The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1886-07-29
The VETO POWER.


Cons: itutionaI Weapon of Defense
Bayn-'s Abuse-Mr. CIeveland's Capacity
TO Treat Details.
The Presidents vetoes of pension
bills have been constant, and in almost
every case his statement of reasons has
been conclusive. In some instances
there may be good reasons for recon
6ideration. But the action of the
President shows 4 devotion to duty and
a resolution not to suffer injustice to
be done to the people by careless APP
preparations of public money. which
will receive the most general and
hearty approval. Here are some il
! Illustrations of the vetoed bills:
Simmons ". Harden got a bill passed
! granting him pension for enlargement OF
/ the heart, which he asserts was the result OF
| falling out of a wagon fourteen years befOi e
/ the disease developed. The bill granting a
! pension to Alb gail Smith was vetoed because
! it gave her q less amount than she was al
| ready receiving. Another instance of care
| less legislation is shown in the veto of Il bill
! for the relief of Andrew J. Hill, when the pa
pers show that the claimants name is Alfred.
James Buffers bill was vetoed because he
was never in the army; he enlisted on August
4
goodbye fell into cellar and broke his leg en-
route, and WAS discharged September 10.
Harriet Welshs bill was vetoed because she
admits that She married the man for whose
Service she claims a pension when she had
another husband living undivOrced. John ID
Ham was drafted into the army; he was en-
rolled, and the next day started for home; he
fell of his horse. broke his ankle, and was not
placed on the rolls of his regiment. James c.
Chandler applied for a pension at the Pension
Office because he was run over by Il wagon in
In 10 n
another application OH account of bronchitis
This was also denied Then he made Il third
for rheumatism. and that was denied also.
Finally he went to Congress, and got bill
passed on all three of his claims"
There are many others quite as eX-
traOrdinary. To prevent such waste
of the public money is simple duty of
the President, and the attacks which
have been made upon him for discharg-
ing MS duty are exceedingly discred-
liable to those who make them. The
attacks proceed upon the general as
sumption that any man who was a
soldier is entitled to have his claim
for relief honored in full in the
precise form in which he makes it,
and without regard to the facts.
Of course nothing could be more alb
surd.
Many of the bills are laws of Con-
gress overriding the decision of the
Pension Bureau. The President acts,
therefore, as a Judge of appeal, and de-
cides upon the facts in evidence, re-
capitulating them in his message. The
assertion that the constitution does not
contemplate this kind of detailed re-
vision of the acts of Congress by the
Executive is idle and wholly unfounded.
To the extent of the veto the President
is made a most important part of the
legislative power, and he acts under
the precise obligation that binds any
member of Congress. His duty re-
quires him to consider details quite as
much as the duty of the Representa-
tive requires him to do the same thing,
and when it is obvious that details
have been neglected by Congress, it is
the especial duty of the Executive to
correct the result of the neglect.
Mr.. Bayne, of Pennsylvania, III
his extraordinary vituperation of
the President as this man" who was
almost transcending his authority, and
mo better than any other American
citizen, and not the equal of any man
who periled his life and went out to
save the Union wholly forgot that he
was speaking of an officer of the Gov
eminent who acted under obligations
quite as important and binding as
those of Mr. Bayne himself, and that
even if the President had been a shirk
and coward-which he was not
that fact is not reason that Mr.. Bayne
and his associates should be allowed to
take money improperly from the pub
lie treasury. The reasons of the PreSi-
dents vetoeS arc submitted to the
country, and the country will Judge
whether they are we'll founded. No
honorable soldier will think him I'M
friendly to soldiers because he refuses
to countenance dishonest claims even
when preferred in the name of sol
der; and every good citizen, conscious
that the President is an honest man,
and that the country is not ungcnerous
to the soldiers, will support him in his
defense of the just rights of all the pco-
pie.
There is general feeling that the
veto power should be used sparingly.
But ii would be better to say that Con-
gress ought not to furnish frequent oc-
caSions for its exercise. The number
of President Cleveland vetoes is great,
but they all affect what is substantially
the same act of legislation, an act OF
infinite details. namely, the granting
of pensions. The veto power is one of
the most important and valuable
checks of our Government. 1t belongs
to the system which wisely separates
the republic from the simple democ-
racy, or the constant, immediate
rule of the majority. 1t is a power
provided by the majority for its own
restraint. and nothing proves more
completely the wisdom of our popular
government than the fact of the adop-
ton by the majority of provisions
which prevent hasty action. The Pres
ident does not intend to slight his duty.
and he has announced that he will
consider all bills carefully be-
fore signing them. He gives fair
notice that he will not be hur-
ried, and Congress has learned that
his words plainly express his purposes.
His duty is largely duty of detail.
His ability is shown by his disposition
and capacity to treat details. 1t is a
quality of great administrative ability.
1t is sometimes condemned as the sign
of routine officer. But it is the
quality which distinguished Gladstone
as financial Minister, and it was a
striking trait in Napoleon. The two
chief executive functions in our Gov !
eminent are the appointment of agents |
through whom to execute the laws, |
and the approval of laws to execute.
They are both matters of detail, and to |
object to careful Executive attention |
to them is to object to the Executive |
office. The exercise of the veto power |