Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-05-15
Another Veto.

dent last week repeating the law
by which soldiers NAV be used to
suppress disorder and violence at
National elections. The President
very properly vetoed it, his mes
sage being, if possible, clearer ex-
position of law and precedent upon
this subject than his late veto of the
appropriation farce. The following
is the conclusion OF the veto mes.
sage:
la 1895 this provision was sub.
stantially re-enacted in law which
repealed the act of 1892. In 1907
the following act became law
by the approval of President Jeffer-
SOD: "That in all cases of insurree.
ton or obstruction to the laws of
either of the United States or of any
individual state or territory where
it is lawful for the president of the
United States to call forth the mill.
tia for the purpose of the suppress.
sion such insurrection. or of caus.
ing the laws to he duly executed, it
shall be lawful for him to employ
for the same purposes such part of
land or naval forces Of the United
States as shall be judged necessary,
having first observed all the prere-
quisites OF the law in that respect"
By this act it will be seen that
the scope of the law of 1705 was ex-
tended so as to authorize the ma
tional government to use not only
the militia but the regular army
and navy Of the United States in
causing the laws to be duly execut-
ed. The important provisions of
of the acts of 1902, 1895, and 1907,
modified in it's terms from time to
time to adapt it to existing emer.
gency, remained in force until by
an act approved by President Linz
coin, July 90, 1861, it was re-enact-
ed substantially in the same Ian
guage in which it is DOW found in
the revised statutes, viz: "Section
1888 Whenever by reason of un-
lawful obstruction, assemblsges or
combinations of persons, or rebel
lion against the authority of the
government of the United States, it
shall become impractieable in the
judgment of the president to enforce
oy the ordinary course CT judicial
proceedings the laws of the United
States within any state or territory
it shall be lawful for the president
to call forth the militia OF any and
all the states aud to employ such
part of the land and naval forces OF
the United States as he may deem
necessary to enforce the faithful ex-
ecution of the laws of the laws of
the United States or to suppress
such rebellion in whatever state or
territory thereof the laws of the
United States may be forcibly OPP.
posed or the ex ecution thereof forci.
bly, obstructed.
This ancient and fundamental law
has been in force since the founda-
ton of the government. 1t is now
proposed to abrogate it on certain
days and at certain places. In my
Judgment no facts have been pro.
duced that tend to show that it
ought to be repealed or suspended
for single hour at any place in
any of the territories or states OF
the Union. All the teachings of ex
perience in the course of our histo-
ry, are in favor of sustaining it's eff
ticieney unimpaired Oh every ooca-
sion. When the supremacy of the
constitution has been resisted and
the perpetuity of our institution i'm
periled, the principle of this statute
the government of the union to
maintain its authority and to pre-.
serve the integrity OF the nation at
the most critical periods of it's his
tory. My predecessors in the execu-
tive office have relied on this great
principle. 1t was on this principle that
President Washington suppressed
the whiskey rebellion in Pennsylva.
MIA in 1894. In 1906 on the same
principle, President Jefferson broke
up the Burr conspiracy by issuing
orders for the employment of such
force, either of the regulars or of
the militia aud by such proceedings
of the civil authorities as might en-
able them to suppress effectually
further progress of the enterprise.
1t was under the same authority
that President Jackson crushed the
"nullification"in South Carolina and
that President Lincoln issued his
cali for troops TO save the Union in
1861. On numerous other occasions
of less significance under probably
every administration, and certainly
under the present, this power has
been usefully exerted to enforce the
laws without objection by any par.
ty in the country, and almost with
out attracting public attention. The
great elementary constitutional
principle which was the foundation
of the statute of ireland which has
been the essence in the various
forms it has assumed since its first
adoption is that the government of
the United States possesses under
the constitution in full measure the
power of self protection by its own
agencies, altogether independent of
state authority and if need be
against the hostility of the govern
ments. 1t should remain embodied
In our statutes unimpaired as it has
been from the very origin of the
government. 1t should be recorded
as hardly less valuable or less sa-
cred than the provision of the con-
stitution itself, There are many
other important statutes containing
provisions that are liable to be 8 US
pended or annulled at times and
places of holding elections, if the
bill before me should become law.
l do not undertake to furnish list
of them. Many of them, perhaps
most of them, have been Get forth in
debates on this measure. They re.
late 30 extrsdition, to crimes
against election laws, TO quarantine
regulations, to neutrality, 20 Indian
reservations, to civil rights of citi-
zens, and to other subjects In re-
-. L