Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-07-08
VET0ES A BITTER PILL.
THE SENATE STOOPs TO THE
LEVEL OF BILLINGSGA ATE.

W AShINGI ION, UulH tn luo SChdbS
to-day MIR. Plumb presented the petition
OF John A. kirkpatrick, a pension bin in
whose favor had been vetoed. The petit
ti0n was read in full. He asks the Sem
ate to do him a small act of justice and
pass the bin over the veto. 1t was evi-
dent, he said, that in vetolng this bill the
President had relinquished his office and
made himself merely the mouthpiece OF
some Quill-drivlng slave of that circum-
locution shop, the pension office. Ii the
President had read the papers he never
would have been 80 silly" He appeals
to Congress and against the malignant in
justice of the President. The petition
was referred TO the Committee on Pen
SiOns.
YETOES BEFORE TIE HOUSE.
The Speaker laid before the House to-
day u veto messages transmitted by the
President yesterday. The first message
read was referred without commentto the
Committee on Invalid Pensions, but the
disposition of the next message, VetOlng
the bill granting pension to Edwin NJ.
Harrington, consumed more time. Mr..
MatsOn, of Indiana, moved its reference,
pending which Mr.. Holmes, of Iowa, stat
ing that reference OF the bill would be the
end of it, moved that It's consideration be
postponed until Friday next. This mo-
tion was defeated by avOte of 9S yeas co
l2l navs.
Mr. Burrows, of Michigan, moved to
amend Mr.. Matson's motion by adding in
struotOns requiring the Committee on
Invalid Pensions TO report the bill and
message back on Friday. MIR. Matson
hoped that this would not be done. He
could see no good reason why this bill
should be singled out for a report on
Friday from among number OF vetoed
bills before the committee.
JACKSON ATTACKS THE PRESIDENT.
MIR. Jackson, of Pennsylvania, attacked
the veto policy of the President, who, he
declared, was not actuated by any regard
for the worth and merit OF private pension
bills. His reason for vetoing bills was
not that they were unworthy. HIS reason
was apparent on the face of his messages.
He was in sympathy with the party OPP
posed to penei0ninG Union soldiers, and
he dld not propose that any Union soldiers
should be pensioned II he could avoid it.
1t was said that the President meant
right.
A SLAP AT THE SOUTH.
He did mean right to please a certain
element in the country, but not right to
please the honest, loyal people.
Mr.. McMillen, OF Tennessee-The pres
ent President has signed more private
pension bills than any other President III
the same space of time.
MIR. Jackson-And he has vetoed ten
times more good ones than all the other
Presidents put together.
Mr.. Perkins, of Kansas, addressed him
self TO consideration OF the pending
message, and criticised the position taken
by the President that the government
should not assure its soldiers against
quarrelsome pr0pensities or unprOVoked
assaults.
FAIR PLAY FOR THE PRESIDENT.
Mr.. MatsOn thought that the mes
sages should be considered carefully. The
gentlemen on the other side seemed anX-
i0us to get at the President. The Demo-
Gratis were determined that the President
should have fair play, and they would
stand by that position. Applause. 1t
was not fair play to the President 10 un-
dertake upon hasty consideration to pass
bill over his veto.
Mr.. Bragg, OF Wisconsin, said that
there seemed to be an idea in the House
that it was the duty of the President to
abdicate his office in favor Of the majority
of the Committee ou Invalid Pensions.
RAISING A ROW.
Whenever, in the exercise Of the con-
stitutional prerogative gwen him, he *
amned legislation To see whether or not
1t was provident and wise, it was charged
that he had perpetrated an outrage on
the American people. He Mr.. Bragg
maintained that the President was
honestly dischargng his duty when, in
the exercise of his judgment, he sent
legislation back to the House with his
reason Tor Withholding his approval. The
House should act upon the question, not
with demagOgical speeches, but with
judicial and deliberate consideration.
He (Mr. Bragg was glad To
lind that at last there was man in the
executive chamber who mad the nerve
and courage to place his hand upon legis-
lation when he thougnt it improper,
whether it were pension or railroad legls-
lation. Applause.
CONGRESS TOO LIBERAL.
Congress had gone altogether too far in
the way of pension LEGISLATION. But
there was a class Of soldiers for whom
there never was a voice raised in the
House. They were toe men VINO in April,
May, June and July, 1861, filled the ranks
of the army, actuated only by
a patriotic desire to sustain the
went further IN pensioning the dead wood
of the army, it should make some provis-
ION TOR tue men who went TO the front in
1861. He sent TO the clerks desk and had
read a letter from one OF these men who
IS at the Hampton Soldiers Home, COM
mendng his course in regard to pensions,
ridiculing the policy of Congress and
making use of such strong expressions
as to lead Nr. Browne, Of Indiana, to in
quire sarcastcallY whether it was veto
message that was being read.
Mr.. Burrows motion to instruct was
lost by vote Of 100 yeas to 1874 nays, and
the message was referred to the Com
mittee on Invalid Pensions.
BROWNE GROWS BITTER.
The next message was one Yetoing the
bill granting a pension to Catherine Nc
Carthy. Mr.. Watson moved it's reference
TO tie Committee on Invalid Pensions.
and Mr.. Browne moved instructions re-
curing the committee to report it back
on or before Monday next. Mr.. Browne
criticised the action of the President and
invoked GODS mercy on the man who had
the heart to veto a bill for the relief of
the widow of a man VINO died in the line
OF duty to his country. He saroastically
reflected upon the manner in which the
experienced soldier, commander-in-
chief of the army, treated his comrades
His Excellency belonging to that class of
men who during the war were afraid OF
nothing but danger, but now stood yalor-
ously armed, cap-a-pie, with vetoes in
his hand between unfortunate soldiers
and the treasury Of the United States.
THE GREAT OBJRCToR.