The Trinity times., 1855-06-23
The Vetees Vetoed.
4 Rerlep # the t'eto Messages Of ls5

| an NuufeSs 10 tle pe"p'c VI ING
on the approaching Gubernatorial election.
Including a Review Of the Veto Messages
of 1888. BY Brutus.'
We extract that portion of it which refers
to the exercise Of the Veto power, so freely
used by the Executive of our State, during
the recent session of the Legislature. The
arguments are furcble, and are worthy the
careful consideration Of those who have been
inclined to admire "the manlinsSs and ade
pendslce Of Honest John Bigier," as exhibit
ed by his course during the past winter.
Tho cry is raised that he Gov. Bigler) }
has been render Il popular by his retoes.
! lie has defeated hu tren tunes at one session
of the Legislature the will Of the representa-
tivts Of the people, and hence, it is said, this
new born love for him
Now, let ia examine little into these ma
gira vetoes, and see what credit he is Justly
entitled to forthems
III The first place, it is not strange that this
sudden fit Of vetong should have seized hun
just at the latter end OF an administration OF
| four years Why did he not commence h is
policy earlier, if it is acceptable 10 the
people Why did he not stop some Of the
| extravagancies of former years, which were
much greater than those Of the las session ?
Such conduct shows n man governed entirely
by his impulses, hes passions and prcjudces
the freaks of the moment rather than by
cool Judgment and honest purpose.
In the second Plac", how does it happen
! that he never commenced the use Of this one
| man power until at Il session composed of
men who were not his partizans who did
not belong to his 'yias, and could not be made
tools OF
1t is true he did ue'O one blR at the session
| Cf lS5I-at the latter end OF the session, after
he found that the Legislature would not
, -lect his friend l}roderIck to the t. s.
Senate. Does any man believe that the De
licioncy Bill OF 1851 would have beer vetoed
ii Dave Broderck had been elected
In The hid ptoce, how does it happen that
not one SOLITARY bill was vetoed in which his
peculiar friends were Interested
These fdcts are worthy Of being noted in
considering the credI. due for exercising this
power, even although he may haye stumbl Z
on some correct vetoes
Our moral philosophy teachcs rs that II a
man do Il good act with bal motive, he is
no more entitled to the credit of it than would
the murderer who adnnistels h.a',ng me
d cine, concevng it to be - deadly poison,
be entitled to credit for curing the sick.
In tie t1urH place., the exercise OF this ex-
traordnary power thirteen times at one srs-
sion of the legislature is unpreced deulcd
and an cXtravagant aud tyranicaI abuse of a
saluaiy constitutional prerogatve, never in
tended to be used except or grea and trying
emergencies
The power has never been exercised by
any State Executive more than six times
during any one administration; aud the
greatest number of times that this power has
been exercised by any Executive Of the
Cnited States, has been ten times in The
course Of eight years. Here we have M'r-
teen retles at a single session Of the LegsIa-
ture!
But let us examine thcsc vetoes n little
mere closely ana see what is their character
I'e'o No. |, ,Janpa'y 30.
An act requiring the Controller to audit
certain bills OF the members and officers Of the
pre- sent LtgjSa,ure.o
This bh provides that the warrants Of the
members and officers, To the amount Of
5 200 each, shal be paid in cash. The rea-
ms given tor vetong it are;
lst. That ihcre is no money in thc troa-
sury, and that consro uenty it won ID weaken
the confidence Of the prbhc in the abuy Of
the STATE il these warrants shoud not be
paid.
~. That it would postpone other Gro l1tors
to the members and officers Of the Legsla-
tcrc.
The veto, However, states " Ticf If The
al7n(y was in Tie T,ca<ury /, tcould gioe hm
Pl.Gsurc n opD ORE t4e ill.,"
The second point made could not therefore
have been regarded as Of much importance,
aud must only have been mentioned tor Bun.
combe
As TO the first point, mt there mas no
m10ry in tie Inasurg. the Governor stated
to the Legislature IA his annual message at
the commencement Of the session, not one
month previous to this veto that there wa.
over iaf million of dollars IN the Treasul;,
AMI as there had been no cau.e COR paving II
out since that tune, II was the natural con
cusion that it was still there
At both the sessions Of 1872 and 1853. he
anDroved bills "f '.~.---.----l-- T. -
tpr without a murmur, and dt not teen
think OF the injury 1t would do the public
credit.
How ridiculous the idea that the credit Of
the state would suffer by not rcdremlnl
these lew thousands Of warrants, when It i,
notorious thal-but few Of all the warrants
that have ever been issued by the STATE have
been redeemed aud there is now outstanding
and was at the tiHe he made ihIs dcc,ala-
ton, some two millions oi State evidences Vt
/ debt unredce red
But what is the true secret Of the passage
Of this bi !, and OF It's veto II Is tdts The
! Legislature had every reason 70 believe there
we're moneys belonging 10 the State more
/ than sufiiclent to pay thriCe tie amount oi
these warrants. aud that these moneys, in
s,ead Of being r. the Treasury, were on de-
post with bankers and brokers, who were
using them as their own and for political
purposes they also knew that sh rily after
the assembling Of the Legislature, these
bankers and brokers had by combination
among themselves suddenly reduced the
price Of State Warrants from ten To twenty
per cent. tor the purpose of sorcua,lng on
the members and officers of the Legislature
They ;hus knew that these establishments