The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-04
THE PRESIDENTS VEYOES
A SHARP CRITICISM OF THE EX-
ECUTIVE BY THE
Senate Committee on Pensions
Why the Evidence Does Not
Always Agree.


WASHINGTON, d. O., July 3-The
Senate Commit ee on Pen;ionP, in lis
report recon mending the psss age over
the Pfesidsnt's veto Of tie bill grant
ing a pension to Mary j. Ncttage,
says: $50 great has b. come the mum
Der OF tuch vetOes interpo cd by the
present Exc Il i've, all within a few
weeks past, and so extraordinary the
cen ure, some tines rudely expressed
and ia nearly every Instances s3versly
implied OF the action OF the two
houses OF Congress and Of their COM
mittess, upon which has devolyed the
wesrisome and generally unappre-
cisted labor of investigating theIe
Gains, accompanied in many cases
by such ridicuie, OF evident disgust,
with the claims themselves, that your
committee feels that they are justified
in brief review of the circumstances
involved. In doing this, strong
effort will be made to restrain not
unnatural feeling OF indignation,
which, il permitted 10 assume the
proportions which the provocaiion
justifisP, would wholly destroy these
repeutful forms Of expression which
must be maintained in official inter
course between the different officers
aud departments OF the government.
This becomes the more necessary in
proportion rs IL Is rendered the more
difficult by reason Of the unjust and
unexampled ttyle in which some OF
the messages OF the President are ex-
pressed. 1t shall be the effort OF the
committee to get on this difficult mat.
ter without violaliog the couresies OF
official interc lurss by imi ating an ex-
ample which, 90 far ss We are aware,
Is without precedent, and which, 70
lar as we are concerned, shall remain
So" The committee proceeds to show
that &c per cent. of the Seoate bills,
and only 81 per cent. OF the House
bills subm tied to the President, have
been vetoed, and it says it is no, in
sensible TO the special condemDa ion
which this disparsging contrast in
fiicts. "Much criticism" the report
continues, shes been INDUCED in by
the President OF the methods OF legis-
lation pursued by the two houses OF
Congress, and however uninformed he
may be upon the subject, and however
unintentionally, by reason OF want
OF kno Wedge, he msy have misrepre'
sented TO the country the methods OF
legislation which have been pursued
in like cases ever eince Congresses and
Parliaments have existed, and which
have, since Parliament became free,
been safe from Kipgly and Pretiden-
tial interference, all the same, the PEG.
pls are misled by the unwsrranted
statement OF the President as 10 the
manner in which legislation upon pen
sions, claims and the like, is and OF
OF necessity must be conducted.
The pension business Of the Senate
has never been better done than dur
ing this SESSION. Those members of
the committee who have performed
the most have been as careful as any,
and derision OF their patient, consci-
entious and exhausting laborJ to help
the noblest and best portion Of good
poor and the courtry's benelactors,
can originate only in wise and noble
nature which is misled, or in one that,
formed, sadly needs reconstruction or
recreation"
The report embodies a copy Of the
instructions by the Assistant Secretary
Of the Interior to the Commissioner OF
Pensions, as follows: please cause
the came to be critically examined,
and report TO this department whether
in your opinion, any objections to
their approval are known 10 exist. In
cases where objections exist they
should be pecifisally Get FORTH"
This indicates, the committee Gays,
Enthusiastically that the President relies
upon the Commissioner for the facts.
The report continues: "Wby the
President should initiate this game OF
shuttlecock and pelt coordinate de-
psrtment Of the government with
vetoes base upon the review OF the
action OF Congress by some subordinate
of the Commissioner OF Pensions is q
topic which will bear thought, but
perhaps may be left without discus
sion. Why the finding Of the two houses
OF Congress should be discredited
and attributed to unworthy motives,
indifference, or incapacity while the
rsas e,tion by the Pension Clerk that
he is right and Congress wrong, is &C.
cepted as the basis OF fact in these
numerous vetoes, it Is hard to per.
ceive. But all through. these veloes
there seems to run the fallacy that the
power Of Congress ID grant pensions
is limited TO what may already be
done by the Pension Office under the
general law. 1t is difficult to write in
that rudimentary way upon the nature
of pensions and the various grounds
OF compensation, charity and public
policy viii h is necessary in order to
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 the
Commissioner of Pensions, and that
sooner or later, although IL may cost
the country prolonged and steady
effort, tnis truth will bsCome apparent.
But IL should bs remembered that in
very large number Of thSss bills
passed by Congress important original
written evidence is followed with the
committees or presented verbally, as
in hearings before other commntees
upon all public questions which come
before legis alive bodies; aud often
the applicant ia present with his ttate,
ment and his palpsble liabilities.
This evidence is not available 10 the
Elk culive, at least without the ssking,
ant never has been in possession OF
the Pention Office. Consequently in
nearly evsry cass the Congressional
statement stands upon siroa ger proof
than the finding of facts which the
President sets up in disapproval OF the
bill"