Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1880-05-05
WASHINGTON.
WASHINGTON. Nav 4

! WASHINGTON, May 4.
The house committee on Indian
affairs to-day agreed to recommend
the passage of the bill introduced
by Mr.. Wellborn (Texas) to transfer
the Indian bureau to the war de-
partment, with an amendment dating
the transfer July 1st, 1881, instead
of 1880, as introduced, s@ 81
The president to-day signed the
army appropriation bill, and re-
turned the deficiency bill to the
house with the following veto mess
sage:
"To the House of Representatives :
"After mature consideration Of
The bill entitled 'An act making ap-
preparations to supply certain de>
fciencies in appropriations for the
service of government, for the fiscal
year ending June 80, 1880,
and for other purposes / return
it to the house of representatives, in
which it originated, with my objec-
tions to its passage. The bill ap.
propriates about $8,000,000, OF
which over 100000 is for the pays
ment Of fees of United States mar
shals, and of general and special
deputy marshals earned du.
ring the current fiscal year,
and their incidental expenses. The
appropriations made in the bill are
intended to carry on the operations
Of the government and to fulfil its
obligations, for the payment Of
money long since due to its officers
for services and expenses essential
to the execution of their duties
under the laws Of the United States.
The necessity for these appropri"
ations is SO urgent and they
have been already , SO long
delayed that if the bill before me
contained no permanent or general
legislation unconnected with these
appropriations it would receive my
prompt approval. 1t contains, how
ever, provisions which materially
change, and by implication, repeal
important parts of laws for the
regulation of United States elec,
tions. These laws, have for
several years past, been
the subject Of vehement
political controversy and have been
denounced as unnecessary, op-
pressive and unconstitutional. On
the other hand, it has been mains
tanned with equal zeal and earnest
ness, that the election laws are
indispensable to fair and lawful
elections, and are clearly wars
ranted by the constitution. Under
these circumstances, to attempt,
in an appropriation bill the modifi-
cation or repeal Of these laws is to
annpl the condition to the passage
of needed and proper appropria-
tions and tends to deprive the
executive of that equal and inde-
pendent exercise Of discretion and
Judgment which the constitution
contemplates. The objection to the
bill, therefore, to which l respects
fully ask your attention is, that it
gives marked and deliberate sanction,
attended by no circumstances of
necessity, to the questionable land as
l am clearly of the opinion, danger
Gus, practice of tacking upon ap-
proriation bills general and perma-
nent legislation. This practice
opens wide doors to hasty, incon
siderate and sinister legislation. 1t
invites attacks upon the independ.
ence and constitutional powers of
the executive by providing an easy
and effective way of constraining
executive discretion. Although of
late this practice has been resorted
to by all political parties,
when clothed with power, it
did not prevail until forty
years after the adoption of the
constitution, and it is confidently
believed that it is condemned by
the enlightened judgment of the
country. The states which have
adopted new constitutions during
the last quarter of a century have
generally provided remedies for this
evil. Many of them have enacted
that no law shall contain more
than one subject, which shall
be plainly expressed in it's
title. The constitutions of
more than half the states contain
substantially this provision, or some
other of like intent and meaning.
The public welfare will be pro.
NOTED in many ways by a return to
the early practice of the govern
ment and to the true rule Of legis,
lation, which is that every meas
ure should stand upon its own
merits. l am firmly convinced that
appropriation bills ought not to con-
tain any legislation not relevant
to the application or expendi-
ture Of money thereby appropriated,
and that, by strict adherence to
this principle, important and muchs