The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-05-14
ANOTHER VETO.
Put % the Deficiency Hill by thi
President.


The President has sent to the House Of Rep
resentatives the following message vetoing the
Deficiency Appropriation bill
To the House OF Representatives.:
After mat-,re consideration of the bill entitled
I" An act making appropriations to supply GER
tain deficiencies in the appropriations for the
service of the Government for the fiscal
year ending June 3d. 1880, and for
other purposes" l return it to the
House of Representatives, in which
it originated with my objections TO its passage.
The bill appropriates about SsO0,0O0 of which
over $500, 900 Is for the payment of the fees of
United States Marshals and OF general and
special Deputy Marshals earned during the cur
rent fiscal year, and their incidental expenses.
The appropriations made III the bill are needed
to carry on the operations OF the Government
and to fulfill its obligations for the payment
of money long since due its officers for services
and expenses essential to the execution OF their
duties under the laws of the United States. The
necessity for these appropriations Is so urgent
and they have already been so long delayed
that if the bill before me contained no perma-
nent or legal legislation unconnected with these
appropriations II would receive my prompt APP
proval. 1t contains, however, provisions which
materially change, and by implication repeal
important parts of the laws for the regu-
These laws have for several years been
the subject Of vehement political controversy,
and have been denounced as unnecessary, OPP
pressive and unconstitutional. On the other
hand, 1t has been maintained with equal zeal
and earnestness that the elections laws are in
dispensable to fair and lawful elections, and are
clearly warranted by the constitution. Under
these circumstances, to attempt, in an
appropriation bill, modification or re-
peal Of these laws, is to annex
condition to the passage of
needed and proper appropriations, which tends
to deprive the Executive of that equal and in
dependent exercise of discretion and judgment
which the constitution contemplates. The OBJ
lection to the bill, therefore, to which l re-
specially ask your attention is that it gives
marked and deliberate sanction, attended by no
circumstances of pressing necessity, to a ques-
ionable, and, as am clearly of the opinion, the
dangerous practice of lacking upon appropriation
bills general and permanent legislation. Thisprac-
tice opens wide the door to hasty, inconside crate
and sinister legislation. 1t invites attacks upon
the independence and constitutional powers of
the Executive by providing an easy and eff
fective way of constraining the Executive
discretion. Although of late this practice has
been resorted to by all political parties when
clothed with power, 1t did not prevail
until forty years after the adoption of the
constitution, and il is confidently believed that
it is condemned by the enlightened Judgment of
new constitutions during the last quarter of
century have generally provided remedies for
the peril. Many of them have enacted that no
law shall contain more than one subject, which
shall plainly expressed inits title Constitutions
of more than half the States contain substan-
TALLY this provision, OF some other of hike intent
and meaning. The public welfare will be pro-
NOTED i'll many ways by return to the early
practice of the Government and to the true in
terest of legislation, which is that every meas
ure should stand upon its own merits.
/ am firmly convinced that appropriation bills
ought not to contain any legislation not ree-
want to the application or expenditure of money
thereby appropriated, and that, by strict adj
herence to this principle. an important and
mach-needed reform will be accomplished.
Placing my objection to the bill on this feature
of its frame, forbear any comment upon the
important general and permanent legislation
which it contains, as matter for specific and in
dependent consideration.
(Signed) RUTHERFORD B. HAYES.
EXECUTIVE MANSION. May 4, $780,