The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-07-10

many cases by Sucn rlulcuie oI' anu
evident disgust. with the claims
themselves, that your committee feel
that they are justified in brief re
view of the circumstances involved.
In doing this strong effort will be
made to restrain not unnatural feel
ing of indignation, which, if permit
ted to assume the proportions which
the provocation justifies. would Who'll
~ destroy those respectful forms of
expressions which must be maintain
ed in official intercourse between the
different officers and depai tments of
the government. This becomes the
more necessary in proportion as it is
rendered the more difficult by reason
of the unjust and unexampled style
in which some of the messages of the
President are expressed. 1t shall be
the effort of the committee to get on
in this difficult matter without yiO-
latipg the courtesies of official inter-
course by initiating an example
which, 80 far as we are aware, is
without precedent, and which, so far
as we are Concerned shall remain sO."
The committee proceeds to show that
twenty.six per cent of the Senate
bills, and only eight and one-half per
cent of the House bills submitted to
the President have been vetoed, and
says it is not insensible to the special
condemnation which this disparaging
contrast infiicts. "Much criticism"
the report continues, "has been in.
dulged in by the President of the
methods of legislation pursued by
the two Houses of Congress. and,
however uniformed he may be upon
the subject and however unintention-
ally by reason of want of knowledge
he may have misrepresented to the
country the methods of legislation
which have been pursued in like
cases ever since congresses and par
liaments have existed, and which
| have, since parliaments became free.
been safe from Kingly and presiden-
tial interference, all the same the
people are misled by the unwrrrant-
ed statements of the President as to
the manner in which legislation upon
pensions, claims and the like is, and,
of necessity, must be conducted. The
pension business of the Senate has
never been better done than during
this session. Those members of the
committee who have performed the
most, have been as careful as any land
derision oftheir patient. conscientious
and exhausting labors to help along
these noblest and best portions Of
Code poor and the country's bene-
factors can originate only in a wise
and noble nature which is misled, or
in one, that if informed. sadly needs
reconstruction or recreation"
The report embodies a copy of in.
structions by the Assistant Secretary
of the Interior to the Commissioner
of Pensions, as follows:
"Please cause the same to be criti.
cally examined and report to this de.
partment whether, in your opinion,
any objections to their approval are
known to exist. In case where OBJ.
iections exist they should be specifi.
cally set forth"
This indicates, the committee says
Enthusiastically that the President re-
lies upon the Commissioner for his
facts.
The report continues: "Why the
President should initiate this game
of shuttlecock and pelt co ordinate
department of the government with
vetoes based upon the review of the
action of Congress by some subordi'
nate of the Commissioner of Pensions
is topic which will bear thought
but perhaps may best be left without
discussion. Why the finding Of the
two Houses of Congress should bt
discredited and attributed to unwor
thy motives. Indifference or incapac
Ity, while the reassertion by the pen
sion clerk that he is right and Con
gress wrong, is accepted as the basis
of fact in these numerous yetOes, IL il
hard to perceive. But all through
these vetoes there seems to run the
fallacy that the power of Congress t
grant pensions is limited to what may
already be done by the Pension Offic'
under the general law.
ut is difficult to write In that rudi
mentary way upon the nature of pen
sions, and the various grounds o
compensation, charity and publ,
policy which is necessary in order tt
remove this Impression. 1t is suffi
cient to observe that the jurisdiction
of the legislative power of this GOV
eminent is larger than that of tn,
Com missioner of Pensions, and that
sooner or later, although it may cos
the country a prolonged and stead!
effort, this truth will become appsr