The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1886-05-14
TWO vEToEs.
The President Returns Unsigned Two Pri-
vate Pension IsilIs-JHis Reasons for His

The President Returns Unsigned Two Pri-
vate Pension BilIs-,His Reasons for His
Action.
WAsfnHGToy, May 10.-The following is
thesubstance Of the two messages sent to-
Congress Saturday by the President, veto
ing two private pension bills The first
message is as follows:
ITO fBG HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES: !
return without my approval House bill No.
147. entitled an act increasing the pension
of Andrew j. Hill. The DILL doubles the PEN
sion which the person named therein has
been receiving for number of years Ii APP
pears from the report of the committee to
which the bill was referred that the claims
made by him for increased pension mas
been lately rejected by the Pension Bureau
on the ground that the claimant is now re-
ceiving a pension commensurate with
the degree of disability found to exist
The policy of frequently reversing by
special enactment the decisions OF the
bureau invested by law with the eX-
examination of pension claims, tully
eduipped for such examination, and which
ought not to be suspected of any lack OF
liberality to our veteran soldiers, IS exceed
ingly questionable 1t may well be doubted
if a committee of Congress has better OPP
portunity than such agency to judge
of the merits of his claim. 1t, how
ever there is any lack of power ia
the Pension Bureau for fuu In
vestigation it should be supplied. If the
system adopted is inadequate to do full
Justice to claimants, it should be corrected,
and if there is want of sympathy and con-
sideration for the defenders of our Govern
mefit, the bureau should be reorgsniZed-
The disposition to concede most generous
treatment to the disabled, aged and needy
among our veterans should not be re-
strained, and it must be admitted that in
some cases justice and equity can not be
attained without the charitable tendencies
of the Government in favor Cd worthy OBJ
iects of its care. The conditions some
times Justify resort to special legislation
but am convinced that the interpOsition
by special enactment i'll the granting OF
pensions should be rare and exceptional.
'There has lately been presented me Ola
the SAME day for approval nearly two hum
dred and forty special bills, granting and
increasing pensions and restoring to the
pension list the names of parties
which for cause have been dropped.
To aid executive duty they were re-
feTred to the Pension Bureau for exam
ination and report. After a delay abso--
lutely necessary they have been returned
to me within a few hours of the limit con-
stitutionally provided for the executive
action. Eighty one of these bills
cover cases in which favorable action by
the Pension Bureau was denied by rea-
son of the insufficiency of the testimony
filed to prove the facts alleged.
These bills l have approved on the
assumption that the claims were
meritorious and that, on the passage of
the bills. the Government has waived full
proof of the facts.
81 estimate the expenditure involved in
these bills at more than $4,000 annually.
Though my conception of public duty leads
me to the conclusion upon the slight exam
nation which have been able TO give to
such of these bills as are not en-
braced in the first class above men
toned, that many of them should be-
disapproved, I am utterly unable To-
submit within the time allowed me for
that purpose any objections to the same.
They viii therefore become operative with
out my approval A sufficient reason for
the return of the partic,.la bill now under
consideration is found ia the fact that IL
provides that the name of Andrew j. Hill
be placed on the pension roll, while the rec
ords of the Pension Bureau, as well as the
medical certificate made part of the re-
port, discloses the fact that the name OF the
beneficiary is Alfred j. Hill"
The President vetoed on Saturday also
the House bill increasing the pension OF
Abigail Smith on the ground that the ben
efts of the bill were conferred on the pen
sioner on March 19 by statute.