The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1888-10-18
WIT IS TIE TR0Ta?

1864 bills, while only vetoing 1919. This
statement was made one of the corner-stones
of the defense of the President in the House
of Representatives Aug 2, 1888, by L. F. Nc
Kinney, of New Hampshire, which defense
was undoubtedly directly inspired from the
White House, if not partially prepared there
Mr.. Mckinney, said:
The number of private pension bills approved
by President Cleveland, or allowed to become laws
by him by Limitation, to July "a, 1888 were ,264
During President Clovelaud's administration he
has vetoed OF private pension bills 1873; bills failed
for want Of signature S. And for this he is called
the enemy of the Union soldier strange way TO
show his enmity. Had he desired to show his
opposition TO pensioning soldiers how much better
he could have done il by vetoing the I,264 and
allowing the 1919 TO pass.
This statement, coming in such an authori-
tative form, was and is made the text of all
who are striving to show that after all the
President has really been quite friendly to
the veterans.
Like the generality of utterances regard
ing the veterans from that source, this is
mainly made up of misstatements cunningly
arranged to deceive.
What are the absolute facts?
During the first session of the 10th Con-
gress 747 private pension bills were passed,
of which he signed 491, vetoed 1O1, took no
action on 154, which accordingly became
laws by Constitutional limitation, and We
toed one by poclreting until after adjourn
ment.
During the second session $50 bills were
passed, of which he signed 1876, vetoed %,
took no action on 2, and vetoed % by with
holding them until after adjournment.
His record for the 49th Congress there
fore stands thus:
Bills passed.
Bills signed.
Failed of approval.
OF these:
Became laws by Constitutional liniatons..,....156
Pocket 'YetOed 81
Total
Paragraph 2, Section 7, Article I of the
Constitution, says:
| Every bill which shnll have passed the House of
Representatives and the Senate shall before it be-
/ come law, be presented to the President of the
United States u he approve he shall sign Il, but if
not he shall return it, with his objections to that
| House in which it shall have originated. 3
If any bin shall not be returned by the President
within TO days Sundays exeepted) after 1t shall
| have been presented 10 him, the shall be a
| law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless
the Congress by their adjournment prevent its re-
turn in which case it shall not be law.
This makes it clear that every bin which
he does not sign be disapproves"
Consequently, Mr.. Cleveland disap-
proved" 800 of the 977 bills sent him by
the 49th Congress, or very nearly one-third.
Heactually vetoed 144 or about one in six,
and the presumption is just that he wanted to
veto 156 more, but could not find for doing
SO even as slender excuses as he gave for
Withholding his signature to those which he
!
did Veto
The record Of the present session is not
yet made up, but up to the close of August
he had vetoed II pension bills. This would
make his total yetoes to that date 221, in
three years and half
Neither President Lincoln nor President
johnson vetoed a pension bill.
In his eight years as President Gen. Grant
disapproved of but five bills, and three Of
these were for the benefit of the pensioners
Gen. R. B. Hayes did not disapprove of q
pension bill during his erm, nor did Presi-
dents Garfield or Arthur.
Thus in three and q half years Mr.. Cleye
land has vetoed 45 times as many bills as his
six predecessors did in the "a years they
were at the head of the Government
Counting the bills which he disapproyed by
moi signing he has diaapproyed of nearly 81
times as many as Lincoln, johnson, Grant
Hayes, Garfield and Arthur did in q years
LIT rs stop his By uetoiag The vetoer. Com
rates, get your getoes really.
"4ad If one receires not enough II is be
Cause he did nat seree Tong enough; ant
can he be heard 10 complain If he gets jus
rate equal to his loto-8oIdiers, and for III
remainder Of tie relief necessary to his support
he shan be aliolrsd, as other citizens must, +
accept he charity Of he local authorities Col
Matson's Report On His Mangled DisabiHt,
Bill
IN his speech, which he did not delivel
Col. Matson said, concerning the arrear
bill:
/ have reported this great measure of relief i
both Congresses prior to this one.
Col Matson's colleague-Hon VIM. /
Owens, of IndiaDa-called his attention t
this inaccuracy," in the following Ian
guage:
He did not report such bin as this (arrcars) i
~. a.. FQ4l. r. al