San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1886-07-08
WASHINGTON LETTER.
From Our Regular Correspondent.

President Cleveland has not only
beaten tho record on vetoes, but he
vetoed more bills on one day alone
than any previous President bad dis
approved during his entire term Of
Office. His total record is now abou,
seventy.six. while previous to his &C
cession the whole number of vetoes
from the foundation OF the Govern
ment was only 100. All but seven
of Cleveland's vetoes were private
pensions bills. Before his Admins
tration only one pension bill had
ever been disapproved and that was
by Gen. Grant.
The prospect OF an early adjourn
ment of Congress has also received q
summary disapproval from the Pres
ident. He has notified the able leg
islative politicians who have been in
the habit of crowding through their
schemes during the last gasps of the
session, that he intends to read each
bill carefully and inform himself of
its provisions before he signs it.
He asserts that he will not go to
the Capitol and approve bills as fast
as they are brought to him for the
sake OF expediting adjournment. With
regard to appropriation bills he
deems it his duty to consider every
item, and he warns the members OF
the two Houses that they need not
send him long bills appropriating
large sums of money written day
or two before adjournment with the
idea that he will approve them blind
". With his feeling of responsible
ty he declares that he can do nothing
of the kind.
While the democrats are delighted
with Mr.. Clevelands aggressive atti-
tude with relation to pension bills,
the Republicans are frothing with
Indignation. Representative Bayne,
of Pennsylvania, made a vicious at
tack upon what he called the Presi-
dents unparalleled monopoly of
power, and the Republican side APP
plauded his vituperation. Mr.. Bayne
was insulted beyond expression by
the temerity of this man (the Presi-
den) who had sneered at the reports
of committees of this House and the
Senate. This man, himself no SOL
der, but walking the paths of peace,
while these other men imperiled their
lives to save the Union.
Some of the vetoed claims were so
grotesque that the President, in his
message, could not refrain from pre-
senting their ridiculous aspect, for
instance this case. A soldier re-
NAMED in the army one month and
seventeen days, having entered it as
substitute at a time when high
bounties were paid. Fifteen years
after this brilliant service he discov-
cred that an attack of measles had
had some relation to his army enroll
ment, and that the disease had "set-
tied in his eyes," Another claimant
asked pension because of the death
of son killed in action. Being poor
he sent his son to live with an uncle
and afterwards with stranger The
son was killed in '62 but the father
did not know of it until ga. The
President thought after such an ex-
hibition of abandonment and heart
lessness on the part of father, he
should not be allowed any benefits OF
a patriotic sons death.
The Republicans in the House of
Representatives are engaged in the
business of flibustering against the
of rule making it in
order to provide an income tax for
raising the necessary revenue to any
pension bill. This is clearly and al
most confessedly done to catch the
soldier vote.
After good deal of speech making
which changed no votes, Fitz John
Porter has again gotten safely
through the Senate, having passed
the House some months ago. Pres
dent Cleveland has signed the bill
and Congress has at last, after twen-
ty years wrestling, finally disposed OF
this question and Porter will be re-
stored to the army and placed upon
the retired list.