The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-05-08
THE THE AaEsiY BILL VETO.

Hayes has vetoed the Army Appropria-
tion bill, and thus laid down to the Dem
ocratic majority in Congress the gauntlet
for fight between the legislative and
the executive departments of the gov
ernment upon the very issues which
Congress has invited. The veto mes
sage has very little either of reason or
excuse in it, and is entirely inconsistent
with the position which President Hayes
occupied while member Of Congress.
During that time he is said to have voted
for the very laws which are now fought
to be repealed as riders to one of the
appropriation bills. 1t was, therefore,
all right to vote for the enactment of
these laws as part Of an appropriation
bill, but IL ia now despotic exercise Of
power to attempt to repeal them in the
same manner in which they were enact
ed. Then, it was for the interest of the
Republican party that the laws should
be passed, and now i; is for the interest
of the salne party that they should not
be repealed; and therefore Mr.. Hayes,
forgetful of his sacred responsibilities
under the high oath of his Office to faith
fully and impartially administer the
government, prefers to be consistent to
his views of party advantage rather than
to adhere to the principles which he has
sanctioned by his own votes on repeated
occasions. Mr.. Hayes admits that the
practice of engrafting general legislation
on appropriation bills is sanctioned by
repeated practice for sixty years, and
that it is not in conflict with the consti-
tuition. Then he practically admits that
Congress has the right to pass bills in
such form as it sees fit, and il so, then it
Is the Presidents duty to consider the
measures presented upon 'heir own
merits. If the laws are good, then they
should be approved, no matter in what
form they are passed, and the President
has no more right to object to the form
of the law which is constitutional and
advantageous TO the country than the
Governor of this State would have to
veto an act Of the Legislature because
the sections did not come in the order he
would have preferred. Mr.. Hayes does
not like the practice Of engrafting gene
raj legislation upon appropriation bills,
but 1t is not contrary to law nor to pre-
cedent, and his Excellency, by his veto
on this ground, rises to censure the exec
utives and the Legislatures for the pnst
sixty years, and ct the same time placea
his unqualified condemnation upon his
own political career in Congress.
Nor is his second ground Of veto any
more ably sustained. He admits that
already tho posse comitatus' clause of
an appropriation bill, which he himself
approved two years ago, prevents the use
of the army at the polls, ami hence O
mere repetition Of on existing Law is no
sufficient cause for vstoing an appropri-
stion bill. If the original Law is in
force, repeating It can do no possible
harm. What the President says about
protecting federal elections is all very
we'll, if the States are to be considered as
colonies, to be ruled and coerced into q
proper discharge Of their duty by the
administration but if this is free gov
ernment Of equal States, then the az
sumption that tie State laws will not
protecs State and federal elections alike,
is one step in the direction of monarchinl
power, for If the right to protect ~
federal elections is given to the admins
tration, the exercise of discretion na To
what is protection, and sCkere IL is ncces-
sayy, are coucomitauts of that power
which make il dangerous In the extreme.
If protection is necessary, then the law
has provided how the Gosernor OF the
Legislature OF any State may properly
obtain that protection. The law, as
framed 10 meet this end by the statesmen
Of America in the better days of the
Republic, when the interest of tho whole
country rose high above party advau-
tages, was wise and ample. It admitted
the integrity of the States, and did not
place them under the surveillance Of
the national executive, who is liable TO
oil of the bias end prejudice incident to
self-interest or party acrimony. If j. is
admitted that the President is the auto
crat Of che Republic, with supreme
poger to coerce the States and compel
them to execute their laws az he eeeI
proper for them tn ba executed, then ar..
Hayes is right about the propriety of
the national eyeentiva having power ana
authority to protect ~ the right to vote
in federal elections. The preaent Laws,
however, wers passed as -er measures,
aud were never intended to sanction
such doctrine. Their nss was intend
ed for the Southern States as o penalty
for secession. and o guaranty of the en-
forcsment Of tho constitutional amend
ments. They have sincs been used
by designing and ambitious administra-
tions TO thwart the will of the people,
and under the piea of protection ~ to
overthrow free elections and control the
ballot-box. Any laws which tend to
OuHosiitrate power in the hands OF one
man, are destructive OF republican gov.
eminent, and Mr. Hayes veto is as weak
in its comments upon the expediency Of
thepropoaed legislation as it 10 presamp-
tuons and inconsissent on the other
sTa ,;..... - =.