-
sident ought not to oppose his personal opinions,
nor constitutional objections, when they have been
overruled by the action Of the various departments
of Government, and acquesced in by the People !;
but that /" the will Of the People, as expressed
through their Representatives in Congress, ought
TO be respected and carried out by the Executive; !"
leaving, however any particular bill on any Of these,
as on all other subjects, liable to the Veto, il passed
" in clear violation Of the Constitution, or manifest
haste and want Of consideration by Congress-
This doctrine Of the veto power is fully sustain
ed by the passages, SO far as they go, from the
"Federalist'' which the Union cites against
Gen. TAYLOR. II should be observed that the part
Of our Constitution comforting the veto power was
discussed in !" the Federaist' and in the Conven-
ton, under the influence Of what seems to have