The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1879-07-02

have been selected TO make laws for
the country. and who insult their con
stituents, and outrage public decency,
by an attempt to defeat the enforce
ment Of laws which they have failed
TO repeal, ought to b. known heresf-
ter as law breakers, and visited with
as sharp a public ccnsure as falls upon
any private citizen who spends q
night 10 jail for violating other laws
of the land. 1t is no excuse that
these Democratic nulliliers had q po-
litical purpose to serve. 1t is only
the more to. their shame that they had
tried, in the exercise of their legiti-
mate power as members of the law
making body. to get rid of the stat
utes which they have disregarded.
If public opinion should not hold
these men to strict account for an act
SO indecent s.-d so calculated to un-
dermine resp Ct for all law, it would
encourage law breaking upon any,
other pretext whatever As the
President shows, a valid and still I'M
repealed statute, binding upon mem
bers of Congress as well as upon pri-
vaie citizens, made il the duty of
Congress to provide means for the
enforcement of provisions against
fraud at elections ; and the refusal to
comply with the requirement was not
only q violation of law by the mem
bers themselves, but an attempt to
deprive the President of power to
perform his constitutional duty. The
issue thus raised is q of which the
Democrats will hear a great deal too
much for their comfort before anoth-
year has passed.
The veto message calls attention to
some facts which have not been fully
understood. The President says:
Under the existing laws, the failure
"of Congress to make the appropris-
"tions required for the execution of
"the provisions of the election laws
"would not prevent their enforce
"ment." II has been shown ia dis
patches from the Tri5uae's Wash
iDgton correspondents. that there is
power under existing laws TO pay the
supervisors of elections; and the state
ment, though it seemed startling at
first to Democrats who had been hop
ing, through three months of extra
session and sharp contest, to get rid
of supervisors by emitting special
appropriations for their payment, has
been found entirely correct. Now
the President adds to their misery by
the announcement that, even if no
appropriation for the enforcement of
the election laws should be made,
"the right and duty to appoint the
general and special deputy marshals
"would still remain, aud the Execu-
tive Department of the Government
"would also be empowered to encur
"the requisite liability for their CON-
"pensation." In this case, therefore,
mere omission of duty by Congress,
mere refusal to perform the duties
imposed by law, will not suffice to
"stop the wheels of the Government
But the President vetoes the pending
Judicial bill because it would deprive
the Executive OF that power to en-
force the laws which other statutes
give.
The argument of the President
cannot be answered, nor have the
nuIli6ers votes enough to overcome
bis objections. Hence the old ques'
ton comes up again-the question
which Democratic leaders might sc
much more wisely have considered
before they forced an extra session
Will the Democrats yield to the in
evitable without further fuss, or will
they oblige the President to summon
another extra session Ii they make
no appropriations for the Judicial ex
penses, the provisions for the pay
ment of all officers required by the
election laws are nevertheless com
plete and adequate, as the Presiden'
shows. The sensible thing for the
nullifers to do is to back out Of tht
fight altogether. They "a gain moth
ing, but can only intensity the public
disgust, by prolonging o controversy
in which their attitude is SO indeten
sible. Further resistance will only
fix public attention more closely upol
the terse, simple sud unanswerablt
veto message In which the Presiden
states his determination to do wha
the Constitution and bis oath of OF
fee require of him-to take care thai
the laws are faithfully executed
N. y. Tribune.