Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1886-07-10
THE CHAMPION VEToER.
Cleveland Ahead Of all His Predecessors in
the Exercise of This Power
Some Specimen Pension Bills.

With nest OF filhbusters in Congress
and the President cruising about Ches-
apeake bay in the Corsair some patri-
otic citizens solicitously inquire,
Whittier. are we drifting?" Scarcely
had it become known however, that
Mr.. Cleveland had been enticed from
his hard work of the past week, for a
little recreation, than he was again re-
freshed for another round Of executive
yetoes of spurious pensions.
Some idea may be obtained OF the
steady, hard work OF the President
lately, when it is stated that on one
day he approved Lightweight pension
bills and vetoed thirty, giving each case
careful personal attention before action.
The veto messages were written by
himself and averaged over a page Of
foolscap paper, closely written. In ex-
amining each bill separately, he had for
his guidance the report from the SEN
ate and house committees and the re-
port from the pension bureau.
The treasury has never had so relia-
BILE watch dog as President Cleveland.
Not only has he beaten the record on
vetoes, but he vetoed more bills on enc
day alone than any previous president
had disaproved during his entire term
of Office. His total record is now about
seventy-six while previous to his az
cession the whole number OF vetoes
from the foundation Of the government
was only 100. All but seven of Mr..
Cleveland S vetoes were of private pen
sion bills. Before his administration
only one pension bill had ever been
disapproved and that was by Gen.
Grant.
Tie prospect of an early adjourn
ment OF congress has also received a
summary disapproyal from the Presi-
dent. He has notified the able legisla-
tive 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 MIN for the sake of ex
pediting adjournment With regart
to appropriation bills he deems it hi!
duty to consider every item and h
warns the members of the two house
that they need not send him long bill
appropriating large sums OF none,
written day or two before adjourn
ment with the idea that he will approx
theuafndly. With his feeling OF re
J spos bility be declares that he can d
nothing of the kind
While the Democrats are delighte
with Mr.. Cleveland's aggressive attitud
with relation to pension bills, the RI
publicans are frothing with indignation
Representative Payne, OF Pennsylvania
= made vicious attack upon what b
= called the Presidents unparalleled MOI
opoly of power, and the republican sid
applauded the yituperation. Mr.. Payr
was insulted beyond expression by Il
faroorffv of fbig man (tha prnsidan
who had sneered at the reports Of con
mittees OF this house and the senat
This man, no soldier, but walking Il
paths OF peace, while these .other me
, imperiled their lives to save the Unio
Some Of the vetoed bills were
grotesque that the president,
his messages, could not reirai