The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1879-05-08
THE VETO.

| THE VETO.
The great length of the Message OF
Mr.. Hayes yetoing the Army Appro-
priation Bill precludes our publishing
it entire, but we give the following
summary which will furnish the read
er very clear idea of the Presidents
reasons and arguments for vetofng the
measure:
In the first place the President says
there is no objection to the Appre-
priation Bill itself, and no objection
would be offered if extraneous matter
had not been attached.
Second, in the sixth section, repeal
lug the law allowing troops to keep
the peace at the polls, is already the
law of the land-that is, troops are
prevented from going to the polls by
what is called the posse consitatus law,
passed by the last Congress. Since
the passage of that law no troops have
been allowed near the polls at any
election, and will not be as long as
the present Executive occupies his Of
| fee or the law remains on the statute
books. There is no disposition on bis
part to violate this law or to allow it's
violation. Therefore, with that law
in force and undisputed, it is unnec.
essary to pass another containing yir-
tually the same provisions, and still
less excuse for attaching it 10 an APP
preparation bill.
The President goes on to show that
when The posse cOmitatMs law was
passed its friends claimed which claim
was admitted by its Opponents) that
it settled the question of troops at the
polls, and since then the law has been
vigorously oheyed, and would con-
tinue to be. There is therefore no
need of further legislation on this SUBJ
ject. Tf --.-i .' 1al''-'sIri' s.- -
The President next-considers the
clause which prevents civil officers Of
the Government from quelliug riots
or minor disturbances at the polls.
Because an election happens to be in
progress, the President thinks it is no
reason why rioters should be allowed
unchecked sway over the lives and
property of citizens. From this prop
osition he thoroughly dissents, and
contends that we must use the civil
power of the Government to protect
elections. ,.s.. ,,..-.,
He next considers and objects to the
bad practice of attaching extraneous
matter to appropriation bills. He ex-
amines historical precedents at length
and shows that for the first forty years
of the history Of the Government the
practice of attaching extraneous legis.
lation to appropriation bills was un.
known. II, continues the President,
is a bad practice, acknowledged to be
so by the best minds of all parties, at
one time or another, and should be
stopped, and, in the opinion of the
Executive, this is a good place to
stop.
He next considers the election laws
and passes his judgment upon them
in connection with the civil authority
to keep the peace. He thinks them
wholesome and just, and promoting
the purity of the ballot, and that they
should remain on the statute books.
These laws should neither be repeal.
ed nor should the power to enforce
them be taken away, or the power to
protect the ballot-box from rioters.
He then considers the question as q
contriyance to coerce the Executive,
and enters his protest against this
method of coercion. He thinks that
it destroys the harmony of our Gov
ernment for one branch to coerce an.
other branch in this manner. 1t vir-
tually strikes out aud nullifies the ve-
to power given by the Constitution if
allowed to be carried out. m
He next considers the points Of
business involved, The money in the
Treasury was placed there by tax
payers tor purpose. That purpose
was to support the Government, and
no department of the Government hae
right to step in and divert it from
the uses for which it was paid in z
He shows that in twenty-five States
of the Union this method Of attaching
legislation to appropriation bills is
prohibited in their Constitutions.
He closes by urging that we return
to the early practice of the; Govern.
ment, which, for forty years, got along
certainly as well as since, and with no
attempt in that time to coerce the Ex-
ecutlve by attaching extraneOus legis-
laiion to an appropriation bill.
~ z