The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1886-07-02
Our Washington Letter

Washington, June %, 1886

Washington, June %, 1886.
The scheme for the permanent Exposition
in Washington seems to be making good
progress and taking shape. One of the in
teresting things which came up at the last
weekly meeting held in its behalf was the
statement that the project Of celebrating the
4O0th anniversary OF the discovery OF Amer
ica by Columbus had been discussed in
Spain for the last two years, and that she
proposed to send a duplicate of the original
fleet which brought the adventurous marin
ers to these shores.
"a President Cleveland promised to give his
influence to the enterprise by calling the at
tention of Congress to the matter in his
next annual address. The plan is being
forwarded by private contributions, and it
is thought that Congress will appropriate
the needed money as soon as it is proven
that there is public demand for it, since
Members in both houses have spoken favor
ab'y of the scheme. The Governors of
States and Territories have been made ex
charge of the proposed enterprise, and they
will all be invited to a conference in this
city about the time of the reassembling of
Congress.
When the history of the present Admin
stration is written, President Cleveland will
be called the Champion Vetoer of the nine
teenth century, or something similar. All
week long Congress has been hearing from
different ones Of those hundre Is of private
pension bills which we're passed with such
reckless confusion several weeks ago.
And yet the President can veto bill
much easier than Congress can pass it.
He has made record of rs vetoes since hi,
Inauguration, and indeed on one day of the
past week he was so occupied in examining
pension bills that he denied himself to all
callers and even postponed the regular
Cabinet meeting. 1t would seem that he is
not averse to the exercise of his veto power
eithe!, for he allows little grim humor to
crop out now and then in his veto messages
For instance, in notifying Congress of his
disapproyal Of bill to pension man who
claims that he was injured by being thrown
forward on the horn of his saddle, he said:
1.-The Anmber OF such instances is so large
as to indicate that those saddles were dam
gerous contrivances."
Up to Mr.. Clevelands time there had
been 100 veto messages sent to Congress by
the Presidents. Washington sent two, Mon
roe and Lincoln one each, Buchanan and
Arthur four each, Tyler and Pierce nine
each, Madison six, Jackson twelve, Polk
three, Johnson seventeen, Grant twenty nine
Hayes twelve. No bills were vetoed by
either of the Adamses, or Jefferson, or Van
Buren, or Harrison, or Fillmore, or Gar
field. and the only pension bill ever vetoed
until now was done by Gen. Grant.
Besides this wholesale slaughter of PEN
sion schemes during the week, the Presi-
dent has INDUCED in several honeymoon
dinners rendered by members of his Cabinet
He also went on yachting trip down the
Chesapeake bay, Thus leaving the United
States. which offense the constitution disal-
lows an Executive during his official term.
On his return he found that 14l more pen.
sion bills had been sent from the Capitol for
his approval or veto. Besides these, sixty
miscellaneous bills are on his desk awaiting
his action, and if he has determined, as is
stated, to carefully examine every item of
every bill before signing it, his hands are
full again for the present week.
No President has ever undertaken to do
so much before, and doubt if any Presi-
dent, in Justice to himself, can undertake
to do it now. Mr.. Cleveland cannot
mean literally that he will not sign single
bill without reading it. He is opposed,
however, to hasten the days Of the adjourn
ment of Congress, and has repeatedly
warned those members who call upon him
that he cannot be hurried with the examin-
alton of measures, and that he must devote
time to those bills which require it.
Much interest is felt in the Presidents
disposal of the Fitz-John Porter bill,
which is at last through both Houses OF
Congress again. Gen. Logan was as ear
nest in his fight AGAINST the measure on