The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-01-13

public, in time Of war, and claims for him the
mower to act, not under the Constitution and
laws of the United States, but under the.laws
Of nations, as conqueror. This power, il
granted, carries with it all its rights and
privileges, both before the declaration Of
war and after it. Hence, we have seen Col,
Polk, without even making known his in
tentions to the war-declaring department Of
the government, do acts, which precipitated
the country into war. His conduct in this
case, is a natural consequence Of the extent
Of power cl&imed by him in the exercise Of
his duty as Commander-in-Chief Of the army
and navy. II he may be the conqueror un-
der the laws Of nations, by virtue of his
command-in-chief Of the army and navy,
after war is declared, surely he may do
things to plunge the, nation into war. tie
claims unlimited power in the premises, or
rather the whole power over the subject,
granted by the laws Of nations TO con-
queror For the manner Of exercising this
vast power he is only responsible to his own
discretion. In plain words, he constitutes
the federal executive, under his construction
Of the power under consideration, the sole
representative of the sovereignty Of the
Union, in time Of war, with the laws Of ma
tons as the only guide TO his feet. Presi-
dent Washington treated the grant in a
totally different light, He exercised the
power, as creature Of the Constitution,
keeping himself always within its limits,
and making every official act the indisputa-
bic effect Of the exercise Of Constitutional
and legal authority.
The President elect, in bringing back the
executive government, on this one point, to
the Washingtonian standard, will vindicate
constitutional liberty from usurpation,
which, if persisted in, would reduce the
federal executive to an autocracy.
2. President Washington, in executing
the power granted to him, Of requiring the
opinion in writing Of the principal officer in
each of the Executive Departments, upon
subjects relating to the duties of their respec-
tive offices, never attempted to exercise the
power, so as to control the judgment or in
huence the action Of the heads OF depart
ments, in relation to the subjects upon which
he required their opinions. We all remem-
Der the model papers Of Hamilton, who pre-
sided over the Treasury, under Washington.
Nj nf than fha ~
ions made up to suit the preconceived no.
tons Of the President. They are all impar-
tlal and conclusive examinations Of the sub
ects Of which they treat. Under Washing
tons administration, the heads of depart
ments occupied the lofty position ascrbed tc
them by the laws. He never did any act
or uttered any opinion tending to lessen theil
importance in the administration, and for the
simple reason, that lie had no purpose to sub.
serve, but the honor, glory, and good Of the
country. He never treated them as his Of
ficers, but as officers Of the law, and all he
required Of them was the strict performance
Of their constitutional and legal duties, fol-
which he held them responsible. The opin-
ions Of the heads. Of departments under
Washington, carried with them power,
which those OF their successors have rarely
enjoyed, and the reason was, that they were
+the unrestricted expression Of their views
upon public questions, made up with the sole
purpose Of promoting the public good How
widely different the practice under the pres
ent and recent administrations! Heads Of
departments are now reduced to mere au-
tomato, whose highest duty is to embody
the Presidential views upon public questions
in ad captdndum reports. They are almost
in toto deprived Of the opportunity Of en-
pressing their own honest opinions upon any
subject whatever. The very taking Of office,
implies, nowadays, the surrender Of every
opinion that may not be in consonance with
the views Of the President The extent Of
power claimed by President Polk, for the
federal executive makes him necessarily a
despot, and the country has witnessed, I'M
der his administration, more than one deed
of despotsm as the legitimate result Of his
doctrines. But, in no particular, has his
executive despotism been more apparent,
than in the relations between Colonel Polk
and the principal officers of the Departments
We cannot point to a single important opin-
ion upon any subject, that is contrary to the
opinion Of the President His opinion is
the law Of the land, and when he asks Civ
en- officer for an opinion, it is now well un-
derstood to be an order to him to reduce the
executive opinion to writing.
General Taylor's ascension to power will
change all this practice. He will restore
the Westinghouse rule. in this respect
he will treat all officers Of the executive
government, not as President Taylor's Of
fcers, but as creatures Of the law. He will
ut them to the dignity conferred upon them
by the laws Of the land He will do moth
ing to degrade them, to deprive them Of their