Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1886-07-29
THE VETO POWER.

tho Ch1et Executive Co y free use OF =
| Constitutional Weapon of Defense
Bayne'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-
sideration. But the action of the
President shows a 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 bill passed
granting him a pension for enlargement OF
the heart which he asserts was the result OF
falling out OF wagon fourteen ms years before
pension to Abigail Smith was vetoed because
it gave her less amount than she was al
ready receiving. Another instance of care
less legislation is shown in the veto of a bill
for the relief of Andrew j. Hill when the pa
pers show that the claimants name is Alfred.
James Buffers bill vetoed because he
was never in the army; he enlisted on August
3d. 1864 got leave to go home to bid his friends
goodbye, fell into cellar and broke his leg en-
route, and WAS discharged September 10.
Harriet Welsh's 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 d
Ham was drafted into the army: he was en-
rolled, and the next day started for home; he
fell Off his horse. broke his ankle, and was not
placed on the rolls of his regiment James C.
! Chandler applied for pension at the Pension
Office because he was run over by a wagon in
1862. This was denied him. Then he entered
This was also denied Oh Then he made third
for rheumatism. and that was denied also:
Finally he went te 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 his 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 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, in
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 shirk
! and a coward-which he was not
! that fact is not areason 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 are submitted to the
| country, and the country will Judge
| whether they are we'll founded No
i 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 ungenerous
to the soldiers, will support him in his
defense of the just rights of all the peo-
| pie.
There is a general feeling that the
veto power should be used sparingly.
But il would be better to say that Con-
gress ought not to furnish frequent oc-
casions for it's exercise. The number
of President Cleveland 8 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 a routine officer. But it is the
quality which distinguished Gladstone
as financial Minister, and it was
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
by President Cleveland has been
neither reckless nor unjust. 1t has
been due to a sincere desire to secure
wise legislation, and it has been care
full, intelligent and patriotic. The
moro If il considered by the country