The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-18

Judge Thurman speaks on the pension
question with the astonishing lack Of IN
formation that has characterized his treat
ment of all matters Of current politics dur
ing the present canvass He says:
haven't counted up the number vetoed or
signed, and / don't care a straw about it but why
didn't the Senate pass these bills over his veto if
they wanted them to pass? They had the power
to do it, and yet they did nothing at all The law
requires that the Senate shall consider all such
bills, and if they don't do it who is to blanle2
This is simply an impudent, shyster-like
trick to shift the responsibility. No one
knows better than Judge Thurman its
falsity, unless it be the papers which have
taken up this utterance and are parading it
as if it were a sufficient answer to all the
criticism of the Presidents malignant vetoes.
In the first place. it is not the law" but
the Constitution which controls It is sim
gular that Mr. Thurman should forget this.
He always claimed to be great Constitu-
tional expert and during the war he was
constantly bristling like the fretful porcu-
pine with provisions" interpretations"
and constructions" of the Constitution
which would prevent the Government doing
anything necessary to put down the rebel
lion. Section 7, Article 1, of the Constitu-
ton, says:
Every bill which shall have passed the House Of
!
come law, be presented TO the President of the
United States If no approve he shall sign IL; but
if not, he shall return it with his objections 10 that
House in which it shall have originated, who shall
enter the objections at large their journal, and
proceed TO reconsider it. If after such reconsdera-
ton two-thirds of that House shall agree to pass
the bill, It shall be sent together with the objoc
tions, to the other House. by which ii shall likewise
be reeonsidered, and if approved by two-thirds of
that House it shall become law.
AS much the greater part of the vetoed
pension bills originated in the Democratic
House of Representatives, they had to be re-
turned to that body and repassed there
before they could go to the Senate.
Is it possible that Judge Thurman, who
claims to have been diHgent student of cur
system of Government all MS long life, who
sat in the Senate for IL years, and who is
now candidate for the second highest Office
in the gift of the people, is ignorant of pro-
vision IN the Constitution which every school
boy is familiar With?
No; the only explanation is that it was
deliberate attempt to confuse the public
judgment by an eudacious misstatement.
Then as to those bills which originated
in the Senate Judge Thurman says that
the Senate had the power to pass over the
veto any bill which it wanted to pass. Now
the article Of the Constitution above quoted
says that a two-thirds vote is necessary to
pass bill over veto. During the present
Congress the Senate has consisted of 81
friends of the President to 80 opponents
How, with party lines drawn as they have
been. and with the President holding club
over the head of every Democratic Senator,
was any two-thirds vote to be got to pass a
bill over the veto?
Surprising that all the Republican Sen
ators were in favor of passing pension bill
over the Presidents veto. It was necessary,
supposing all the Senators to be present, to
get at least u Democratic Senators to join
them. OF the total of 81 of these q were
officers of high rank in the rebel army
another was a member of jeff DaYis's Cabi-
net; still another was q member of the rebel
House Of Representatives and Senate; still
another was Governor of Georgia during the
war, and seven more, representing Southern
States, were almost as closely connected with
the rebellion as if they had actually borne
arms in its support. Here we have 81 of the
81 whose past history and present affiliations
make them naturally opposed to pensions to
Union veterans. There would be small
chance indeed of getting any of them to vote
to pass a pension bill over veto.
The remaining six are Senators Hearst, OF
California; Voorhees, and Turpie, of Indiana
Payne, Of Ohio-Bhose son-in-law is a mem
Der of the Cabinet,-and Mcpherson and
Blodgett, of New Jersey. While they are
all well enough disposed toward the veter,
ans to vote for any just pension bill, it is
{ not expected that they viii carry this friend
ship to the extent of antagonizing then
yindictiye party-ohiei by voting to pass q
pension bill over his veto.
So it is quite clear that when Judge Thur.
man stated that the friends Of the veteran:
in the Senate had the power to pass thes,
bills over the vetoes," he stated what Ii
well knew had no foundation in fact