West-Jersey pioneer., 1882-08-17
THE VETO AND VOTE AGAINST 1T.


While the country everywhere was
warmly applauding the veto of the River
and Harbor Bill, Congress, by decided
vote, passed the bill over the veto. In
the House the vote was only two more
than the constitutional majority forsuch
purpose. But the constitutional ma
jority is two-thirds. The vote was dis
tributed among all shades of politics and
all sections of the country, and it's de-
cisiyeness and pronptness made it all
the more effective The President has
the satisfaction of having done his duty,
and of knowing that he was sustained
by the best opinion of the country.
Congress has the satisfaction of know
ing that there is joy among all jobbers
and grabbers and leeches of the public
treasury, and that honest men every
where scan with wonder the record of
the vote and the names of the voters.
The effect of this action is not at pres
ent evident. Indeed the whole political
situation is now so obscure that it is not
easy to affirm positively any probable
issue. The immediate aspect of the Con-
gressional action upon the veto is that
the President and all parts of his party
are at odds upon great public measure.
In England this situation would lead to
a change of administration. Here, on
the contrary, it is already scored in
some quarters as a party advantage, be-
cause, while a Republican Congress
passes the offensive BILL it passes it by
the aid of opposition votes, while Re-
publican President vetoes it, 1t cannot,
therefore, it is argued, be held to be
Republican sin. A party is judged by
the general conduct of Congress which
it controls not by the act of Presi-
dent, and it is clear that the responsible
ity here cannot attach to one party. In
the House, of the 122 votes for the bill,
SO were Republican and SO Democratic;
and of the 80 adverse votes, 80 were Re
publican and 27 Democratic. This is a
singularly even adjustment, and the
dishonors are easy. No party capital, as
it is urged, can be made out of the vote
But in another way, the result can
hardly be advantageous to the Repubi-
cans The shock to the public sense of
such reckless and wasteful legislation
comes from q Republican Congress, and
passing by the detail of the vote, public
Judgment will be finally rendered against
the party which controls Congress.
Then in certain Congressional districts
the Representative who has supported
this offense to public sentiment will be
held to severe account by his constitu-
ency. Nobody denies that the bill was
a vast aggregations of jobs, a net of
swindlers and steals, as it has been de-
scribed. 1t is the great annual leak and
drain from the Treasury, in which there
is a widely diffused community of inter
ests, but which must bestopped. tbs a
huge log-rolling bill, in which one job
balances another, and one jobber is as
deep in the mud as another in the mire.
This is the offense with which local pub
lie opinion must deal, and the only way
to teach Congress to stop the leak is to
defeat the borers The vote for this bill
as against the veto will be probably the
last feather in certain districts to break
the back of candidates chances But
in this matter the President has done
well, and whatever mischief members of
Congress may have inflicted upon them
selves, the President has certainly not
hurt himself. lf.-Harper' Weekly.