The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-02-16
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1870.
THE WAR BET WEBN THE coy
ERNOR AND THE LEGLSLATURE.


THE war which has broken out at Harrisburg
between his Excellency Major-General John
w. Geary, Governor of Pennsylvania, on the
one hand, and the immaculate members of
the Senate and House of Representatives on
the other, is raging fast and furious. The
hero of Lookout Mountain drew the first
blood when, in his annual message, he sex-
posed the mismanagement of the finances of
the State, and invited the attention of the
people to the manner in which their funds
had been manipulated for the benefit of
Treasurers and their legislative friends. The
legislators in return, refused to order that
the usual number of copies of the message
should be printed; and, not satisfied with
inficting this blow upon the Governors
vanity, they hurled another missile at
his pocket when they refused to in
crease his salary. They then pro-
ceeded to pass the metropolitan Police
bill, taking especial care that he should not
be allowed to name any of the commissioners
Gas had been proposed in bill offered at the
last SESSION., and arrogating to themselves the
right to endow their especial favorites with
nearly regal powers in this city. They seem
to have confidently relied upon the force of
party pressure to secure his signature to this
bill 1t had received the unanimous support
of the Republican Senators and members
with but single exception), against the
combined opposition of the Democrats pre-
sent and voting and as it would, with all its
dement's, have resulted in the substitution of
Republican for Democratic policemen in
Philadelphia, the Legislature did not con-
slider it possible that the Governor would dare
TO veto it. But Geary was too indignant to
stop to consider consequences. Almost for
the first time in the history of the State he
directly antagonized the unanimous wish of
his party with one exception) as expressed
in the Legislature, thus severing completely
the last shreds of partisan ties, and as the
Democrats possessed sufficient strength to
prevent the veto Of the Police bill from being
overruled, his Excellency won sweet revenge
for the refusal to print his message and to
increase his salary. The next movement in
the war was the passage of an act providing
that the Supreme Court shall be empowered
to review both the law and the evidence in
all cases of murder in the first degree which
was specially designed to give to DR.. Paul
Schoeppe another chance for his life. This
act was vetoed by the Governor; but yester-
day, when the veto was returned to the Legis-
lature, it was overruled by a vote of 90 to in
the Senate and of 62 to 80 in the House. On
this question majority of more than two
thirds was organized against the Governor,
and if this vote is to be taken as an indica-
ton of future proceedings, his vetoes will
probably be overruled frequently hereafter on
questions which are not of a strictly partisan
character. No Republican legislator is dis
posed to sustain him on account of the
fact that he was elected by the Re-
publican party, and the Democrats, although
thankful for his veto of the Police bill, IRE
not yet prepared to yield him direct partisan
support. He has no party left in the Legis-
lature, and he can therefore we'll afford to be
Independent of the praise or blame of his
legislative enemies. The natural result of
this state of things will be profuse use of the
veto power. This is his principal weapon,
and he should initiate the porcupine in
plunging it freely into the faces of his
foes. The legislators, as general
rule, do those things which should not be
done, and leave undone the things which
should be done, and it would be fortunate for
the State if nine-tenths of their bills were
never permitted to become laws. Except in
extraordinary cases the Governor can scarcely
go wrong in vetoing any measure that re-
oeives their sanction, and even if he is over
ruled occasionally, he will at least render
good service by clogging up temporarily the
machinery that is perpetually grinding out
the grists of schemers and spectators, under
the hope that the millers are to receive their
accustomed tolls.
HlIIE RTDT " IN pIrDI 10 ununnTo @