Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-05-05
BULLDOZED BALLOTS.

Another Chapter in the Radical Pro-
gramme-The Bill Providing for Non
Partisan Deputy Msrshals at the Polls
Vetoed by Fraud Hayes.
WASHINGTON, May 4.-The President sent to
the House to-day the following message vetoing
the deficiency appropriation bill:
To the House of Observation-Disclosures
mature consideration of the bill entitled ''An
act making appropriations to supply certain
deficiencies in the appropriations for the SER
vice of the government for the fiscal year end
ing June &c. 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 $S00,0O0,
of which over $600,0 is for the payment of
fees of United States marshals and of general
and special deputy marshals, earned during the
current fiscal year, and their incidental ex-
penses. The appropriations made in the bill
are needed to carry on the operations of tbs
government, and
TO FULFILL ITS OBLIGATIONS
for the payment of money long since due to
its officers for services and expenses, and under
the laws of the United States. The necessity
for these appropriations is so urgent, and they
have been already 30 long delayed, that if the
legislation unconnected with the appropriations
it would receive my prompt approval. 1t con-
tains, however, provisions which materially
change and by implication repeal important
parts of the law and for the regulation of
United States elections. 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 it has been maintained with equal earn
estness that the election laws aresindispensable
to fair and lawful elections, and are clearly
warranted by the constitution. Under the cir
cumstances to attempt on an appropriation
bill notifications or the repeal of these laws is
to annex condition to the passage of needed
and proper appropriations which tends to de-
prive the executive of that equal and indie
pendent exercise of discretion and judgment
which the constitution contemplates. The
OBJECTION TO THE BILL
to which 1 respectfully ask your attention, is
that it gives marked and deliberate sanction,
attended by circumstances of pressing neces-
sity, to the questionable, and, as I am clearly
of the opinion, the dangerous practice of tack
ing upon appropriation bills general and per-
manent legislation. The practice opens wide
the door to hasty. inconsiderate legislation. 1t
invites attacks upon the independence and the
constitutional powers of the executive, by pro-
viding an easy and effective way of constrain-
ing executive discretion. Although of late
this practice has been resorted to by all politi-
cal parties when clothed with power, it did
not prevail until forty years after the adoption
of the constitution, and it is confidently be-
ieved that it is
CONDEMNED BY THE ENLIGHTENED JUDGMENT
of the country. The States which have adopted
new constit utions during the last quarter of a
century have generally provided remedies for
the evil. Many of them have enacted that no
laws shall contain more than one subject, which
shall be plainly expressed in its title. The
public welfare will be promoted in many ways
by return to the early practice of the govern
ment, and to the true method of legislation,
which is that every measure shall stand upon
its merits.
am firmly convinced that the appropriation
bills ought not to contain any legislation not
relevant to application or expenditure of money
thereby appropriated. and that by strict ad.
herence to this principle an important and
much needed reform will be accomplished
Placing my objection to the bill on this feature
of its frame, l forbear any comment on the
important general and permanent legislation
which it contains, as matter for independent
consideration.
lSigned] r. B. HAYES, President.
Executive Mansion, Washington, May g. 1880