Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1883-07-07
Aancaster fntellige,rer.
SATURDAY EVENING. JULY z. 1893
The Last of the VetoeS.

The Last of the Vetoes.
Governor Pattison has finished up his
work of dealing with the legislative
business submitted to him, and upon the
whole the people of the state in general
and his party in particular, have reason
to congratulate him and themselves upon
the highly creditable manner in
which he has discharged that i'm
portant duty. 1t is not too
much nor too little to say that no
former incumbent of the executive chair
has, in the exercise of this power, given
the same intelligent and patient
examination to the bills laid lie
fore him, nor come to his conclu-
sions in the main so courageously
and with such satisfaction to the
people. OF the governors before
Hoyt it may safely he said that
none showed any such desire to
scrutinize and Ealt ill-cOnsidered and
dangerous legislation. Gov. Pattison's
immediate predecessor grappled with
some leading measures that involved
wrongs with comprehensive ability and
creditable courage, but, whether from
lack of industry or inclination, he failed
to deal with some of the details that
ought to have had his veto. The
honesty of purpose and the pains taking
intelligence with which the present gov
ernor has generally bent to this task
cannot be disputed. Its influence will
be felt for great good upon the action of
future Legislatures and the wisdom of
his confidential counsellors who have
aided his deliberations has served him
and the commonwealth well.
From his views on some of the legiSla-
ton which he has vetoed the INTELLI
GENCER has differed, and it has not
hesitated to say so. This journal could
not hope to command respect from the
public, nor to maintain its own self
respect if it kept silent upon such Oc
casions, Or pretended to approve acts Of
the governor which did not commend
themselves to its better judgment, be-
cause the governor happened to he the
nominee and elect of its party. There
are some alleged Democratic newspapers
of that kind in the state. This is not
of them.
Some of the features OF his veto of
the general appropriation bill seemed
to he fairly open to the complaint of
hypercriticism, and SO the veto Of yes
terday, dealing with the appropriations
to private charities, seems to us to go
either too far or not far enough. We
can easily appreciate the difficulty under
which the executive labored in dealing
with this class of bills. Conflicting con-
siderations no doubt presented them
selves and, as he narrates, made him
change his purpose from time to time.
He says:
The distress of particular sections of
the state has been presented in form
difficult to resist and not easily heard
without emo: ion. The possibility of Ger.
tain institutions being obliged to shut their
doors to the public if state aid was not
granted, has been repeatedly pressed upon
my attention. Each separate locality bell
efitcd by these bills has urged it's claims
with zeal that indicated a belief that it
had a foremost right to favorable consid-
Grafton. The importunate character Of
these appeals, the knowledge that unless
all were granted would occasion much
local irritation and complaint. and offend
many worthy aud philanthropic citizens,
aud the clear necessity devolving upon me
to do something to curtail the extraordi
nary and indiscriminate liberality of the
Legislature, that it might not serve as a
precedent for the future-all these con
tlicting considerations between duty and
sympathy have caused me much Dispute
tude and anxiety as to the course should
pursue.
That many of these bills ought not to be
approved | had no doubt. That some
coald not be rejected without causing
much distress aud suffering l had every
reason to believe. That the Legislature
had technical constitutional right to pass
these bills was equally clear. therefore
sought some principle of selection to guide
me that, while it asserted the wholesome
restrictions of the statue law and the fact
that there must be some limit to the exor
else of Legislative charity, would at
the same time occasion as little immediate
harm and distress as possible. Too rigid
an application of the law, oven though
strictly justifiable, might at this time pro-
duce very harsh results. Whatever con-
clusion l reached l felt must bo based upon
some general principle within the scope of
which all tho bills diapproved OF should
fall, as [ would be unable to investigate
the merits of each particular institution
and approve ur v.t) for reasons peculiar to
each.
These views are credit;lble to the gov
ernor's head and heart; and easily ex
plain why he left to the very last day
possible, the disposition of the measures
which depended upon his action. 1t was
when he finally came to his general
principle Of determining the fate of
them that he fell short of the logic of
his argument and Of the position taken
in some of his other vetOes. For it must
be remembered that the governor has
been a strict constructionist. In his
summary dispatch of some OF the items
in the general appropriation bill he
pared to the line and in several of them,
as We have tried to show, he cut into
tn Q quick. AS much, therefore, was to
have been expected of him in dealing
with the appropriations for charities.
His message does not show the exact
character of the charity appropriations
which have been approved nor, therefore,
furnish a ready means of comparing
them with the six that have been vetoed;
hppt r. docs loo va IN cOno Ohcourifv tho