The St. Johns herald., 1890-01-23
The Eet0 Power.

In an article of sweeping criti-
 cism on Abuses of the Veto Pow
 CT" in the current number of The
 Forum, MT. Frederick 4. Conkling
 says: "The prerogative, as at pres lent interpreted, so far from being a
 Safeguard to free government, is a 1 standing menace to the liberties of
 the people" That is a remark which
 recalls the severe criticism to which
 the exercise of the veto power was i put some forty years ago, as it also
 recalls the harsh terms often appli-
 ed to 1t during the Cleveland ad-
 ministration, such as "the one-man
 power" "a royal prerogative," a
 monarchical institution" "a des-
 potism which threatens to under
 mine the pillars of the Republic" :" Indeed, 1t was some such view of the power that was taken by sever al of the framers of the Constitu- ton. But notwithstanding the fears of Dr. Franklin, Roger Sher- man, and other of their associates, the power of veto was conferred upon the President at the very be- ginning; and notwithstanding all that has since been said against it,
 the power has been left with him untouched, with the approval of the great majority of the people. And 1t is well that 1t was given him, it is we'll that it has not been taken from him for, on the whole, exper- fence has proved that it is extreme ly serviceable and advantageous. Of course, as was foreseen at the outset, it is a power that is readily capable of abuse; and, of course, too, 1t is not difficult tOrun through our history and cull out instances where 1t has been abused, and at times grossly. But these instances by no means equal in number or importance the cases where it's ex- ercise has been judicious and dis erect and the source of very obvi- ous benefits, so that MT. Conkling's sweeping criticism can not be con sidered to be justified by the facts
 The first advantage of the veto pow CT, in theory if not in fact, is th& it tserves as a guard for the executive against the legislative departments of the Government. Were it not for the possession of 1t the execu
 tive might easily be deprived of every legitimate function until, with its independence entirely gone, it would be practically merged in the legislative power. It would be, in deed, almost defenseless. True, the veto has, perhaps, but rarely been used specifically for this purpose But the fact that the executive pos sessed it has undoubtedly operated as a check on legislative encroach- ment, discouraging even the begin ming of many attempts in that di- rection that have been at times thought of. In the second place, the veto power secures for all legis- lation a revision in addition to that afforded by the fact that it must all 1 pass two coordinate but independ- ently acting legislative branches. The need of the power for this pur- pose has increased greatly since the beginning of our Constitutional i history, and its advantage in this respect has grown constantly more obvious. In the enormous accum- ulation ot Congressional business that has marked recent years, haste, inadvertence, and demagoguery would be almost certain to result in a prJponieronce of improper legis- lation were there no check to insure its reconsideration. Indeed, when it is remembered that at times half the law of a whole session are pass ed within its last ten days, and 1