The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1879-06-06
VETO MESSAGE No. 3.

The following is President Have
message vetoing the Legislative Apr
priation bill. 1t will be found instruc
i've reading:
TO the House Of Representatives.
After mature consideration of the hi
entitled "An act making appropriation
for the Legislative, Executive and .Jl
dicial expenses of the Government fl
the fiscal year ending June 80, 1881
and for other purposes" herewith T.,
turn it TO the House of Representative
in which il originated, with the follow
ing objections TO its approval:
The main purpose of the bill is to al
propriaic the money required TO sur
port, during the next fiscal year, iii
several civil departments OF the Gov
ernncnt. The amount appropriate,
exceeds, in the aggregate, 1S,000,000 o
dollars. This money is needed to kcel
in operation the essential functions O
all the great departments of the Gov
ernment = Legislative, Executive an,
Judicial. If the bill contained no othe
provisions, no objection to its approva
would be made. IL embraces, howev
er, number of clauses relating TO sub
jects of great general interest, whicl
are wholly unconnected with the ap.
preparations which il provides for. The
objections to the practice of lacking
general legislation TO appropriation
bills, especially when the object is TO
deprive n coordinate branch of the
Government of its right TO the free ex-
crcise of its own discretion and iudy-
mcnt touching such general legislation,
were set forth in the special message in
relation TO the House bill No. |, which
was returned to the House ofRcpresen-
tatives on the 20th of last month. / re-
grct that the objections which were then
expressed TO this method of legislation
have not seemed TO Congress of sufi-
cient weight TO dissuade from this re-
ncwcd incorporation of general enact
ments in an appropriation bill, and that
my constitutional duty in respect TO the
general legislation thus placed before
me cannot be discharged without SEEM
ing to delay. however briefly, the nee
essary appropriations by Congress for
the support of the Government. With
ont repeating these objections respect
fully refer TO that message for Il state
ment of my views on the PRINCIPLES
maintained in debate by the advocates
of the bill, viz, that "to withhold ap-
is constitutional means
for the redress" of what the majority of
tlfe House of Representatives may re-
gard as "gricvancc."
THE OBJECTIONABLE FEATURES RE
VIEWED.
The bill contains the following clans |
es, viz: "And, provided further, that |
the following sections of the Revised |
of the United States, namely: |
Sections 2O1G, 2OlS and 2O2O and all of |
Inc succeeding sections of said statutes. |
lown to and including section 2O27, and !
also section 5522, be, and the same are
hereby repealed; and, that all the other
sections of the Revised Statutes and all |
avs and parts of laws authorizing the
of chief supervisors of
elections, special deputy marshals of
elections, or general deputy marshals,
laving any duties to perform in respect
o any election, and prescribing their
luties and powers, and allowing them
be and the same are
hereby repealed"
1t also contains clauses amending Sec
ions 20l7, 00l9, POPS and 2O3l of the
revised Statutes. The sections of the
Revised Statutes which the bill, if ap-
proved, would repeal or amend are part
If an act approved May 80, 1870, and
lmended February %, 1871, entitled
IAN act to enforce the rights of citizens
If the United States to vote in the sew
,ral States of this Union and for other
All Of the provisions of the above
named acts, which it is proposed in this
,ill to repeal or modify, relate TO the
elections. The remain
ng portions of the law, which will con-
inue in force after the enactment of
hat measure, is that which provides for
he appointment by Judge of the Cir
,uit Court of the United States of two
of elections in each election
district, at any Congressional election,
IN due application of citizens who de-
'ire, in the language of the law, "to
nave such election guarded and scruti-
lized." The duties of the supervisors
will be to attend at the polls at all
elections, and to remain
lfter the polls are open until every vote
;ast has been counted, but they will
nave no authority to make arrests or to
perform other duties than TO be i'm the |
presence of the officers hold
ng the election and to witness all their
including the counting of
he votes and the making of q return |
hereof" The part of the election law
which will be repealed by the approval |
Of this bill includes those sections which |
give authority to the supervisors OF |
alaafinnG IN nnnannallxr
count and canvass each ballot, and all |
the sections which confer authority up
Oh the U. S. marshals and deputy mar
shals in connection with the Congress
sional elections. The enactment of this |
bill will also repeal section 5522 of the
Criminal Statutes of the United States,
which was enacted for the protection of
United States officers engaged in the |
discharge of their duties at the Congress
sional elections. This section protects
and marshals in the per-
Iormance OF these duties by making the
obstruction or assaulting OF these ofli- |
GERS, or any interference with them by |
bribery or solicitation or otherwise, |
crimes against the United States. The
ruo meaning and effect of the proposed |
legislation are plain. The supervisors,
with authority to observe and witness
the proceedings at the Congressional
elections, will be left, but there will be
no power to protect them, or TO prevent |
or to punish any violation
of the law from which their powers are
derived.
ONLY A SHADOW OF AUTHORITY.
If this bill is approved, only the shad-
ow of authority of the United States at
The national elections will remain; the
substance will be gone. The supervis-
ion of the elections will be reduced to
a mere inspection, without authority,
on the part of the supervisors, to do
any act whatever TO make the election
Il fair one. All that will be left TO the
supervisors is the permission TO have
such oversight of the elections as politi-
cal Dariips are in tha habit Of axarcis-