Union County courier. [volume] (Elk Point, Union County, D.T. [S.D.]) 187?-1913, 1879-06-11
VETOED.
The President Sends Another Docu.
ment to the House
Giving His Reasons for Withholding Ills
Approval
From the Legislative, Executive and Judicial
Appropriation Bills

from the Legislative, Executive ana Judlcia
Appropriation Bills
WASHINGTON, May 29.-The follow
ing message of the president was deliv
cred to the house of representatives
to-day:
Message to the House Of Representatives
SIRs: After mature consideration of thu
for the legislative, executive and judicial
expenses of the government for the tiscal
year ending June 30th, 1880, and for other
purposes" herewith return it to the house
of representatives in which it originated
with the following objections to its sp
prevail
The main purpose of the bill is to appro.
pirate money to support, during the next
fiscal year, the several civil departments oil
the government The amount appropriated
exceeds in the aggregate $l8,000, 900. This
money is needed to keep in operation the
essential functions of all the great depart.
tive and judicial. II the bill contained no
other provisions, no objection to its ap.
proval would be made. 1t embraces,
aowever, number of clauses re.
listing to subjects of great general in.
teIest, which are wholly uncOnnected with
the appropriation which it provides for.
Objections to the practice of tacking general
legislation to appropriation bills, especially
when the object is to deprivea a coordinate
branch oil the government of its right to the
free exercise of its own discretion and judg.
ment touching such general legislation, were
set forth in the special message in relation
l. vAx, g.
the house of rel resentatives on the 29th Of
last month. | regret that the objections
which were then e. dressed to this method
of legislation have Il ut seemed to congress
of sufficient weight to dissuade it from this
renewed incorporation of general enact
ments in an appropriatics, bill, and that my
constitutional duty in resIect to the general
legislation thus placed befG~e me cannot be
discharged without seeming to delay, how.
ever briefly, the necessary appropriations by
congress for the support OF the government.
Without repeating these objections, / re.
spectfully refer to that message
for statement OF my yie~s on
by the advocates of this bill, viz, that to
withhold appropriations is a constitutional
means for the redress of what the majority
of the house of representatives may regarG
as grievance.
The bill contains the following clauses,
viz "And provided further that the follow
ing sections of the revised statutes of the
United States namely, Sections 2,Ol6-2, ,O18
and 2,O20 and all of the succeeding sections
of said statutes down to and including Sec
ton 2,O27 and also Section 5,522 be and tn 3
same are hereby repealed. and
that all the other sections of the revised
statutes and all laws and parts
of laws authorizing the appointment
of chief supervisors of elections,
special deputy marshals of elections, or gen.
eral deputy marshals having any duties to
perform in respect to any election, and pre-
scribing their duties and powers and allow.
ing them compensation, be ard the same
are hereby repealed"
1t also contains clauses amending SEQ
tions 2,0l7, 2,0l9, 2,02S and 2,03l Of the re.
vised statutes. The section of the revised
stuatues which the bill, If approved, would
repeal or amend is an act approved May 80,
1870, and amended February 2sth, 1871, en-.
titled an act to enforce the rights of citizens
of the United States to vote, in the several
states of this Union, and for other purposes.
All of the provisions of the above named
acts, which it is proposed in this bill to re.
peal or modify, relate to congressional
elections. The remaining portion OF the
law which will continue in fierce after the
enactment of this measure is that which
provides for the appointment by Judge OF
Circuit Court of the United States OF two
supervisors of elections in each election dis
trict, at any congressional election, on due
application of citizens who desire, in the
language of the law, "to have such:election
guarded aud scrutinized." The duties of
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 immediate
presence of the officers holding the election
and to witness all their proceedings in.
cluding 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 in
cludes these sections, which give authority
to the supervisors of election "To person
ally scrutinixe the count and canvass each
ballot" and all the sections which confer
authority upon United States marshals and
deputy marshals in connection with
congressional elections. The enactment o1
this bill will also repeal section
5,522 of the criminal statutes of the United
States which WAS enacted for the protection
OF United States officers engaged in the dis
charge of their duties at congressional elec
tions. This section protects supervisor,
and marshals in the performance of theiI
duties by making obstruction on the as
saulting of these officers or any interference
with them by bribery or solicitation OF
otherwise, crimes against the United States
The true meaning and efiectof the proposed
legislation are plain. Supervisors with au'
thority to observe and witness the proceed
ings at congressional elections will be
left, but there will be NO power TO protec
them or to prevent interference With theil
duties, or to punish any violation OF tn.
| law from which their powers are derived
If this bill is approved only the shadow o
authority of the United States ut nationa
elections will remain. The substance vii
be gone. Supervision of elections will b.
reduced to mere inspection without author
| ity on the part of the supervisors to do an,
act whatever to make the election a fai
one. All that will be left to the super
visors is permission to have sucl
an oversight of elections a. the politica
parties are in the habit OF exercising with
out any authority of law in order to preven
their opponents from obtaining An unfai
advantage. The object of the bill is to de
stroy any control whatever by the Unite
States over congressional elections
The passage of this bill has bee
urged upon the ground that tn
election Of members of congress is
matter which concerns the states alone; tha
these elections should be controlled eJ
clusively by the states; that there are an
can be NO such elections as national elet
tions, and that the existing law Of III
United States regulating congressional e!et
tions il without warrant in the constitu
ton. 1t il evident, however, ths
the trainers of the constitution regarded tn
election of members of congress in ever
state and in every district a. in very i'm
portant sense Justly matter OF politics