The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-09-05
I H E R E ? u B Lie.
WASHIN GTON:
WEDNESDAY MORNING, SEPT. S, ls4s

.
President Taylor and the VIII Of the People.
Of all the impudent calumnies uttered
by the Opposition journals, the most i'm
pudent is the allegation that the WHIGs
have manifested dstrust in the capacity
of the people for self-government. Who
would naturally distrust this capacity'
The party in power, or the party out of
power' The men whom the people have
elevated to distinguished Office, or the
men whom they have elected from Office
The men who are satisfied with what the
people have done, or the men who are griev-
ously disappointed and sore at the pop
ular verdict General CAss, or President
TAYLoRl Mr.. Mason, or Mr.. PREsToN'
The Cabinet in place, or the Cabinet out
of placer
One of the great issues of the last cam
paign was involved in the exercise of the
VETO power. The contest was what Mr.
JEFFERSON described as conflict between
| the MoNoCRATS, or the friends of the one
man power, and the REPUBLICANS, or the
| friends of the popular element in govern
ment Mr.. JEFFERSON pointed Out this
difference in his letter to Colonel MONROE
of July 10, 1898, in which he says of
WAsHINGToN's successor, that, eff
MoNocRAT, he will be overborne by the
republican sense of his constituents; if a
Republican, he will of course giUe fair
play TO that sense, and lead things into a
channel of harmony between the COVER
nors and the governed" In another let
ter, addressed to Mr.. GILES, Of Virginia,
few months previous, he says: severe
parties here divided merely by greed-
ness for office, as in England, to take part
with either would be unworthy of rea-
nable or moral man. But, where the
principle of difference is as substantial
and as strongly pronounced as between
the REPUBLICANS AND THE MoNoCRATs OF
our country, hold it as honorable to take
fair and decided part, and as immoral to
pursue middle line, as between the par
ties Of honest men and rogues, into which
every country is divided"
This exercise of the VETo is the great
point of difference between the party which
would give full effect to the will of the
people, and the party which would submit
that will to the capricious action of sin
gle man. When the people, through their
constitutional organs, indicate their will to
be that bill should become law, the
WHrGs say, let the will of the people pre-
vail; the Locofocos say, let the President, I
if he pleases, thwar the will of the peo-
pie by veto. When the people call for
a harbor and river improvement bill by
large maiorites in both houses of Congress,
the WINGS say, let il be the law of the
land the Locofocos throw up their caps
and hurrah for the President who refuses
to let them have their own way. On what
principle is this diversity Of action found
ed' On the belief of the Who's that the
people are capable OF governing them
selves-on the belief of the Locofoco
leaders that the President is the best Judge
of what the country requires, or is better
able than the people themselves to govern
the people. One party acts from its conf
dence in the people, the other from its con
fidence in the Executive.
General TAYLOR has always avowed his
determination to be governed in his public
action by the will Of the people, expressed
through their constitutional organs He
has no disposition to force measures upon
the people against their will. He will
never set his Cabinet TO work to persuade
reluctant House of Representatives into
acquiesence in favorite measures. We
venture to say that we shall never see the
disgraceful scenes re-enacted during his
Administration that we're so common dur
ing the last More than once during Mr.
Folks career, we saw important measures