The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1878-01-23

/
temper their expectations with reference to
the foregone certainty OF an Executive veto.
The Bland bill was carried through the
House by parliamentary trick which ex-
cluded debate with majority so triumph
ant rs apparently to make the Presidents
negative of no consequence. But time
enough having elapsed for deliberate re-
Election it is found that that Fictitious ma
jority will not be maintained The
gag of the previous question cannot
be second time applied. According to-
the constitution the bill must be returned
with the Presidents objections to the House
in which it originated. The vote on repass-
ing it will not be taken until after full
and searching debate, and the chances
already preponderate against its receiving
two-thirds majority on the final vote
Meanwhile the debate in the Senate is pro-
tracted, with an increasing probability that
the bill will pass that body by less than
two-thirds. II it falls short on the first trial
it will never get two-thirds afterward, and
it is no wonder that its friends are anxious
and nervous as the vote in the Senate draws
near
Within the last two days it has become
evident that the confidence of the silver
men is shaken. Their threat to tack the sill
yer scheme to the general Appropriation
bill proves that they have no real expecta-
ton of passing it over the Presidents
veto. This threat implies what is called
in military language change OF
base. They are beginning to operate on
the expectation of mere majority
and not q majority of two-thirds.
With an assured two-thirds of both
houses they would think of no other method
than simple passage of the bill a second
time over the veto. But the desperate plan
they are now forming is method of oper-
ating by a simple majority. 1t does not
require two-thirds vote Of both houses,
but only bare majority of one house, to
defeat all the appropriations and block the
wheels of the government. The silver men,
lunatics though they are, are not such set
of Catilines as to execute such threat. It
is mere bravado to intimidate the President,
and, SO far as it may influence him ut all, it
will strengthen his determination toprotect
and defend the public credit
Nobody needs to be told that the power
Of Congress over the supplies was not given
for any such purpose as that of annulling
the constitutional veto Of the President.
The constitution declares that vetoed bill
shall not become a law unless repassed by
two-thirds of both houses. What the silver
men are threatening is to nullify this part
of the constitution. They aim to overcome
q veto by method which the constitution
does not sanction. The power over the
supplies which was given as a safeguard
against Executive usurpation is held up as
menace to terrify the President to
relinquish a plain constitutional right
and forbear the performance Of a
constitutional duty. Withholding the
supplies is q remedy which can properly be
resorted to only against usurpation or I'M
constitutional acts, but these men propose
to use it to nullify leading provision of
the constitution. That they can command
a majority of either House for SO insane
o purpose we do not believe. If they can
repass the Silver bill over the Presidents
veto in the regular way it is their constitu-
tional right to do SO, however mistaken and
mschievous their policy; but there is no
other constitutional way of frustrating
veto.
As we have said, we believe this desper-
ate threat to be mere bullying and bravado.
The craziest silver lunatic Of them all will
think twice before voting to withhold the
supplies if the matter should come to that
pass In the first place members could not
stop the supplies without giving up their
own salaries and mileage, and we need enter
tain no fears that they will carry their folly
to so disinterested length. If, like the
members of the British Parliament, they
served without compensation this effective
check would be wanting There are other
things in the appropriation bills which
come pretty closely home to the members.
In every Western district there are large
numbers of people whose names are on the
pension list, and no Western member would
dare to face his constituents and ask for a
reelection after having assisted to stop the
pensions. This motive would not, indeed,
operate on the silver men of the South but
it would be effectual elsewhere. What
would the silver men gain by stopping the
supplies if this wild threat were serious
and they had power to execute it To
defeat the appropriation bills would not
remonetize silver, and from their own point
Of view the country would have to suffer
two great evils instead Of one. The threat
is Of no consequence except as sign of
sinking hopes, but in this view it is encour-
aging to the friends of honest money.
Another sign of quailing is the proposal Of
Senator Cameron, of Pennsylvania, to make
the legal tender for debts consist Of equal
amounts of silver and gold coin. Prepos-
Inlf L. 81 A.. L.