The Hickman courier. [volume] (Hickman, Ky.) 1859-current, 1879-05-09
vol. XIV. NO. 81.
Ti,e veto sskssaga.


there Is 20 objection to The Appropria
tion Bill itself, and 20 objection would
have been offered if exsraneous matter
had not been attached.
| Second. the sixth section. repeating
The law allowing troops to keep the
peace- at the polls. is already The law
Of tho land--that is troops are prevent
ed from going TO the polls what-is is call
cd the posse co,aitafns law, passed by
the last Congress. Since the passage
of that law no troops haze been allow
ed near the polls at anyz lection, and
will not be as long as thHpresant Ex-
eou,iye occupies his off ~ or the Law
remains on The ststute books. There
IS no disposition on bis part 10 violate
this iaw or TO allow is ISOLATION.
Therefore. with that 1nwS inforce and,
uudisputed, it is upnecessar tds,aask
another containing yirtuass. .sshe ~snee
provisions, aud still less excuse Cor,
attaching it to an appropriation biil'sss. 4
The President goes 81 % show tla1
when tue posse coaifut - 8 vas rsSss
IeI ifs trfcT. ;ss2e,s.s;saed -. rea cfai1 zsss
admitted by its opponenfs) that itZsetv
tied the question OF the troops al. the
polls, and since then tho law has been
vigorously obeyed. and would continue
to be There is, therefore, no need Of
further legislation on this subject.
The President next considers the
clause which prevents civil cfficcrs Of
the Government from qnelling riots or
minor disturbances at The polls BE
cause an election happens TO be in
progress, The President thinks it DO
reason why rioters should be allowed
unchecked sway over The lives and
property Of citizens From this prop
osition he thoroughly dissents. aud
contends that VIC must use the civil
power Of the Government to protect
elections
He next considers and objects 10 ihc
bad practice Of attachiDg extrancou=
matter TO appropriation bills. He ex
amines historical precedents at length,
aud shows that for the first forty years
of the history Of the Government the
practice Of attaching extraueous leGis-
iaiion to appropriation bills was un
known. Il, continues the President,
IS a bad practice, acknowledged to be
% by the best minds Of all parties, at
one time or another, and should be
stopped, and, 10 the opinion Of fho
Executive, this Is good place to stop
He next considers the election laws
aad passes his Judgment upon them il
cor necti3n with The civil authority to
keep the peace, Hc thinks them whole
some and just, aud promoting the puri
" Of the ballot. aud that they should
remain on the statute books These
laws should neither be repealed NOT
should the power 10 enforce them be
taken away, or the power to proteei
lbe ballot box from rioters
He then considers the question as 8
contrivance to coerce the Executive
aud cutcrs his protes, against the
method Of coercion lie thinks thai
/; destroys the harmony Of our Gov
ernmeGt ter ono branch to cocrce au-
other branch in this manner It vir
( tUaliy strikes out ard nulIifes the veto
power given by the Constitution i!
allowed to be carried out
lie next considers the points Of bust
ness involved Ths money in the
Treasury was placed there By tax pay
ers for a purpose. That purpose was
to support the Government. and no
department os the Government has a
right to step in and divert it from the
uses for whIch it was paid in.
He shows that in twenty-five States
Of The Union this method OF attaching
Legislation to appropriation bills L.
prohibited in their Constitutions.
lie closes by urging that we return
to the early practice Of the Govern
moDt, which for forty years got along
certainly as we'll a. siace, aud with no
attempt 10 tina; time to eoeree the Ex'
ecuiiye by attaching cxtraneous legis-
laiiou to an appropriation bill.