, 1888-10-04
CHEERS and Kisses.
The Maine Statesman Speaks
in Detroit.
He Arraigns the Democratic
Party
And President Cleveland in
Particular.
Blame in Detroit.

Oct. 0.-lne hepuDlcanS
of Detroit turned out by thousands to
day to listen to Blaine's opening speech
In Michigan. The rink was crowded an
hour before the time set for the opening
proceedings, and from the moment the
Maine statesman appeared at the entrance
until he stepped upon the platform, the
great audience maintained a continuous
cheer, and when he reached the platform
the great yell of welcome assured him
that he was among friends.
Gen. Alger introduced Blaine, who
spoke as follows:
Mr.. Chairman and Fel0w Citizens
Despite the honorable Don Dickinson the
men of New England will still venture to
call the men of Michigan their fellow
citizens. Applause and laughter. 1t was
said at the beginning of our government
that the veto power was an anomaly in a
republic. In assuring the preservation of
constitutional liberty in that great docu-
ment our ancestors largely copied from
British precedent which their ancestors
had brought with them when they came
to America. In England there has not
Geen a veto by the crowno of an act of
parliament since the revolution of 1858,
200 years ago this year, so it struck them
as of the people in the colonies, accus-
toned as they were to British law, that
to give a president the right to veto any
act of congress and to require a
veto of two-thirds of the senate and
two-thirds OF the house to override
that veto, was to confer upon a president
the most extraordinary power. 1t gave
hin, nnuar IN tho Sanatn nnl hnnSa opniu
alent to one-slxth of the whole legislative
power of the government. The differ
ence between the majority of one and a
vote of two thirds amounted to one-sixth
of the whole power of congress, so that
one president to day yields the legislative
power of thirteen senators and titty-four
representatives when in his executive
capacity he vetoes a bill. A power so ex-
traordinary was naturally used with great
caution by our earlier presidents.
General Washington in eight years used
it twice; the first Adams never used it at
all; Jefferson, considered very enormously,
but still considered by modern Democracy
as their great prototype, III eight years,
never used it at all; Madison in eight
years used it three times; Monroe used it
once; John Quincy Adams never. So
that in the first forty years the national
government measuring from Washington
to Jackson, from 1889 to 1929, tie
veto power had been used only six times.
Then came in the great leader of the
present Democratic party, as it has been
organized for the last sixty years. Gen.
Andrew jackson upon the mention of
Jackson's name a number of vociferous
Democrats in the hall set up a yell of APP
plause, to which Blaine replied: Gen.
IonEGnn n Npnrthy nf NnDT
cheers; because, however, his contempt
raries, or those who nave succeeded him,
differed from him on certain great
questions, they remember that the
first effort OF the disunlonists were
were s~tranRled in the cradle by that grand
old hero. This quick and happy retort
upon the would be disturbers of the
meeting was received by the great audi
ence with an outburst of hearty cheers.
After these had sunk into quiet, Blaine
continued. In the next forty years the
veto was used sixty times and of these
sixty times over fifty of them were by
Democratic presidents applause so that
the party which processes to be so intense,
ly Democratic. has been uniformly one
which resoIted to the one man power to
thwart the popular will Up to March 4,
1885, when the present president of the
United States was inaugurated the veto
power of the government had been used
IN all about ninety-ive times, that was
from 1889 to 1885, one hundred years
lacking four, and now Cleveland at this
point the dlscordant element in the gal
lery as ii by concentrated arrangement
broke out with applause for Cleveland,
which was Immediately and theoretically
drowned by a deluge of Kisses from the
body of the audience
Resuming, Blaine said: Cleveland
in three and one-half years has used thu
veto over three hundred times cheer.
and cries of hear, hear or hac wher
| left New York, the day before yester
day. How many time he has used i
since ] do not know [cheers and laugh
teri and Of those vetoes by President
Cleveland have been used 2O6 to proven
a pitiful pension of 81 a moth or S. a
month, a few, [ believe, of $12 a month
to worn down and starving soldiers of the
United States [cheers and cries of hear,
hear and he is the first president Of the
United States that ever vetoed a bill fol-
the relief of a soldier that had offered his
body to the cannon shot and shell of the
enemy of his country, [Cheers.
[ wish | had those vetoes here and hae
time to dwell upon them. They have al
been issued in pamphlet form and the!
furnish a s~uccinct exposition of the differ
euce between the Republican and tn
Democratic parties cf to day as to the
manner of treating the soldiers of the re
public. | commend it as one of the hes
%political documents in print. Mark, Mr.
Chairman, there was not in any one o