Daily globe., 1879-04-30
4 -PITIFUL PLEA.

It is now settled. Mr.. Hayes has vetoed
the army appropriation bill, and thus
blocked the wheels of government. The
efectual in stifening his backbone suffi-
GENTLY to induce him to fly in the face of
Congress and the people, and declare that
the federal government shall obtain con-
troll of the elections and appoint officials
vested with extraordinary powers of arrest
to intimidate the voters. The reasons given
in the message for this conclusion are almost
too puerile for consideration. Certainly
they are beneath the dignity of person
occupying the chief Office in the country.
His first objection is that the political pro-
visions of the bill are extraneous legislation,
and this he has always been opposed to. He
thinks the practice of attaching extraneous
legislation to appropriation bills perni-
cious one, which ought to be stopped, and
therefore he calls halt. He seems to
have grown wonderfully conscientious,
for it is scarcely a year since he approved
the army appropriation bill with the posse
comltatus clause attached, while all his Re-
publican predecessors in Office have never
hesitated moment to afix their signature
to such measures. Mr.. Hayes appears to be
very like soZue men who, having stolen them
selves rich, become extremely conscientious
about little matters. He, having stolen the
Presidency, seeks to atone for the wrong
committed by endeavoring to reform the
little Irregularities that have crept into our
system OF government.
He next declares that the political pro-
visions are an attempt to coerce the execu-
tive. If the executive Office was filled by
the man chosen by the people, he would need
no coercion to approve any measure sc
manifestly just as this. The less Mr.. Hayes
stands upou the dignity of an Office he holds
by virtue of fraud, the higher he will stand
in the estimation of the people.
He reiterates the assertions of Blaine, ane
Garfield and Edmunds that the election law.
are necessary for the protection of the peopl,
in their rights, and to repeal them would b.
an act depriving the people of the protection
| to which they are entitled. He must know,
when he makes the assertion-he is person
of lower order of intelligence than We sup
posed him to be if he does not-that he i
stating what is not true. For more tha,
eighty years this government existed withou
these laws. They were the creation of par
tisan malignity, and have never been neces
sary to protect any person. Their only us
has been to deprive people of the right t
exercise the franchise with the freedom
guaranteed them by the constitution.
| Taken as a whole, Mr.. Hayes reason
for vetoing the bill are pitifully weak. The
appear more like the argument of petit
Jogging demagogue than the utterances of
statesman. 1t is to be regretted that IL
Democratic majority is not sufficiently lare
} to pass the bill over his veto, but under tt
circumstances the representatives of IL
people must do the best they can. If the
should refuse to take any further action, b,
, leave the responsibility for the stoppage
supplies upon Mr.. Hayes, they would be b
serving him right. If they pursue any 9th
: course it will be simply out of considerable
Q for those who will be injuriously affected
the loss of their compensation.