Daily Los Angeles herald., 1884-08-27
Fun coranEs.. slaru pmrmor.
r. r. DEL VALE,
OF Los Angeles.
The Very Man for the Place.

Tho Very Man for the Place.
Probably all men Of sense recognize
the fact that thore must be something
out OF the common in the career OF Gov
erner Cleveland or ho would net have
been successfully advanced to the May
orally Of great city, to tho Governor
ship OF great State and to the Presi-
dency of q great nation, which last Is
just what his candidacy means. 1t is
not claimed for the Democratic nominee
that he Is man Of those snowy and
transcendant abilities which are too of
ten, by the way, found In combination
with wild and erratic public careers. His
talents are Of the solid, not the glittering
order, and his unexampled popularity is
to be traced to his inhexible integrity
and modest official ability. He Is pre-.
cminently safe man, and has boen res
: olute and unwavering In his opposition
to all schemes whose tendency was to
tighten the pockets of the taxpayers.
There are many people in both parties
who could make much more brilliant
speeches and write much more hamboy-
ant state papers than Gov. Cleveland
though both as speaker and writer he
is far above mediocrity there have
been few men in the history of the
country who have 80 iavorably i'm
pressed themselves upon the apprecia-
tive attention of their oountrymen by
wise and patriotic administration of great
public trusts. Whsra, for instance,
could iinor or wholesomer Democracy
be found than is wrapped up in the fol-
lowing sentences of Gov. Cleveland's
first message to the Legislature Of New
York;
Let us enter upon the discharge OF our
duties, fully approaching our relations
to the people, and determined to serve
them faithfully and we'll. This involves
a Jealous watch OF the public funds and
refusal to sanction their appropriation,
except for public needs. To this end all
unnecessary offices should be abolished,
and all employments of doubtful benefit
discontinued. IL to this we add the
enactment of such wise and well consid-
cred laws as will meet the varied wants
of our fellow citizens and increase their
prosperity, we shall merit and receive
the approval of those whose representa-.
tives we are, and with the consciousness
of duty well performed, shall leave our
impress for good ON the legislation OF the
State.
His fearlcssness in the discharge OF
duty is another feature which has done
much to give the Democratic candidate
his indestructible popularity where he is
best known and which will give him the
vote of the State of New York by an
overwhelming majority, thus making
him President. No matter how specious
fhe measure which aimed to divert the
money Of the people to private uses
Gov. Cleveland was never afraid to in
terpose his veto. Few men would have
had the courage to veto bill passed by
the Now York Legislature to tax the
people, in defiance Of the Constitution of
the State, for the purpose Of erecting
monuments to the soldiers who had
fallen in the war. The sentiment of
gratitude to the dead heroes was such
as to unnerve an ordinary man. Yet
Gov. Cleveland met the situation in the
following manly and conclusive manner
EXECUTIVE CHAMBER, ALBANY, Feb.
IL, lSS3.-To TnR ASSEMBLY: Assem-
bly, bill No. SS, entitled "An act author
izing the Board of Supervisors of Chau-
tauqua county to appropriate money for
the purchase of land upon which to
erect soldiers and sailors monument"
is herewith returned without approval.
1t is not an agreeable duty to refuse to
give sanction to the appropriation of
money for such worthy and patriotic
object, but l cannot forget that the
money proposed to be appropriated is
public money to be raised by taxation,
aud that all that justities its exaction
from the people is the necessity of its
use for purposes connected with the
safety and substantial welfare of the
taxpayers.
The application of this principle fur
nishes, | think, a sufficient reason why
this bill should not be approved.
/ am Of the opinion, too, that the ap-
preparation of this money by the Board
of Supervisors would constitute the in
curing of an Indebtedness by the coun-
ty to be thereafter met by taxation. II
this be true, the proposed legislation is
forbidden by section III of article OF
the constitution, which provides that no
county, city, town or village shall be al
lowed to incur any Indebtedness except
for county, city, town, or village pur-
poses.
Before this prohibition became part
Of the Constitution, statute was passed
permitting monuments to be erected to
fallen soldiers at the expense of the in
habitants of the county within which
they were located; but the expenditure
of money raised by taxation for such
purpose was only allowed when especial
ly sanctioned by vote Of majority of
all the electors of the county. In the
bill under consideration the taxpayers
are not permitted to be heard on the
subject.
Ii is thus evident that the legislation
plOpOSNht icso uuh ah'
terests OF the people than the statute
passed before the constitutional amend
ment prohibited all eDactments of this
description.
may, perhaps, be permitted to cx'
press hope that due regard for the
fundamental principles and strict ad
herence to the letter and spirit of the
constitution, which furnish the limit al
well as the guide to legislation, will pre-
vent the passage of bills of this nature
in the future.
II ever there was country which
needs in the supreme executive chair I
man who is sensible to the force of con
stitutional restrictions it is the Unite'
States. For years it has been the fash
ion of our Presidents to sign all sorts O
bills-nany of them squandering bot
the public moneys and the public dc
mainland it is high time that we shosl