The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-05-29


stittsfion qffAe United States, mt. !, !.
~ ALL, ALL,--what comprehensiy,
word for SO brief monosyllable! An legis
lative powers, granted by the instrument es
tablishing the government Of the United
States, shall be vested in congress ofthoss
States, which shall consist Of senate ant
house Of representatives. Can other words
be found, to convey more clearly the idei
expressed in this provision Of the constitu.
ton, than those which are used' We think
il is impossible to find them. II is not,-
all Legislative powers tchateUer shall be vest
ed in congress Of the United States, but
all Legislative powers, granted in the consti-
tuition ITSELF And this is the cornerstone OIL
the congressional ediice. The legislative
powers granted in the constitution, are lodg-
ed no where else, in no other department OIL
the federal government. They are exclu-
sively committed to the care of congress Of
the United States. All legislative powers,
is generic expression, and involves entire
and unlimited discretion in the mode and
manner Of exercising those powers. Con-
gress has the sola, exclusive, and supreme
right and authority, to make laws upon such
subjects as are enumerated in the constitu-
ton. The exercise Of sole, exclusive, and
supreme right and authority over given
subject, is an absolute power, and this very
power does congress enjoy, by the terms OF
the constitution, in making OF enacting laws
upon the subjects specified in that instru-
ment Il is an absolute power Of legisla-
ton, that is, Of conceiying, originating,
framing, bringing forward, celebrating up
on, and finally consenting to the adoption Of
all laws, whose subject-matter is within the
pale Of the constitution. The whole process
Of law-making, is confded to Congress
alone by this grant Of power, from the con-
ception Of a statute to its completion, and
Congress is the sole, exclusive, and supreme
author Of the process, by which it executes
its Legislative powers. No other branch of
the government has any right to interpose,
interfere, Of dictate Every such attempt
is directly in the face Of the grant Of all legis-
lative powers to Congress, and is usurpa-
ton; and il Congress suffers any otherbranch
Of the government to make such attempt,
without resistance and etiectual resistance,
too, it is guilty Of dereliction Of duty and
surrender Of its powers pro tanto.
These reflections will serve, in some
measure, to awaken the readers attention to
the Importance Of this little word ALL, in the
constitutional grant Of exclusive, sole, and
supreme Legislative power to Congress. 1t
comprehends the whole Legislative power Of
this federal republic, I'VE hope, we do not
alarm the editor Of the Union by the use of
the word federal land il rightly interpret
ed, the true relation Of Congress to the exc
cative and judicial branches Of the govern
ment and to the electoral body, viii be at
once revealed. It was rightly interpreted by
President WAsHINcToN, who left the whole
power Of legislation, where the constitution
had placed tin the hands Of Congress.
He regarded the grant Of legislative powers
to that body, in the light, in which we have
endeavored to place it in the foregoing part
Of these observations, and he made his Off,
cial and personal relations to Congress con-
form to this view, to this Interpretation Of its
legislative powers. Under his benign and
just administration Of the laws Of the United
States, he neverundertook to share in the le-
gislative functions Of Congress. He abstain
ed from any such usurpation. He never un-
dertook to conceive and frame and fashion
laws Of his way Of thinking, and call upon
Congress to pass them. He had no system
Of Legislative policy, which he endeavored to
compel Congress to adopt, and failing in his
endeavor, prevented Congress from adopting
any other system, by the abuse Of his quail
fed veto. He never set his Heads Of De-
partments to work, to frame systems Of par
tisan Legislative policy, to thrust them before
the country, to call upon the public press to
sustain them and no other, for the re ason,
that they were partisan Legislative measures.
He never wrote long disquisitions upon par
tisan legislative measures, never called on a
party in Congress to adopt them noiens 20
lens, never commanded his Secretaries to
frame Bills for the committees Of Congress
to suit himself, never lent his personal and
official influence to force those Bills through
committees and through Congress, never
asked his Secretaries and the subordinate
officers Of government to thrust themselves
among the members Of Congress to cleo
tioneer for the passage offavorite Bills, never
threatened accommodation from his pres
ence or from party ties because members
could not conscientiously obey his behests,
never held the veto power in terror over the
head Of Congress unless it would do his
bidding. None Of these things did Presl-
dent WAsHrNGroN--no one. He did not