Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-01-12
TUEsDAY.......JANUARY IL, 1886,
Tne DISCRIMINATING Veto.

n
mating veto would have the Executive
exercise Legislative fupctions--would'
have the President Of the United States
clothed with the power TO legislate for
this vast country himself. They would
reduce Congress to secondary rank in
the matter of disposing Of the revenues
Of the Government. They would send
all applicants for appropriations to the
White House. They would put the
purse and the sword into the hands of
one and the same man. CHARLES l.
Of England lost his head because, be-
sides committing other offences, he
raised loans by his own authority, and
expended the money Of the people
without the consent Of Parliament.
What 10 this proposition to allow
the President . discriminating veto
but the other end Of CHARLEs's
crime? He levied and collected taxes
without the consent of Parliament.
Certain modern wiseacres would en-
power the President Of the United States
to sxpend the peoples money, not as
Congress might order, but as he in his
sovereign pleasure might choose. And
the man who cannot see that it is pro-
position to increase vastly the powers
Of the President ought not to be argued
Wit The President has no such
power now. Surely to confer q new
power upon him viii be to add to his
powers. And the advocates of the dis
eliminating veto confess this when they
admit, as they are bound to do, that
though he has the right to veto any en-
tire bill, he is often afraid to do it. The
Queen of England has the right to veto
bills psssed by Parliament, but she is
afraid JSsr to avail herself Of that right.
The old Wing party Of this country tried
to take the veto power from the Presi-
dent. Why does not the right to veto
q whole bill carry with it the right to
veto part Of a bill9 We answer be-
cause our English ancestors knew too
well the dividing line between allow
able prerogatives and those which it
would not be safe to entrust to the
King; and because our American an
cestors had learned that lesson of wis
dom from the mother country.
The Charleston News and Courier
follows the New York papers in this
matter, and "puts its foot into it " in
two sentences which immediately fol-
low the one the other. 1t says first
at is rather silly, we think, to OBJ
iect to giving the President the power
to veto . special clause in an appropria-
ton bill, when the Constitution gives
him the power to veto it as WHOLE"
And then It adds as q reason why
the President ought to have that power
the following
"Moreover, the specific or discrimi-
Mating veto is to apply to appropriation
bills alone"
But why not make it apply to all
bills? What reason can be given for
allowing the President to veto apart OIL
an appropriation bill which would moi
be good reason for allowing him to
veto Q part Of any other bill? If hs
ought to have the right to select the
rivers and harbors that are to be i'm
proved to decide whether Danville, OF
Richmond, or Lynchburg, or Norfolk
or wythsville, or Harrisonburg, shoult
benefit by an appropriation for
new courthouse, or custom-house, OF
post-offlce; to say which Of q hundred
soldiers whom Congress might try t.
sivs money to should be permitted t.
have IL; in . word, to require tina
every dollar appropriated should b
appropriated by himself-then surely
this autocrat, holding both the SWORD
and the purse in his hand, ought to b
allowed to veto any section Of any othel
bill which might not please His Au
tocracy. Surely be might be allows'
to strike out Objectionable sections from
bankrupt bill, or from an internal
sersnus bill, or from tariff bill. !
b alone Is to appropriate all the mo
NY, Why NOT let him alone provide TO
ssising al the money! Ifhe is to hsv'
Ale power 10 say to exactly what river
ana hArbors and public buildings, &c.
10, the money raised BY taxes on Ii
quer and tobacco 10 to BE- applied, VII!
net allow him to say whether section
shall or shall not be put into any bill
rspsaling the taxes on whiskey aud to
&accof
~ plead that shs Psssidsut viii hsy
IL power to ~ shs discriminating vet
snly On spprepristion bIlls 10 the oil
sxcuss d, "such little one." Iii
oosl>ssioh tAas ths thing Is wrong !
itDsll ssd ean snly BE- justified BY th
s 80 Hk>k a 4 seek~sr<e1 4, ~ os,arat;o