The National tribune., 1888-07-05
CONGRESS.
An Abstract of the More Important
Proceedings in Both Houses.
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 81.


Senator Sawyer was in his seat in the Senate
Chamber to-day the advance guard of the re-
turning Chicago pilgrims. The other Senators
and members will be back tomorrow and then
q determined effort will be made to settle down
to business and to secure an adjournment be-
fore September. The leaders of both Houses
frankly acknowledge that it is many years
since the business of Congress has been in such
q state of confusion aud backwardneSs, and
they do not now look for adjournment before
the middle of August The status of the an
nual appropriation bills four days before the
end of the fiscal year will give an idea of the
way legitimate business has been sidetracked
for the tariff debate, political conventions, and
like causes. The regular appropriation bills
are now IN the following stages of progression
The Customs Deficiency, the Special Deficiency,
| the Urgent Deficiency, the Military Academy,
and the Pension Bills have become laws. The
Agricultural the Consular and Diplomatic the
| District of Columbia the Indian, the Legisla-
| tive, the Postolfice, and the River and Harbor
Bills have passed the House and Senate, and
are now III Conference Committee or on their
way there. The Army, the Navy, and the
Sundry Civil Bills have passed the House only,
and the regular Deficiency and the Fortifca-
ton Bills have not yet been reported to the
House from the Appropriation Committee. The
anxiety on the part of both Democrats and
Republicans to begin the political campaign
may induce them to hasten matters somewhat,
but unless all signs fail, the dog days will find
Congress still grinding away.
THURSDAY, JUNE %.
Senator Davis submitted the report of the
Committee on Pensions upon eight vetoed PEN
sion bills, the merits of which the report dis
cusses in detail, and the passage of which it
recommends, the objection of the President not
withstanding. The more interesting and i'm
portant features of the report are embodied in
a discussion of the veto power and the dangers
with which, in the opinion of the committee
Its too frequent exercise is fraught. Ii says in
part:
Since the 9th day of May 1856 136 special acts
granting pensions to individuals have been dis
approved by the President. Legislation of this
character has been matter of settled and favored
poicy Tor very long period, commencing before
the civil war. These disappro walls were based in
great majority of cases, upon the expressed opinion
OF the President that Congress has erred IN its
Judgment upon mere questions of fact such as the
Incurreuce OF disability in the service or whether
death from disease or casualty asserted TO be the
secondary result of some disease incurred in the
service ought TO be held, upon the testimony to be
SO refcrable, or whether the proof before Congress
showed the existence of any disability whatever.
The files of papers in these vetoed cases, which
are in possession OF your committee contain letter
OF the Assistant Secretary of the Interior, under
dtte OF June a. 1856, stating That nc lncOscs en-
rolled bills as follows, euuneTatng lis House bills
aud Ill Senate bills, and iustructing tic Commits
sioner of Pensions as follows: Pleausc cause the
same 20 be critically examined and report TO this
Department whether, in your opinion, any Ob2c-
tons to their approval are known to exist. In
cases where objections exist they should be specific
ally set FORTH
That this method of procedure still continues is
apparent from several messages now in question.
Ihe result IS that the decision Of Congress upon the
facts in reversal of the decisions Of the Bureau of
Pensions are referred by the President to that
bureau Tor " examination and report aud for any
such objections to their approval as are known to
exist IN which cases such objections to DC
specifically set FORTH
il of fI,a 10,
examine the mass of documentary evidence upon
which each case depends and which is invariably
examined by the committee, and it follows that
when he disagrees with Congress upon the ques-
tOus of fact in these cases his Judgment must be
based not upon the reports Of the committees, III
Whlch the facts are always stated with sufficient
iuiiness, but upon the report OF subordinate
in the Bureau of Pensions. This Bureau, whose
action Congress has reversed is thus enabled to
review the action OF Congress by the express di-
rection of the President
1t cannot be maintained upon any fair oonstruc-
ton of the Constitution that the power OF Execu-
tive disapproval ought to be exercised upon acts of
this character for the sole that the President
differs in opinion from Congress upon mere ques-
uon OF the weight OF testimony, or upon the ex-
pedieney of a special act which subseryes proper
general purpose and which imperils power of
any other Department.
The present Chief Executive has disapproved 1872
bills or these 1876 are bills granting pensions to
individuals. All OF his predecessors vetoed but
1873 bills. None of his predecessors vetoed any acts
of this character, except President Grant who dis
approved but five and none of these were INSANE
| the facts. The bill to pension Abigail Ryan was
disapproved by President Grant because her name
was already on the rolls that TO pension Ann
Montgomery was disapproved merely to enable
Congress TO correct an ambiguity in the act, and
thereby to benefit the soldiers children; that to
pension r. B. Crawford because lie was already en-
JOying all the pension the general law allowed
him that to pension Lewis Hinely because his
true name was Heiniig; that to pension Eliza Jane
BIumber because the company to which her hus-
band belonged was misdescribed In the bill. These
bills were disapproYed by this great soldier ard
patriot, who knew aud felt the obligations of the
Nation to its defenders, not for the purpose of de-
feating relief, but to enable relief to be granted By
amendments or because relief had previously been
given. The veto power was odiuus to the founders
of the Government The first count in the Deciara-
ton Of Independence against the King of Great
Britain Is that lie has refused his assent to laws
good"
The inordinate proportions TO which the exeeu-
tive power has grown during the last . years,
through the tendency TO combinations through
the production OF those great subjects of admins
traton which have come under Executive control
through Its Departments; through the political in
Hucnce of ofliceholders and through the discretion
airy power of the Executive over an enormous
financial system give Just cause for apprehension
To admit that these powers, which have increased
which are increasing, and which ought to be di-
minished, can be reinforced by constitutional ex-
ercise OF the veto power upon the action of Con
gress upon subjects clearly within its province and
its duty, and involving not the least infringement
upon any other Department, is 10 admit power
totally subversive OF the ends of Government and
destructive 10 the Federal Constitution.
Numerous amendments were made to the
river and harbor bill, and it was laid aside
after 81 pages had been considered
Senators Sherman, Allison, Henderson, Col
quit and Berry were designated as the COM
mittee on the part of the Senate to attend the
Centennial Exposition at Cincinnati The
conference report on the Diplomatic aud Con-
sular bill was presented by Mr.. Hale and
agreed to.
Mr. Hale said that the only point on which
there was failure to agree was the amend
ment reported from the Committee on Foreign
Relations, and adopted by the Senate for a
Scientific Commission to the Upper Congo Ba-
sin. To that the House conferrees were very
strongly opposed. The Senate insisted OH the
amendment.
The joint resolution extending for 80 days
the appropriations for the current fiscal year
where the regular appropriation bills may not
have passed before June 30, was presented and
referred to the Committee on Appropriations.
The Senate then took up the army appro-
priation BILL 1t was partially considered, and
the Senate at $40 adjourned.
The House went into Committee of the Whole
(Mr. Springer, of Illinois, in the chair on the
tariff bill.
Mr.. Baker IN " moved to strike from the
free list vegetables in their natural state or in