The daily national Whig. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1847-1849, 1849-03-13

ton. The power granted 10 the Executive
10 recommend measures to Congress, is en-
tirely advisory. Congress is left free to
adopt them OF reject or 10 modify II IS not
an initiatory power, and carries with il none
Of ibe consequences Of initiatory power in
legislation The President in this thing, Is
entirely out Of and beyond Congress. 1t
mere ministerial duty which he is called
upon 10 perform, and all the mischieis, which
have Of late years resulted to the country
from bad Legislation, have flown from the all
tempt of the Executive to constitute himself
component part Of Congress in the nitia-
ting and carrying through Of public bills, and
from the consent Of Congress 10 this usurpa-
lion Of power. II this recommendatory pow
er be an initiative power or equivalent to it,
then the President has power to 60 into
Congress and assist in their deliberations,
for an initiating power, without the power to
carry into effect its initiatings, is no initia-
ting power OF all. This is not what the
Democratic party mean by an initiating
power. They mean the power to begin, to
carry through and to complete bills, TO go
throughthe whole process oflegislation, and to
do them Justice, the Executive Of their faith,
fortwenty years past, has reduced the doc
trne 10 such perfect practice, that two
thirds Of the statutes Of that period may be
safely regarded as the edicts Of the one-man
power. But, not content with claiming for
the Executive the power to initiate laws, by
a violent and utterly untenable Interpretation
Of the recommendatory power, our opponents
90 still further, and demand for the Presi-
dent the exclusive power Of Legislation, for
such is the practical effect Of the claim set up
by them in their arguments in favor Of the
veto power and its exercise. What the con-
sttution and its founders intended as mere
temporary check upon the exclusive powers
Of legislation granted to Congress, the Dem
ocratic party construe into an absolute exc
cutive control over the legislative powers OF
Congress, and they argue, therefore, that
the Executive is the ultimate source Of all
legislation. It is the attempt to enforce this
extreme and false doctrine, that has brought
the Legislative and the executive, SO irequent-
" Of late years into collision. That the
President must be the sole Judge ofthe necess-
ity under which, he may find himselfplaced, 10
return bill TO the Legislature, no one can
doubt, but his Judgment upon the question
presented for his consideration, must be in
accordance with the constitution and the
laws and their judicial Interpretation, or It viii
be no Judgment at all Most Of the veto
messages are arguments in favor Of what the
constitution and laws and Judicial decisions
upon them, ought to be, not what they are.
Hence the conflict which their appearance
occasioned in the public mind. The veto
power, we regard, as q purely executive
power. There is nothing legislative about it,
and ills the attempt totreat il as Legislative
power thai has led to its abuse, that has given
birth 10 the extrayagant doctrines in relation
to the Presidents participation in the legis-
lative duties Of Congress, which distinguish
the Democratic creed and practice The
Congress has exclusive power TO initiate,
debate, and adopt given measure orpolicy,
but before the bill, embodying the details Of
the measure 81 policy, shall be the law Of
the land, Tie Constitution requires, that il
shall be presented 10 the President, and thai
It shall be signed by him, if he approve It,
II he shall not approve it, the Constitution
provides mode by which il shall become a
law, notwithstanding his non approval; i
the Presidential approval or non-opproval
were intended as a Legislative act, he would
surely have been consulted in the proceed
ings that follow his refusal to signs bill pre-
scented for his signature. But every consid-
GRAFTON leads to the conclusion, that the act
is purely an executive one, involving just so
much discretion as may be necessary to its
performance and no more, and consequently
the doctrine Of the Democratic party, that
the gin Of the veto power necessarily con-
stitutes the President the ultimate and real
law-making power, is utterly untenable.
We regard, therefore, the declaration Of
the Inaugural in favor Of the supremacy Of
Congress over the Legislation Of the country,
as the corner stone Of The present admins
tration. II is an announcement Of radical
change Of public policy, 50 far as the Exc
cntve is concerned Under the administra-
tons Of the last score Of years, the Execu-
tive has been the ultimate source Of the leg
islation Of the federal government, in, what
we conceive, the very teeth Of the consti-
tuition. Hence, the violent disturbances in
the operation OF the federal government, du-
ring that period. Gen. Taylor now proposes
TO limit the Executive within its constitutions
al barriers, to leave Congress to the exer-
else Of its supreme powers, unin0uenced by
Executive action. Instead of his conduct