Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1886-07-07
SCoRCH|NG THE PRESIDENT,
The Senate Committee on Pensions Find
Much Fault With the Recent
Veto Message.
Work Of Congress for the Coming Week
as Mapped Out by the Special
Committee.
Notes Of All Kind, Personal and POliti.
cal From the Capital Of the
Nation.

I >'vs0o Va All AAAUS u SOAnl anu OAAtA
/ cal From the Capital Of the
i Nation.
WAsHsN0ToN. July 4.-The Senate Commit
tee on Pensions in their report recommend
ing the passage over the Presidents veto o
the bill granting pension to Mary A
n Not eege fass' 80 ErsAt has become tn
Il number OF snch vetoes interpossd by Il,
present executive, all within few week.
past, and so extraordinary the censur
sometimes rudely expressed and in nearl,
every instance severely rejecting on tn,
action OF the houses OF Congress and o
their committees, upon which has devolvet
the Wearisome and generally unappreciated
labor OF investigating these claims accom-
panied in many cases by such ridicule Of,
and seeming disgust with the cla inns them
selves, that your committee feel that they
are justified in the act in view OF the cir.
cumstances involved. In doing this, a
strong effort will be made to restrain any
unnatural feeling OF indignation which. il
permitted to assume the proper.
! tion the provocation justiies would
| wholly destroy those respectful
| forms OF expression which must be main
| tanned in the official intercourse between
different officers and departments OF the
Government. This becomes more neces-
| sary in proportion - it is rendered more
difficult by reason OF the unjust and unex-
! ampled style in which some OF the messages
! ot the President are expressed. It shall be
20 NJ of lrH
this difficult matter without violating the
courtesies oi official intercourse by imitat-
ing the example which SO far as we are con-
| cerned shall remain SO. The Committee
proceeds TO show that &c per cent OF the
Senate bills and only 81 per cent OF the
House bills submitted to the President
have been vetoed and says it is not insen-
sible to the special condemnation which
this disparaging contrast inflicts. "Much
criticism the report continues, 'has been
INDUCED in by the President on the methods
Of legislation pursued by the two Houses
OF Congress, and however informed he may
be upon the subject, and however un.
Intentionally by reason Of want OF
knowledge he may have misrepresented to
the country the methods of legis-
lation which have been pursued in
like cases ever since Congress and Parlia-
ment have existed, and which have, since
Parliament became free, been safe from
kingly and Presidential interference. All
the same the people are misled by the un-
warranted statements OF the President as
to the manner in which legislation upon
the Pensions claims and the like is and of
necessity must be conducted. The Pen
sion business OF the Senate has never been
better done than during this session. Those
members Of the Committee who have rer.
formed the most of it have been as careful
as any and the derision of their patient
conscientious and exhausting labors to
help along the noble band OF the beet--por<
tions OF Gods po n and the country bene-
factors, can originate only in a wise and
noble nature which is misled, or in one That
ii informed, sadly needs reconstruction or
recreation
The report embodies copy OF instruc.
tions by the Assistant Secretary of the In
terror to the Committee OF Pensions as fol
lows: please cause the same to be criti.
cally examined and report to this depart.
ment whether in Your opinion auy obiec-
tiohs to Their approval are known to ex-
list. In cases where objectiors exist they
should be specifically set iorth.' This in
deates, the committee says, that the
President relies upon the committee for his
facts. The report continues: why the
President should initiate this game OF shut
lie cock and pelt a coordinate department
OF the government with vetoes, based upon
a review OF the action OF Congress by some
Of the Commissioner OF Pen |
sionsis a topic which will be thought strange
but perhaps may be left without discus. |
sion. Why, the finding OF Congress should |
be discredited and attributed to
motives. indifference or
incapacity, while the re.assertion by a pen.
sion clerk that he is right and Congress |
wrong, is accepted as q basis fact in these |
numerous vetoes is hard to perceive, |
but all throughout these vetoes there seems |
TO run a fallacy that the power Of Congress
to grant pensions is limited to what may
already be done by the pension Office under |
general law. It is difficult to write in that |
rndimentarv way upon the nature OF pen |
sions and the various grounds OF compen-
sation, charity and public policy which is
necessary in order to remove this impress !
sion. 1t is sufficient to observe that the |
Jurisdiction Of the legislative power of this |
government is larger than that Of the Com
missioner OF Pensions, and that sooner or
later, although it may cost the country |
a prolonged and steady effort, this !
truth will become apparent, but it
should be remembered that in a very large
number OF these bills passed by Congress
the import ant original written evidence is |
filed with the committee or presented YER.
bally as in the hearings before the other
upon all public questions which |
come before the legislative bodies, and |
often the applicant is present with his
stn tement and his palpable disabilities. |
This evidence is not available to the Ex-
ecutive, at least without asking, and it |
never has been in the possession OF
the Pension Office. Consequently in |
nearly every :.case the Congressional
statement stands upon stronger proof than
the finding OF facts which the President set |
up in disapproval of the bill.
POSTAL CLERK TROUBLES.
The attention OF Postmaster-General |
Villas was to-day called to statement tels- |
Rraphed from Indianapolis that the Grand |
Lodge OF Railway Postal Clerks in session
there had telegl laphed him asking IF he |
would receive a committee in the hope OF |
securing aa amicable settlement OF the |
troubles OF the clerks, and il he would |
not reply The Postmaster General said |
that what little noise is being made out |
West is directly traceable to the clerks re.
Gently dismissed from the service for good I
and sufficient cause. "They were trying
by a little bluster" he said "to create dis.
trust and uneasiness among other OF the
clerks, but they are not succeeding. Ihave
Tor some time been in possession Of copy
Of their bylaws and know to a man who
are the instigators and what is being said
and DONE
Work of congress.
WASHINGTON, July 4.-The programme
outlined by the "steering Committee" for
the conducting OF business in the House
during the coming week, is made up OF the
appropriation bills and land grant forfeit.
ure bills. When the House meets to-mor
row the Appropriations Committee will
make an effort to have the regular suspen-
sion day passed over in order to continue
the consideration OF the deficiency ap
bill. Before final action is
reached on that measure the Notifications
appropriation bill will have been placed on
the calendar. As the committee has cut
down the appropriations far below the de-
partmental estimates in preparing that