Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1886-07-08

How Presidents Have Used This
Prerogntlve OF office.

Cleveland Leader.
The numerous yetoes which President
Cleveland has been making lately In PEN
sions and other things has called attention
TO the history OF the veto power. This Is
the greatest prerogative OF the President,
and 1t was much more respected In times
past than Il Is now. Until the days OF
Andrew johnson no veto OF President was
ever over-ruled, and the Presidents In early
days we're very careful about vetolng bills
passed by Congress. Up TO the days OF John
Tyler there had beon only 20 votoes,
although 6,000 Legislative acts had been
passed during that time. OF these rs were
on bills OF little Importance and they did
not cause remark. Tho remaining vet0es
related chiefly to the Bank OF the United
States, the question OF internal improve
ment, and the distribution of public lands
among the states. General Washington
made two vetoes, and one OF these was OF
the bill reducing the army OF the United
States in 1897. This was very unpopular,
and 1t was almost Over-ruled by Congress,
Madison vetoed bank bill once, aud also
| ono providing for Internal improvements,
| jackson vetoed nine bills, Tyler six and
| Polk two. Pierce used the veto nine times,
and Buchanan vetoed u homestead bill
which reduced the price OF the public lands
| to 20 cents an acre.
President Lincoln did not veto bills which
no did not like rs general thing. He
| would send back the bills with the OBJ
| ieetions he had 10 them, approving OF the
| bill in general perhaps, and Congress would
| obviate these objections by supplementary
| Legislation. Andrew Johuson's admlnistra-
| ton was continuous succession OF vet0es
and Congress almost continuously passed
/ the bills over Johnson's head by two
thirds vote. 1t WIS during his administra-
| ton that the first veto was overridden by
i Congress and since then vetoes have gem
orally held good
The pocket veto Is used by the President
at the close OF the torn OF Congress. II
affects only bills which come to the Presl-
dent towards the close OF the session. He
has the right to retain bills ten days before
sending them back to Congress, and II the
bills are given to him during the last week
| OF the Congressional session he has only to
retain them and they are u nullity, even
though nine-tenths OF the Congress should
wish TO pass them over his veto. Johnson
had not much chance 10 use this pocket
veto, because Congress saw that the bills
were gotten In long enough before the close
Of the session. Still on March Sd, 1863, he
used II In regard to three bills. But these
were passed as soon rs Congress met again
and were Immediately signed by President
Grant.
President Grant used the veto upon tile
bills to Increase the amount OF greenbacks
to siOO 900. 600 and upon the bills to repeal
the increase OF the Presidents salary to
$4,000 President Hayes had number Of
vetoes, and President Arthur vetoed bill
to restrict Chinese immigration, also Il
river and harbOr bill OF go 900, 900, and the
Fitz-John Porter bill.
Four Of the states, Delaware, North Caro-
lima, Ohio and Rhode Island, have never
given their governors the veto power. Ia
most Of the other states vetoes more or less
limited are allowed.