Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1886-06-09
Presidential Vetoes.
fCarp in Cleveland Leader. |

lCarp in Cleveland Leader.
The numerous vetOeS which PreS1-
dent Cleveland has been making lately
in pensions and other things has called
nv attention to the history Of the
veto power. This is the greatest pre-
rogative of the President, and it was
much more respected in times past
than it is now. Until the days OF
Andrew Johnson no veto of a. presl-
dent was ever overruled, and the pres
idents in early days were very careful
about vetoing bills passed by Congress.
Up to the days Of John Tyler there had
been only twenty vetoes, although
5000 legislative acts had been passed
during that time. OF these twenty
eight were on bills of littleimportance,
and they did not cause remark. The
remaining vetoes related chiefly to the
bank of the United States, the ques-
ton of internal improvements. and
the distribution of public lands among
the states. Gen. Washington made
two vetoes, and one of these was of the
bill reducing the army of the United
States in 1897. This was very un-
popular, and it was almost overruled
BY Congress. Madison vetoed bank
bill once, and also one providing for
internal improvements. Jackson
vetoed nine bills, Tyler six, and Polk
two.
Pierce used the veto nine times, and
Buchanan vetoed g. homestead bill
which reduced the price Of the public
lands to rs cents an acre.
President Lincoln did not veto bills
which he did not like as general
thing. He would send back the bills
with the objections he had to them,
approving OF the bill in general perhaps,
and Congress would obviate these OBJ
jections by supplementary legislation.
Andrew Johnson 8 Administratlon was
a continuous succession of vetoes, and
Congress almost continually passed
the bills over JohnsOn's head by g.
two-t thirds vote. 1t was during his
administration that the first veto was
overridden by Congress, and since then
vetoes have generally held good.
The pocket veto is used by the pres
ident at the close OF the term Of Con-
gress. It affects only bills which come
to the president toward the close of
the session. He has the right to re-
tain bills ten days before sending
them back to Congress, and if the bills
are given to him during the last week
of the congressional session he has
only to retain them and they are g.
nullity, even though nine-tenths of the
Congress should wish to pass them
over his veto. Johnson had not much
chance to use this pocket veto, be-
cause Congress saw that the bills were
gotten in long before the close of the
session. Still, on March 3, 1869, he
used it IN regard to three bills. But
these were passed as soon as Congress
met again, and were Immediately
signed by President Grant.
President Grant used the veto upon
the bills to increase the amount of
greenbacks to $4OO,O0O,OOO and up
on the bill to repeal the increase of
the presidents salary to $4,000.
President Hayes had a number of We
toes, and President Arthur vetoed a.
bill to restrict Chinese immigration,
also river and harbor bill of about
$50, 100000, and the Fitz John Por-
ter bill.
Four of the states, Delaware, North
Carolina, Ohio, and Rhode Island,
have never given their governors the
veto power. In most of the other
states vetoes more or less limited are
allowed.