Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-02-26
LYNCHBURG llRGlNIAN.
The Veto Power.


Houses of Congress, demands of the American
people a grave consideration of the constitutional
extent of Executive power, and the legitimate
use of the negative authority given the President
in the legislation of the country.
Belonging to party whose organization, in
this country was based upon belief that II
necessary TO restrain the exercise Of federal
power, to compel the several departments of the
government to respect the rights Of each other,
and especially TO limit the indulgence Of EAeeu-
tive discretion and curb the abnse Of Executive
influence, cannot look with other emotions
than those Of the most serious concern upon the
proposition embraced in the reasoning of the
late yeio-messagc, tina, the mere opinion Of the
President, az an individual Is to be the standard
by which all the legislation Of the country Is to
be determined.
Gen. Taylor, though not a statesman by cda
cation. or experience, deeply imbued with
the conservative principles which are the very
philosophy of the American Constitution; and
understood and reyereuecd the doctrines Of those
who founded institutions aud framed our
laws. He expressed with admirable precision
aud clearness their Interpretation, aud his own,
of tie import and extent OF the veto power when
he said i, was "a high conservative power, but
should never be exercised except in cases Of cear
violation Of the constitution, or manifest haste
and want Of consideration by Congress" Tho
personal opinions of the ndiyidunl who may Imp
pen to occupy the Executive chair" he said, and
said truly, Ought not to control the action OF
Congress upon questions Of dome-tic policy nor
ought his objections to be intorposed whore ques.
tons of constitutional power have been settled
by tho various departments of government, and
acquirseed in by the people
The wing address of 1910 is an argument to
show that the chief danger 10 liberties must
arise from a congestion of power in the Esceu-
tive aad record, its conviction. TINT "unless
change be made, the government must soon de
generate into an elective monarchy" 1t more
oyer expresses the opinion. that when the people
and the States OF this Union shall be induced to
place their reliance on the veto Of the President
instead Of the wisdom and virtue Of their own
representatives, the subyer-ion Of the Federal
Republic will have been accomplished. and one
general monarchy established On its ruins
Gen Harrison, that pure and single minded
patriot, whose infancy Wa uurtufed amid the
men who built up Il fabric of cur government,
aud who Inherited from his revolutionary sire u
dread and detestation ofal ngly prerogative aud
pretension and declared that the viii of the people
expressed through their X not the
will OF man, should govern in ali cases touch
ing the general welfare, that the President should
not interpose the veto power between the wishes
of the people and the Legitimate objects of their
desires, except to preserve the sacred character
of our liberties from manifest violation And
SO guarded was he Of the rights of the Rcprc-ca-
tatiye branch that he held 1t improper tor the
Pre- sident to express his opinion, mu'h more to
make known his determination to exercise the
V eto power, in regard 10 measures coming ex-
clusiuey within the province assigned by the
constitution to Congress, until those measures
$ bould have been duly considered aud perfected
by the Legislative department Of the Govern
ment, and presented to him, in the manner pre-
soribed by the constitution. fnr his approval
In the days of Jack SON. Van Buren, and "
Ter, frequent and monstrous were the resorts
to this monarchcal power, that Nh Clay, giving
utterance TO what had become the sentiment of
u cry large proportion of the American people
a vowed his conviction that Ii Congress passes
u bill, after discussion and consideration, and
after weighing the objections Of the President,
still believes it ought to pass, il should become
law, provided a majority Of all the members Of
each House concur in it''-aud he wa. DESTROYS
of having the constitution sc filtered u to cary
ont this view.
These extracts establish, as basis principle
of the Wing party, distrust Of the Executive De
partment of the goyernment.aud fear Of fatal en-
gorgemept OF power il that branch 1t Is that prn-
ciple winch dstinguishe- the wing party from the
monarehism federalism aud l5cofpeoism. Its the
affirmation of the right of the people 10 establish,
through their representatives, such measures as
acknowledgements approve, without being indebtedor
thwarted by the opinion Of the President a. TO
the expedieney and propriety Of the measures
We adduce the opinion Of these good and wise men
IS preliminary to what we have to say further of
the late exercise of the veto power by the present
second time THAI he has ;lterpos-
ed to defeat the viii of Congress in a matter of
merely. Our pace does not admit
of the appearance in The Nirginiun Of the entire
message, but we slre oil ofit upon which it is our
intention at present to comment. The remain
der is pettifogyiug discussion, which we have
heietoioie cohsioef'u' oil the justice oil The de.
mands made by the claimants, for whose relief
the bill was designed to provide. The following
are the passages to which we propose limiting
our comments:
In the organization Of the government Of the
United States, the Legislative and executive func.
tons were separated, and placed in distinct
hands. Although the presidcat Is required
from time to time 10 recommend to the consid
Grafton of IOnprp4.a supb
judge necessary and c1prdicut. his participation
in the formal busnesc of Iegi,lnlnn Is liLnltnd IN