Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1879-04-10
AGOOD MOVE.

Harpers Weekly.
The issue which Senator Beck has in
voIed between the President and Con-
gress shows that il is high time to provide /
that the President may approve appropri- |
alton bills by sections, returning those
that he disapproves, and we are glad to
note that Senator M'Millan has proposed
an amendment for that purpose. The al
tentative which is offered to the Presi-
dent by the most important Sriders'
placed upon such bills is to approve meas
ures that he disapproves in order to Sc
cure the necessary appropriations for car
rying on the government. One of the
| wisest changes in this State, and change
universally applauded, was that which
enabled the Governor to discriminate in
such bills, and released him from the CO.
ercion of all or none. The abuse, OF
which we are likely to see forcible IL
lustration in Washington, is unworthy OF
an intelligent legislature, and the sole
reason for the practice never existed IN
this country. 1t is for the public adVan-
tage, from every point of view, that the
Executive should have the power to baf-
fie botl. legislative log-rolling and eoer-
cion.
The people suffer from everything
which tends to submit the Executive au-
thority to Congressional control. The
project for electing the President by Con-
; gress was opposed and defeated because
of its necessary tendency to make him
the mere tool of his electors. The same
reason is conclusive for change in the
system which forces him to surrender to
? Congress his constitutional authority un'
der threat of stopping the government
t Jealousy of the President, as part of the
o legislature, is ridiculous. The veto, in
deed, enables him to hold the mere ma
# jority of Congress in check. but this is
r provision which is approved by expert
70 ence, and which is adopted in every sa
a gacious constitution. The veto power
l. vested under proper conditions in an Ex
ecutive popularity elected, is constan
Or witness of that popular selfzEestrair
d. which is the consumate test of the pra'
ticability of popular government. 1t ma!
IN indeed occasion mischief when the Pre-
is ident is unworthy his place, and whe
IN his opponents have not majority of tW'
II. thirds in Congress. But even then
II, merely works delay, and the temporal
m disadvantage is nothing when compare
pc with the great benefit of the power.
"a The attempt to force an importal
m measure as a rider upon an appropriate
W bill is confession that it could not col
on stitutionally become law upon its ov
W merits. To defend it, as Mr., Fhurmi
TOO did, as continuation of the great stru
gle of English liberty, is to convict t
defender Of ignorance or demagoguel
led o.. ,.,,,,.o,,,.;,+;,,, 90 ,,<,+ o.ror1+e
ire a monarch to do what he will with; tn
no are supplies voted by the people throu
I'm their representatives in constitution
oi' way to carry Oh their own goVernme
under law. The people have vested
Olo their representative President their ov
oh' authority to act for them even agail
ng +boir o+t,o, ronroeantatiras In Conore
gu unless there shall be specified major
insisting; and in order TO keep this vest
ty authority intact, Congress should be p
'ne hibited from infringing it by making
|" Executive consent to certain measu
er- the condition of passing others. No
prOvement of this kind, however, is to
al anticipated from Congress which
80 gins its career by stretching this abuse
80 the utmost. But the subject is one VIII
appeals to the common sense of the co
try, and discussion can end only in a p
lie opinion which would imperatively
manCl the change.