Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1879-04-30
THE PRESIDENTS VETO.

The veto OF the army appropriation
bill by President Hayes yesterday was
not a surprise to those who we're in a
position to know his mind. He has
placed himself, and his party as well,
in a very awkward position. By this
act he acknowledges that he is the
mere representative of a party and
does not undertake to be President Of
the whole country and for all the peo-
pie alike. Without the use Of the
army at the polls Mr.. Hayes
would not have been President,
and this veto seems to have been
inspired by the thought that he owed
something to his party and would
indorse the means employed to secure
the fruits Of an election not fairly
carried. He represents his party in
insisting that the same means shall be
employed in future elections. He
virtually takes the ground that the
military is necessary to a free
election, otherwise he could not
have objected to the repeal Of the law.
1t is too late in the day for any
Republican who stands in line with
his party to raise an objection tn legis-
lation merely because it is attached to
an appropriation bill. A bill was
never before vetoed on that
account. We could enumerate
many instances of riders going
through with appropriation bills,
The Wilmot PrOyiso was attached to
an army appropriation bill. In 1849 it
was attempted to attach the admission
Of California as State to the civil
and diplomatic appropriation bill. Mr.,
Dallas, Vice President, was in the
chair in the senate, and ruled an
amendment to that effect in order.
Daniel Webster was in the senate,
and said that he had "no doubt that
the chair was right in his decision, +"
and the senate, voting on this PROPOSE
tion, declared, by twenty-five to four
teen, that it was in order to admit a
State to the Union by an amendment
to an appropriation bill. In 1867 the
sundry civil bill overturned the laws
relating to testimony in Federal courts,
and negroes were allowed to testify
by an appropriation bill. In 1868 all
the machinery of the patent office was
remodeled in the appropriation bill.
A little later all the machinery of the
treasury department was altered in an
appropriation bill. The Indian peace
commission was created in an appro-
priation bill, and by the same bill all
the Indian treaties entered into after
1867 were suspended. In June, 1872,
the laws touching supervisors and
deputy marshals were extended in an
appropriation bill. The President,
himself, when in congress voted for
one or more bills of this kind, and
now goes back on his own record to
accommodate his party. He voted
for important legislation but now
vetoes a repeal Of a portion of
a law on the ground mainly that
it is connected with the appropriation
bill. The New York Times said on
the 26th instant The President
will hardly base his veto on the neces-
sity of retaining the power to invoke
military assistance to Federal super
visors, since Republicans of more
stalwart mold than he have already
offered to allow that power to be taken
away, were the questl0n0nly presented
as Independent legislation" Even in
England there is stringent law
against the use of the military at the
polls That is all there is in this ap.
preparation bill to which the President
objects. Congress simply struck out
of the statute the last eight words
or to keep the peace at the polls. -
The President insists that troops shall
be retained to preserve the peace al
the polls, and rather than surrender
this power vetoes the army bill. Now
who is it that proposes to starve the
army, President Hayes and his party
or the house of representatives?