Waterbury evening Democrat., 1894-04-05

alton claims. Franklin Pierce vetoed sub
stantially the same bill, and portions of it
have since been vetoed in various forms.
Andrew johnson twice vetoed bills for the
continuation of the Freedman's bureau.
He three times vetoed reconstruction acts
and did the same for bills admitting Colo
RADIO and Nebraska. Congress passed the
Nebraska act over his head, but Colorado
remained out of the Union 10 years longer
by reason of his action.
Nearly all the vetoes of Grant were of re-
lief acts, and all the others together did not
excite as much comment as his veto of the
act for paying J. Milton Best S25, 900 for his
dwelling house at Paducah, which was de-
stroyed by the United States army. This
case, being leading one, caused me to look
through the papers filed in the house com
mittee on claims, and find that J. Milton
is still hammering away, and the chances
now seem to be that he may get something.
Vetoes of Pensions.
Cleveland's vetoes of pension bills are SC
recent that every reader remem bers the
racket thereon. But it ought to be said
that in very large majority of these cases
the veto was justified by subsequent events.
In several cases the applicant was really
put in better fix by having his special
bill vetoed. Unfortunately, however, for
the president, he got much in the habit
of vetoing pension bills that he became
facetious and attempted to make joke of
it, and that didn't go down with the Amer.
lean people. His famous joke about the
deadly character of the saddles used BY
our cavalry" probably made him more
enemies and bitterer enemies than any &c
of his vetoes.
But the big case against him was made
on the famous-I might almost say notori
ous-veto of the act granting a pension to
Andrew J. Wilson. In this gentleman's
applications he alleged no less than sew
en- serious injuries resulting from seven
months service, five of them after the close
of hostilities, whereupon the president was
moved to make this comment, which is
probably old enough to appear new to some
readers: ''Whatever else may be said of
this claimants achievements during his
short military career, it must be conceded
that he accumulated a great deal of disa
bility. There is no doubt in my mind that
whatever ailment he may honestly lay
claim to, his title to the same was complete
before he entered the army" There are
several shrewd politicians in congress who
will tell you that those two sentences cost
Grover Cleveland not less than 100, 900 votes
in 1SSS-a fearful warning to presidents not
to try to be funny.
Necessity of Despotic Power.
In conclusion, it may be said that the veto
power is now obsolete in England, as it has
not been used for over 100 years, and that
in this, rs in so many other things the rul-
er of republic has vastly more power than
the head of a constitutional monarchy, and
the fact that Democratic presidents have
employed the veto so much more freely
than the other kind is only an illustration
of the same principle. AS the power of the
president in disposing Of offices is so times
that of the queen, SO is his power in OBJ
structing legislation, which only adds
proof to many others that certain sort of
despotic power must be lodged somewhere
under any form of government.
J. B. PARKE