The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1879-06-05
The Presidents Veto OF the Legisla-
tive Appropriation Bill.

Il W
message from the president was delivere
TO the house of representatives this afte
noon:
| To tho house of Representatives:
| Sirs-After mature consideration Of th
bill entitled IAN act making approprit
tions for the legislative, executive ana j.
dicial expenses of the government for til
fiscal year ending June Both, 1880; and fo
other purposes" l herewith return it I
the house of representatives IN which j
originated, with the following objection
to its approval:
The main purpose of the bill is to ar
propriate money required TO support dul
| ing the next fiscal year the several civi
departments Of the government Tn
amount appropriated exceeds in the az
gregate $1S,000,OOO. This money
needed to keep in operation the essentla
| functions of all the great departments o
the government, Legislative, executive ant
judicial. If the bill contained no othe
provisions no objection to its approva
would be made. 1t embraces, however,
number of clauses relating to subjects O
great general interest which are who'll,
unconnected with the appropriation
which it provides for. Objections to tn,
practice Of tacking general legislation t.
appropriation bills, especially when thu
object is TO deprive coordinate brancf
of the government of its rights to the free
exercise of its own discretion and judg
ment with regard to such general legisla
tion, were set forth in the special message
in relation To house bill No 1, which was
returned TO the house ofrepresentatives on
the 18th of last month. l regret that the
objections which were then expressed to
this method of legislation have moi
seemed to congress of sufficient weight tC
dissuade them from this renewed incor
poratlon of general enactments in an ap
preparation bill, and that my constitu.
tional duty in respect to the general leg.
islatiOn thus placed before me cannot he
discharged without seeming to delay,
however briefly, the necessary appropria.
tions by congress for the support of the
government. Without repeating those
objections l respectfully refer to that mes
sage for statement of my views ON the
principle maintained in the debate by the
advocates of the bill, viz: that to with
hold appropriations is q constitutional
means for the redress of what the majority
of the house of representatives may re-
gard as n grievance" The bill contains
the following clauses, viz:
And, provided further, that the follow
ing sections OF the revised statutes of the
United States, viz: sections 2Ol6, 2,O1S
and 1000, and all succeeding sections of
said statutes down to and including sec
tion 2,027 and also 5.522 of the same are
hereby repealed . : and that all the
other sections of the revised statutes and
all the laws and parts of laws authorizing
the appointment of chief supervisors of
elections, special deputy marshals of cleo
tons or general deputy marshals having
any duties 10 perform in respect to any
and prescribing their duties and
powers and allowing them com ,jensation,
be and the same are hereby repealed"
Ii also contains clauses amending sec
tions 2.017, 2,019, 2,02S and 2,0S1 OF the re-
vised statutes.
The sections of the revised statutes
which the bill, if approved, would repeal
or amend are part OF an act approved May
20, 1870, and amended Feb. 2S. 1878, en-.
titled An act to enforce the rights of citi-
zens OF the United States to vote IN the
several states of this union and for other
All of the provisions of the above named
acts, which il is proposed in this bill to
repeal or modify, relate to congressional
elections. The remaining portion of the
law which will continue in force after
the appointment by judge
OF the circuit court of the United States of
two supervisors of election in each cleo
tion district at any congressional election
on due application of citizens, who desire,
III the language of the law, 'to have such
guarded and scrutiniZcd' The duty
of the supervisors will be To attend at the
polls at all congressional elections, and TO
remain after the polls are open until every
vote cast has been counted, but they will
have no authority TO make arrests or to
perform other duties than To be in the i'm
mediate presence of the officers holding
the election and TO witness all their pro-
ceedings. including the counting of votes,
and making a return thereof.
The part of the election law which will
be repealed by the approval of this bill
includes those sections which give au-
thority TO supervisors of election to per-
sonally scrutiniZe the count and canvass
each ballot, and all the secti )ns which
confer authority upon United States
in connection with congressional
elections.
The enactment of this bill will also re-
peal section J,522 of the criminal statutes
of the United States, which was enacted
for the protection of United States off,
GERS engaged in the discharge of their
duties at congressional elections. This
section protects supervisors and marshals
in the performance of their duties by max
ing the obstruction or assauItipg OF these
officers or any interference with them by
bribery or solicitation or otherwise, crimes
against the United States.
The true meaning and effect of the pro-
posed legislation are plain. Supervisors
with authority TO observe and witness pro-
ceedlngs At congressional elections will
be left, but there will be no power 10 pro-
fac than, ,,r tn nrpvppt with
their duties, or to punish any violation of
the law from which their powers are dc
rived. Ii this bill is approved only the
shadow of the authority of the United
States at national elections will remain !;
the substance will be gone. Supervision
of elections will be reduced 10 mere in
spection without authority on the part of
the supervisors To do any act whatever TO
make the election fair one. All that will
be left to the supervisors is permission to
have such oversight of elections as poli,i-
cal parties are in the habit of exercising
without any authority of law in order to
prevent their opponents from obtaining
unfair advantage. The object of the bill
is to destroy any control whatever by the
United States over congressional cleo
tons.
The passage of this bill has been urged
upon the ground that the election of men,
bers of congress is a matter which con.
Germs the states slone; that these elections
should be controlled exclusively by the
states; that there are and can DC no such
elections as national elections and that this
existing law Of the United States regula-
ting congressional elections is without war
rant in the constitution. Ii Is evident,
however, that the trainers of the con-
stitution regarded the election of
members ofcongress in every state and in
every district as very important mat
ter of political interest and concern To the
whole country. The original provision of
the constitution on this subject is as fol-
lows:
Section 1, article 1.-The time. places
and manner of holding elections for sen
ators and representatives shall be pre-
scribed in each state by the legislature
thereof, but congress may AT any time, by
law, make or alter such regulations, en-